The Mavericks have been taking care of business, beating the teams they are supposed to, including a second straight over the Pelicans. The Raptors slowed down the Nets with a comfortable win after a slow start to the second half. The Nuggets thrashed the visiting Magic, while the Thunder and Trail Blazers took care of business with convincing home wins. There are just three evening games on a quiet Sunday to survey. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Fantasy Boom and Bust
Top Performers:
Kevin Durant/OKC. No surprise, but there is concerned about a minor wrist injury going forward. 8 of 18 FGA, 15 of 17 FTA, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 2 TO, 33 points.
Dirk Nowitzki/DAL,
Trevor Ariza/WAS.
Joakim Noah/CHI. With many fewer offensive weapons left for the Bulls, Noah should maintain this level of fantasy production.
Josh Smith/DET. Back to back solid games; the Pistons go as he goes.
Honorable Mention: Terrence Jones/MIA, Andre Drummond/DET, Anthony Davis/NOP, LaMarcus Aldridge/POR
Sleepers:
Trevor Ariza/WAS. 7 of 16 FGA, 6 of 7 FTA, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 2 TO, 23 points.
Quincy Miller/DEN. Helped by garbage time minutes.
D.J. Augustin/CHI. He deserves to start over Kirk Hinrich/CHI.
Thabo Sefolosha/OKC.
Giannis Antetokounmpo/MIL. One day bust, next day boom.
Patrick Patterson/TOR. Turning out to be the steal of the trade for the Raptors.
Disappointments:
Markieff Morris/PHO. 0 of 4 FGA, 1 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TO, 0 points (8 minutes).
DeJuan Blair/DAL.
Evan Turner/PHI.
Larry Sanders/MIL. He could be the disappointment of the season.
Reggie Jackson/OKC. Has had to take on full time minutes and his efficiency has fallen off.
DraftStreet NBA Leagues
As football takes center stage, Sunday sees only three NBA games this evening. The feature leagues are an $11 buy in with room for 600 entries, and a $55 buy in with a $6,000 guarantee. There are also five double-up guaranteed contests in the lobby. Don’t overlook the smaller 10 and 20-entry leagues – they can be great value.
We are half way through the DraftStreet Basketball Championship Qualifier series, with Qualifier #16 up this coming Wednesday. It’s only $22 per entry – an affordable chance at qualifying for a shot at $100,000 this March.
Classic Western Battle in Texas
Cleveland Cavaliers at Sacramento Kings (6:00 pm EST); over/under 207 ; Kings -3.5. INJURIES: CLE: none ; SAC: Carl Landry (OUT) .
I expect Luol Deng/CLE to be more actively involves in the Cavaliers offense. Of course, the Kings will rely on their star center DeMarcus Cousins/SAC and the in form Rudy Gay/SAC. Kyrie Irving/CLE remains a solid lineup anchor with more than typical upside.
Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies (6:00 pm EST); over/under 191.5 ; Grizzlies -4.5. INJURIES: ATL: none ; MEM: Tony Allen (OUT), Marc Gasol (OUT).
Jeff Teague/ATL has cooled down, causing his price to fall to bargain territory. Mike Conley/MEM and Zach Randolph/MEM are good plays for Memphis, but my top sleeper is Kosta Koufos/MEM.
Minnesota Timbervolves at San Antonio Spurs (7:00 pm EST); over/under 212 ; Spurs -6. INJURIES: MIN: none ; SAS: Manu Ginobili (Q), Tiago Splitter (OUT).
Tim Duncan/SAS and Kevin Love/MIN do battle, which might leave Kawhi Leonard/SAS room to score. Leonerd is one of my top sleeper plays of the day, while Marco Belinelli/SAS is a high-upside risk play.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $5/$500 double up payout GPP at DraftStreet ($99,328 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Kyrie Irving/CLE, Zach Randolph/MEM, Rudy Gay/SAC, Mike Conley/MEM
Bargain Plays: Marco Belinelli/SAS, Derrick Williams/SAC
Speculative Plays: Jason Thompson/SAC, Kosta Koufos/MEM
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 210 (+/- 65).
Others Deserving of Consideration: DeMarcus Cousins/SAC, Tim Duncan/SAS, Jarrett Jack/CLE, C.J. Miles/CLE, Kawhi Leonard/SAS, Paul Millsap/ATL, Nikola Pekovic/MIN, Isaiah Thomas/SAC.
The Fantasy Spin is up at Sheridan Hoops every day, around 1 PM EST. Follow me @robdudek for breaking news and pre-game thoughts relevant to NBA daily fantasy.