Celtics Praying Durant Rests his Shoulder Tonight
Los Angeles Lakers* at Orlando Magic (7:00 pm EST); over/under 207; Magic -1.5. INJURIES: LAL: Xavier Henry, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake, Steve Nash (all OUT) ; ORL: Nikola Vucevic (OUT).
Word is that Xavier Henry/LAL is nearing a return, followed by Steve Nash/LAL and the other injured Lakers. It will be quite a challenge to reintegrate them into a currently reasonably effective Lakers offense and I expect some bumps along that road.
Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers. (7:00 pm EST); over/under 204; Raptors -6.5. INJURIES: TOR: Tyler Hansbrough (D) ; PHI: Spencer Hawes (P), Tony Wroten (Q), Brandon Davies (OUT). Arnett Moultrie (OUT) .
The Raptors have been starting games out slowly. Last time out they rallied to beat the Mavs (without Dirk Nowitzki/DAL). The Sixers found their shooting touch against the Knicks and Michael Carter-Williams/PHI showed what he is capable. This ought to be a closer game than the line suggests.
San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks. (7:30 pm EST); over/under 209; Spurs -5. INJURIES: SAS: Danny Green, Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard (all OUT); ATL: Pero Antic (OUT), DeMarre Carroll (OUT).
The Hawks offense has been on fire and the Spurs just lost another key interior player. The Hawks have lost their top two centers: Gustavo Ayon/ATL is the next man up. Both teams are thin and this is where the Spurs’ famous system should win the day.
Milwaukee Bucks at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 pm EST); over/under 194.5; Cavaliers -8.5. INJURIES: MIL: Zaza Pachulia (OUT), O.J. Mayo (P) ; CLE: none .
John Henson/MIL gets the start again and is a decent speculative play. The Cavs are still having problems on offense with the new configuration of talent. I think the main problem is that both Luol Deng/CLE and Kyrie Irving/CLE like to initiate action in the half court offense. In the middle of the game you can rest one or the other and avoid the problem, but in crunch time both will be on the floor.
Dallas Mavericks at Brooklyn Nets. (7:30 pm EST); over/under 200; Nets -1.5. INJURIES: DAL: none ; BKN: Paul Pierce (P) .
The Nets have been playing some of the best defensive ball in the league over the last few weeks. When Joe Johnson/BKN and Paul Pierce/BKN are on, their offense is very good, adding up to a team in the groove. If you like betting point spreads, taking the Nets -1.5 is the best bet of the night.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics. (7:30 pm EST); over/under 196.5; Thunder -6.5. INJURIES: OKC: Kevin Durant (Q) ; BOS: Rajon Rondo (P), Avery Bradley (OUT), Jerryd Batless (OUT).
I think the Celtics have a decent shot at the win. When they are on they can shoot lights out from three point range. The Thunder have one of the best interior defenses in the league when Serge Ibaka/OKC and Kendrick Perkins/OKC are in the game, so that strength is neutralized to a great extent by the Celtics perimeter and movement oriented offense. Jeff Green/BOS could be great or horrible. I would avoid Kris Humphries/BOS in this one; Gerald Wallace/BOS remains a solid bargain play if he starts. For OKC, the bad news is that Kevin Durant/OKC is a game time decision with an ailing shoulder.
Charlotte Bobcats at New York Knicks. (7:30 pm EST); over/under 189; Knicks -3.5. INJURIES: CHA: Kemba Walker (OUT) ; NYK: Andrea Bargnani (OUT), Kenyon Martin (OUT), Amare Stoudamire (OUT).
The Bobcats should probably be the slight favorite here, given how good Al Jefferson/CHA has been and how mediocre the Knicks have played. Ramon Sessions/CHA has filled in for Kemba Walker/CHA admirably.
New Orleans Pelicans at Detroit Pistons (7:30 pm EST); over/under 202; Pistons -3. INJURIES: NOP: Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holidau and Jason Smith (all OUT) ; DET: none.
We’ll see if Jeff Withey/NOP is the answer for the Pelicans at center. If that question is answered in the affirmative, it will free up Anthony Davis/NOP to float in and out of the paint and do more damage on offense. The Pistons have two of the most inconsistent players in the league in Josh Smith/DET and Brandon Jennings/DET. This makes it difficult to choose any Piston except as a speculative play.
Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets (8:00 pm EST); over/under 198.5; Rockets -6. INJURIES: MEM: Tony Allen (Q) ; HOU: Terrence Jones (Q), Greg Smith (D) .
The Rockets have been rolling along despite missing Jones. The Grizzlies are a tough nut to crack and I expect a slower tempo game than the Rockets are used to.
Los Angeles Clippers at Chicago Bulls (8:00 pm EST); over/under 192.5; Clippers -3.5. INJURIES: LAC: Chris Paul (OUT) ; CHI: Carlos Boozer (P), Kirk Hinrich (OUT)
Last time out I bet on the Bulls to cover the spread against the Cavs and they ended up winning easily. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again. There was overreaction to the news that Carlos Boozer/CHI would sit out: Taj Gibson/CHI has been the better player and Boozer’s absence created more minutes and touches for Gibson. Similarly, with Kirk Hinrich/CHI out, the superior D.J. Augustin/CHI gets more opportunities.
Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns (9:00 pm EST); over/under 207; Suns -3.5. INJURIES: WAS: Al Harrington (OUT) ; PHO: Eric Bledsoe (OUT).
Who is the most surprising team in the NBA this year, Porland, Toronto, the Knicks? What about the Suns? I have Goran Dragic/PHO on my personal top 10 MVP list.
Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings (10:00 pm EST); over/under 196 ; Pacers -10.5. INJURIES: IND: ; SAC: Rudy Gay (OUT), DeMarcus Cousins (OUT) .
If I were to write down a list of NBA daily fantasy axioms, “Injuries create bargains” would be near the top of the list. Derrick Williams/SAC gets his chance to start and the major minutes boost makes him good bargain play. Injuries also boost the value of Isaiah Thomas/SAC and Jason Thompson/SAC (more touches).
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm EST); over/under; 210.5. Warriors -4; INJURIES: MIN: Kevin Martin (P), Alexey Shved (Q) ; GSW: David Lee (GT), Andrew Bogut (GT), Jermaine O’Neal (OUT) .
The Warriors have their first serious injury concerns since Andre Iguodala/GSW returned top the lineup. If both Lee/GSW and Bogut/GSW are out, I like the Wolves’ chances.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $5/$10,000 standard pay out GPP at DraftStreet ($99,295 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: DeAndre Jordan/LAC, DeMar DeRozan/TOR, Tim Duncan/SAS
Bargain Plays: Gerald Wallace/BOS, Nick Collison/OKC.
Speculative Plays: Lance Stephenson/IND, Jeff Green/BOS, Greivis Vasquez/TOR.
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 215 (+/- 50)
Others to consider: Jason Thompson/SAC, Pau Gasol/LAL, Marco Belinelli/SAS, Reggie Jackson/OKC, Joe Johnson/BKN, Victor Oladipo/ORL, D.J. Augustin/CHI, Isaiah Thomas/SAC, Kyrie Irving/CLE
Click on any of the links to take you to our daily fantasy partner, DraftStreet. I’ve tried many sites and my honest opinion is that DraftStreet is the most challenging, therefore the most fun. 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.