Lakers Playing Like Contenders
Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat (8:00 pm EST); over/under 211; Heat -11.5. INJURIES: LAL: Xavier Henry, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake, Steve Nash (all OUT) ; MIA: Dwayne Wade (OUT).
The Lakers are getting disrespected by the oddsmakers, despite being competitive since Ryan Kelly/LAL entered the starting lineup. Pau Gasol/LAL is iffy with a bad toe (but will play) and the Lakers might have to rely on Nick Young’s/LAL hot shooting to continue. Given that the Heat barely beat the Bobcats and Celtics and lost to the Hawks, the point spread is too large. Dwayne Wade/MIA has been ruled out, so that boosts the value of most Heat, most particularly Shane Battier/MIA and Ray Allen/MIA..
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 pm EST); over/under 220.5; Blazers -8. INJURIES: DEN: Randy Foye(P), Darrell Arthur (OUT), JaVale McGee (OUT) ; POR: Nicolas Batum (P).
Portland is no doubt pleased to have the Southwestern road trip behind them. Denver does not have the reputation of being a tough road team, so as long as the Blazers shooters show up in good form they should win. LaMarcus Aldridge/POR is coming off a great game stat wise against the Thunder, but in crunch time, the defense got tougher and Aldridge frequently had to face double teams. The result was a spell of cold shooting and a loss in a game that was winnable. Damian Lillard/POR has to get more involved in the offense – the Blazers are tough to beat when that happens. For Denver, Anthony Randolph/DEN is worth a flier, as is Evan Fournier/DEN if Randy Foye/DEN sits out.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $5/$5,000 standard pay out GPP at DraftStreet ($99,816 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, Ty Lawson/DEN
Bargain Plays: Shane Battier/MIA, Mo Williams/POR, Robin Lopez/POR
Speculative Plays: Nick Young/LAL, Jodie Meeks/LAL,Wilson Chandler/DEN.
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 205 (+/- 60)
Others to consider: LeBron James/MIA, Anthony Randolph/DEN, J.J. Hickson/DEN, Ray Allen/MIA.
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