Lakers, Bulls and Bobcats Could be Road Kill Tonight
Indiana Pacers* at Atlanta Hawks (7:30 pm EST); over/under 199.5; Pacers -3. INJURIES: IND: Andrew Bynum (OUT); ATL: Pero Antic (OUT).
The Pacers were able to rest their regular players rotation and will display their depth advantage over Atlanta tonight. The Hawks don’t have a lot of offensive punch outside of Paul Millsap/ATL and Jeff Teague/ATL (when he’s on his game). It’s been awhile since Paul George/IND exploded and that may happen tonight if both teams decide defense is optional.
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00 pm EST); over/under 217; Wolves -11. INJURIES: LAL: Steve Nash (P), Steve Blake (P), Pau Gasol, Xavier Henry, Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant (all OUT); MIN: Nikola Pekovic (OUT).
This is the beginning of a new phase in the Lakers’ dismal season. Pau Gasol/LAL will not make the road trip and we may never see him in a Lakers uniform again as trade rumors swirl. Steve Nash/LAL is expected to make an appearance, though I think his minutes will be limited. Some of those fill in Lakers, Ryan Kelly/LAL and Kendall Marshall/LAL in particular, will only have a few more chances to convince management that they are integral parts of the team going forward, as all the longtime injured Lakers save for Kobe are close to returning. The Wolves should have an easy time of it and only a blowout by the end of the third quarter might prevent Kevin Love/MIN from putting up gargantuan numbers. I still like Ronny Turiaf/MIN in the paint and J.J. Barea/MIN could be the top bargain play of the night off the bench.
Chicago Bulls* at Phoenix Suns (9:00 pm EST); over/under 191.5; Suns -8. INJURIES: CHI: none; PNX: Eric Bledsoe (OUT).
The Bulls looked terrible in Sacramento, especially after their star center Joakim Noah/CHI was tossed from the game. Tonight they have the Phoenix buzz saw to contend with, a squad playing some of the best basketball in the league at the moment. Goran Dragic/PNX has been MVP-candidate material in recent weeks – the best healthy guard in the NBA right now. If he isn’t named as a replacement for the All-Star Game it will be an egregious affront to sanity.
Charlotte Bobcats at Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm EST); over/under 200; Warriors -10. INJURIES: CHA: Kemba Walker (Q); GSW: David Lee (Q), Jermaine O’Neal (OUT).
The Bobcats sorely need Kemba Walker/CHA back, as defenses collapse on Al Jefferson/CHA in Walker’s absence. Andrew Bogut/GSW has been more involved in the Warriors’ attack and he is one of the few pivot men good enough to shut Jefferson down. Unless Golden State has a massive shooting slump, I look for a double-digit win for them tonight.
My Lineup at DraftStreet
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $2/$4,000 standard payout GPP at DraftStreet. You are required to have three guards, three forwards, one center and one wildcard/utility player for a legal eight-player lineup in DraftStreet NBA contests:
F-Kevin Love/MIN- $22,180, G-Stephen Curry/GSW-$19.822, G-Goran Dragic/PHO-$16,066, G-Jeff Teague/ATL-$12,181, F-Gerald Green/PNX- $10,025, C-Ronny Turiaf/MIN- $7,233, G-J.J. Barea/MIN- $6,281, F-Luis Scola/IND- $5,886.
Others to consider: Al Jefferson/CHA, Joakim Noah/CHI, Paul Millsap/ATL, Lance Stephenson/IND, Paul George/IND, Ricky Rubio/MIN, Roy Hibbert/IND, Jodie Meeks/LAL, Klay Thompson/GSW, Channing Frye/PNX, Nick Young/LAL, Danny Granger/IND.
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