Battle of New York is a Toss-Up
Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons (1:00 pm EST); over/under 209.5; Clippers -4. INJURIES: LAC: Matt Barnes (P), J.J. Redick (P), Darren Collison (P), Chris Paul (OUT); DET: none.
Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland Cavaliers (1:00 pm EST); over/under 209; Mavs -1.5. INJURIES: DAL: none; CLE: none.
Philadelphia 76ers at Washington Wizards (2:00 pm EST); over/under 207; Wizards -10. INJURIES: PHI: James Anderson (Q), Tony Wroten (D), Arnett Moultrie (Q) ; WAS: Al Harrington (OUT).
The Sixers have renewed injury concerns, chief among them is Tony Wroten/PHI. Wroten is a dynamic player that gives life to the second unit – without him, we can expect less run and gun fron Philadelphia than usual.
Toronto Raptors* at Charlotte Bobcats (2:00 pm EST); over/under 187 ; Raptors -4.5. INJURIES: TOR: John Salmons (Q); Tyler Hansbrough (OUT); CHA: Kemba Walker (OUT).
The second best Bobcats player, Kemba Walker/CHA, is out for at least a few weeks with an ankle sprain. That should boost the activity for Gerald Henderson/CHA. Expect Al Jefferson/CHA to get even more touches in the paint and he is one of my top value plays among blue chip players today. The Raptors let their guard down and suffered a surprise defeat to the Lakers at home last night. You can always count of Kyle Lowry/TOR and DeMar DeRozan/TOR to play major minutes an fill the stat sheet: they are reliable plays.
Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks (2:30 pm EST); over/under 193; Nets -2. INJURIES: BKN: Deron Williams (P) ; NYK: Amare Stoudamire (OUT), Kenyon Martin (OUT), Metta World Peace (OUT).
The injury advantage lies with the Nets, but they traveled from London three days ago so that shifts the balance the other way.
New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies (5:00 pm EST); over/under 191.5 ; Grizzlies -7 . INJURIES: NOP: Ryan Anderson (OUT), Jason Smith (OUT), Jrue Holiday (OUT); MEM: Tony Allen (Q).
Not the best matchup for Anthony Davis/NOP here, especially if Marc Gasol/MEM shows he’s getting closer to full game shape. Mike Conley/MEM should have a significant edge over Brian Roberts/NOP. The key player for the Pelicans will be Eric Gordon/NOP – their top outside threat with Anderson out. If he can’t drain the outside shot with regularity, the Grizzlies should cruise to victory.
Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks (5:30 pm EST); over/under 202; Heat -5. INJURIES: MIA: Dwayne Wade (Q), Chris Andersen (Q); ATL: DeMarre Carroll (Q) .
Monitor the status of Dwayne Wade/MIA – if he can’t go, all the other Heat regulars get a slight upgrade, most of all LeBron James/MIA.
Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets (8:00 pm EST); over/under 219; Rockets -2. INJURIES: POR: none ; HOU: Greg Smith (Q), Patrick Beverley (D), Francisco Garcia (OUT) .
This figures to be a high scoring affair. James Harden/HOU has been steady if unspectacular the last week. LaMarcus Aldridge/POR will get plenty of offensive touches and I expect him to work a little further away from the basket in this matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers* at Chicago Bulls (8:00 pm EST); over/under 197 ; Bulls -9.5. INJURIES: LAL: Xavier Henry, Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake, Steve Nash (all OUT) ; CHI: Derrick Rose (OUT).
The Lakers played last night and rallied from a large deficit to dominate the closing minutes against the Raptors. Nick Young/LAL had the hot hand and Ryan Kelly/LAL produced excellent fantasy numbers and remains a super-bargain if he maintains his minutes and production in this game. Easier said than done, as the Bulls have a veteran team and like to slow the game down. Joakim Noah/CHI and Jimmy Butler/CHI are my top recommendations for the Bulls.
Indiana Pacers at Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm EST); over/under 197.5; Warriors -1. INJURIES: IND: none ; GSW: Jermaine O’Neal/GSW.
The Pacers embark on an important western swing. Good results will solidify their status as the best team in the league. Paul George/IND and Lance Stephenson/IND have been filling the highlight reel – for this game I like Stephenson as a solid play. He often leads Indiana’s second unit and the Warriors have a weak reserve squad. Stephen Curry/GSW can’t be stopped by anyone when he is on his game, but the percentage play is to give him a miss.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $11/$1,000 double up payout GPP at DraftStreet ($99,417 spent of $100,000 max). You are required to have 1 center, 3 guards, 3 forwards and 1 wildcard/utility player for a valid DraftStreet lineup:
Stars Worth Starting: LaMarcus Aldridge/POR, Joakim Noah/CHI, Chris Bosh/MIA
Bargain Plays: Ryan Kelly/LAL, Brian Roberts/NOP, Jimmy Butler/CHI
Speculative Plays: Shane Battier/MIA, Joe Johnson/BKN.
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 215 (+/- 55)
Others Deserving of Consideration: Jodie Meeks/LAL, Nick Young/LAL, Kendall Marshall/LAL, LeBron James/MIA, Blake Griffin/LAC, Al Jefferson/CHA, Martell Webster/WAS, C.J. Miles/CLE, Luol Deng/CLE,
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