The Sacramento Kings have picked up their play and if they keep things rolling they could emerge as playoff contenders.. They roasted Cleveland to the tune of 124-80 at home. The Spurs exposed the Timberwolves as pretenders in the West with a 104-86 home win. In the closest contest, the Grizzlies continue their solid play without star center Marc Gasol/MEM, beating the Hawks at home 108-101. There are seven NBA games on the card tonight and there are plenty of large field contests at DraftStreet in which to shoot for the big score. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Fantasy Boom and Bust
Top Performers:
Mike Conley/MEM. Always capable of a big game. 7 of 15 FGA, 7 of 7 FTA, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 steals, 2 TO, 21 points.
Isaiah Thomas/SAC, Paul Millsap/ATL, Tim Duncan/SAS, Rudy Gay/SAC.
Sleepers:
Jason Thompson/SAC. Dominated the boards as the Kings won easily. 4 of 11 FGA, 16 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0 TO, 8 points.
Kawhi Leonard/SAS, Mike Miller/MEM, Courtney Lee/MEM.
Disappointments:
Kevin Love/MIN. The Wolves can’t win when Love gets shutdown and the Spurs executed to perfection. 3 of 14 FGA, 8 of 11 FTA, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 14 points.
Kyrie Irving/CLE. His shot was off and the Cavs were blasted by the suddenly in form Kings.
Dion Waiters/CLE, Jarrett Jack/CLE.
DraftStreet NBA Leagues
The big field contests return to DraftStreet for Monday’s NBA action. For a comfortable buy in of $11, $10,000 is up for grabs, including $2,000 for first place. For those of a tighter budget, there is an enticing $2/$5,000 GPP with room for up to 2,750 entries.
The Survivor league format returns with a $22 buy in with $2,400 up for grabs. The first two days cut the field in half twice, and the payouts go to the top survivors on day three.
If you are eager to qualify for the DraftStreet Basketball Championship and a shot at $100,000, you will have to wait until the Wednesday $22 qualifier for your chance.
Celtics Return from Western Trip, host Harden and the Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors (7:00 pm EST); over/under 187; Raptors -11.5. INJURIES: MIL: John Henson (P), Zaza Pachulia (OUT) ; TOR: Tyler Hansbrough (Q) .
The Bucks have the inside track on the top lottery slot, while the Raptors have fit all their new parts into a cohesive whole. The one-two punch of DeMar DeRozan/TOR and Kyle Lowry/TOR do the bulk of the ball handling and can be counted on to put up good to excellent fantasy stat lines. For Milwaukee, Brandon Knight/MIL is an intriguing speculative play.
Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics (7:30 pm EST); over/under 205; Rockets -5.5. INJURIES: HOU: Chandler Parsons (P), Patrick Beverley (OUT); BOS: Rajon Rondo (OUT).
Phoenix Suns at New York Knicks (7:30 pm EST); over/under 198.5; Knicks -3. INJURIES: PHO: Eric Bledsoe (OUT); NYK: Beno Udrih (Q), Tyson Chandler (Q), Pablo Prigioni (OUT) .
San Antonio Spurs* at New Orleans Pelicans (8:00 pm EST); over/under 198.5; Spurs -6.5. INJURIES: SAS: Manu Ginobili (Q), Tiago Splitter (OUT); NOP: Tyreke Evans (Q), Ryan Anderson (OUT), Jrue Holiday (OUT)
The Pelicans survived the Anthony Davis/NOP well, but are having a rough time without their point guard (Holiday) and best outside shooter (Anderson). To compound their problems their next best playmaker, Tyreke Evans/NOP, has ankle concerns and may skip this one. Few teams are as good at the Spurs at winning games on back-to-back nights.
Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls (8:00 pm EST); over/under 181.5; Bulls -2.5. INJURIES: WAS: Al Harrington; CHI: Jimmy Butler (Q) .
Both teams have been involved in low scoring games and this should continue. John Wall’s/WAS fantasy lines have wilted and that should also continue. D.J. Augustin/CHI is a decent sleeper.
Orlando Magic at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 pm EST); over/under 198.5; Mavs -12. INJURIES: ORL: Maurice Harkless (Q), Jameer Nelson (Q), Arron Afflalo (Q), Nikola Vucevic (OUT) ; DAL: Shane Larkin (Q), Shawn Marion (GT), Devin Harris (OUT) .
The Magic are in freefall. A spate of injuries have demolished what little depth they had. Dallas should have no problem tonight; in fact, a blowout is very likely. Dirk Nowitzki/DAL and Monta Ellis/DAL are relatively safe plays, even accounting for the likely blowout.
Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz (9:00 pm EST); over/under 203; Nuggets -4 . INJURIES: DEN: Wilson Chandler (Q), JaVale McGee (OUT); UTA: Gordon Hayward/UTA (Q).
The Nuggets have been playing great basketball at home but will travel to face the improving Jazz. The Nuggets will be heavy favorites unless Gordon Hayward/UTA is well enough to play.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $11/$10,000 standard payout GPP at DraftStreet ($99,459 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: James Harden/HOU, DeMar DeRozan/TOR, Dirk Nowitzki/DAL
Bargain Plays: Quincy Miller/DEN, Randy Foye/DEN
Speculative Plays: Kenneth Faried/DEN, J.J. Hickson/DEN, Patrick Patterson/TOR
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 220 (+/- 55).
Others Deserving of Consideration: D.J. Augustin/CHI, Terrence Jones/HOU, Tony Parker/SAS, Joakim Noah/CHI, Miles Plumlee/PHO, Luke Ridnour/MIL, Jeff Green/BOS, Monta Ellis/DAL.
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.