Pacers Look to Rebound after Shock Defeat
Denver Nuggets at Indiana Pacers* (7:00 pm EST); over/under 198.5 ; Pacers -10.5. INJURIES: DEN: Ty Lawson (D) ; IND: Lance Stephenson (P), Andrew Bynum (OUT).
I know the Nuggets aren’t a great road team, but the Pacers lost a close one in Orlando last night and it remains to be seen if Stephenson/IND can play effectively in back-to-back games. As such, the betting line looks skewed. On the other hand, it appears that Nuggets playmaker Lawson/DEN will sit out.
New Orleans Pelicans* at Toronto Raptors (7:00 pm EST); over/under 192.5 ; Raptors -7.5. INJURIES: NOP: Tyreke Evans (Q), Ryan Anderson (OUT), Jrue Holiday (OUT) ; TOR: none.
Evans/NOP was dressed, but didn’t play yesterday when the Pelicans sorely needed his dynamism. That’s suggestive of doghouse status. If he doesn’t play today, the Raptors should have no problem beating New Orleans, as long as they can limit the damage done by Anthony Davis/NOP. This is the type of game in which DeMar DeRozan/TOR should be left off your lineup.
San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons (7:30 pm EST); over/under 205.5 ; Spurs -4. INJURIES: SAS: Tiago Spliter (Q), Marco Belinelli (Q), Kawhi Leonard (OUT), Manu Ginobili(OUT) ; DET: Josh Harrellson (OUT).
Apparently, all you need to do to get the coach fired is play two consecutive brilliant games. The post-Cheeks era starts tonight for the Pistons. The Spurs won’t allow Detroit’s offense to dominate.
Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00 pm EST); over/under 209 ; Rockets -4.5 . INJURIES: HOU: Greg Smith (OUT) ; MIN: Kevin Love (Q), Nikola Pekovic (OUT), Kevin Martin (OUT).
For our purposes, we need to know if Love/MIN is playing. If he doesn’t, players like Corey Brewer/MIN, Dante Cunningham/MIN, and Ronny Turiaf/MIN will be counted upon to do more scoring and rebounding than usual. If Love can’t go, the Rockets should have an easy time of it in the paint.
Boston Celtics* at Milwaukee Bucks (8:00 pm EST); over/under 191.5 ; Celtics -2. INJURIES: BOS: Rajon Rondo (OUT); MIL: Ersan Ilyasova (Q), Larry Sanders (Q), Luke Ridnour (Q) , Caron Butler (OUT), O.J. Mayo (OUT) .
Rondo/BOS is resting in the back-to-back and that opens up minutes for Jerryd Bayless/BOS. With the exception of the Lakers, no team has been negatively impacted by injuries as much as the Bucks. Even without Rondo, Boston has such a big talent edge that I expect a double-digit victory for the Celtics.,
Philadelphia 76ers* At Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm EST); over/under 214 ; Warriors -14.5. INJURIES: PHI: none ; GSW: Andrew Bogut (Q) .
It was quite the game in Los Angeles, one the Sixers will try to forget. They might be the tonic the inconsistent Warriors need. I expect Stephen Curry/GSW to be unstoppable – only limited minutes due to a possible blowout might contain him. I like Jermaine O’Neal/GSW as a bargain play, especially if Bogut/GSW can’t go. I would stay away from David Lee/GSW until he proves he’s fully healthy.
My Lineup at DraftStreet
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $5/$5,000 standard payout GPP at DraftStreet (closing at 7 pm EST). 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:
G-Stephen Curry/GSW-$20,999, G-Brandon Jennings/DET-$15,889, F-Paul George/IND-$14,381, F-Khris Middleton/MIL-$11,532; G-George Hill/IND-$11,175, F-Dante Cunningham/MIN-$9.147, C-Jermaine O’Neal/GSW-$8,889, G-Jerryd Bayless/BOS-$7,934
Others to consider: Dwight Howard/HOU, Jared Sullinger/BOS, David West/IND, Brandon Knight/MIL, Jeff Green/BOS, Patrick Mills/SAS, Gerald Wallace/BOS, Ronny Turiaf/MIN, Corey Brewer/MIN, Luis Scola/IND.
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