By the time the evening games are underway tonight, the NBA trade deadline will have passed and we will know which teams have bailed on the season and which have strengthened their roster. Charlotte announced their desire to compete in the playoffs by beating Detroit for the second night in a row with ease. In the late games, the Spurs proved that when it comes to depth and disciplined play, they are second to none. Both Tim Duncan/SAS and Tony Parker/SAS sat out as Manu Ginobili/SAS and Patrick Mills/SAS led the way in an impressive win in Portland. Handicapped by the absence of their star, DeMarcus Cousins/SAS, the Kings fell to the Warriors, who themselves weren’t close to their best. If you play NBA daily fantasy, DraftStreet was the place to be last night: though the 50K didn’t fill, enough contestants registered to avoid overlay. It’s a quieter night in the NBA and DraftStreet, but chances to win big money remain. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Fantasy Boom and Bust
TOP GUNS:
Kevin Love/MIN. There is no doubt that Love is a big time fantasy producer.
James Harden/HOU. The Lakers are the ideal opposition for Harden/HOU.
Kemba Walker/CHA. If he can sustain this level of play, the Bobcats will be a serious playoff threat.
Carmelo Anthony/NYK, Paul George/IND, John Wall/WAS, Kendall Marshall/LAL.
SLEEPERS:
Joe Johnson/BKN. Notoriously inconsistent. I suppose being around greatness during the all-star festivities inspired him.
Elton Brand/ATL. Got the nod to start at center and held his own against the Wizards’ formidable front line.
Travis Outlaw/SAC, Wes Johnson/LAL, Danny Green/SAS.
DISAPPOINTMENTS:
Andre Drummond/DET. After playing even with Al Jefferson/CHA the night before, he couldn’t handle the Bobcat center in the rematch.
Glen Davis/ORL. With everyone back healthy, Davis has returned to his support role.
Gordon Hayward/UTA, Stephen Curry/GSW, Jonas Valanciunas/TOR.
DraftStreet NBA Contests
The second $22 Big Wednesday event ran yesterday, and with all the games on the schedule, the scores ran high at DraftStreet. The $10,000 first place prize went to “naapstermaan” who scored 320.00 points. The stars of the show were James Harden/HOU, Kemba Walker/CHA, and Paul George/IND, with solid contributions from Elton Brand/ATL, John Wall/WAS. Marcin Gortat/WAS and David Lee/GSW. His team finished a whopping 11.5 points ahead of second place “santino712”. Satellites are running for next week’s 50K, so jump in and earn a voucher.
The big contest of the day is the $22/$10,000 GPP standard payout, closing at 8 PM. If you don’t have a DraftStreet account, you can sign up HERE.
Clash of the Titans
Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 pm EST); over/under 205.5 ; Thunder -3.5. INJURIES: MIA: none; OKC: Russell Westbrook (Q).
As far as regular season games go, it doesn’t get better than this. Not only do the league’s two best players clash, but this game may feature the return of Russell Westbrook/OKC. I expect both Kevin Durant/OKC and LeBron James/MIA to put up spectacular numbers tonight.
Denver Nuggets at Milwaukee Bucks (8:00 pm EST); over/under 204.5 ; Nuggets -4.5. INJURIES: DEN: Ty Lawson (Q); MIL: Caron Butler (P), Brandon Knight (P).
The Bucks continue to be in a state of flux, but it appears that they are getting healthier. This one is a toss-up, but swill lean the Nuggets way if their leader (Lawson/DEN) is able to play.
Houston Rockets* at Golden State Warriors* (10:30 pm EST); over/under 212.5 ; Warriors -1 . INJURIES: HOU: Ronnie Brewer (Q); GSW: Andrew Bogut (Q), Steve Blake (Q).
Without a healthy Andrew Bogut/GSW, it will be difficult for Golden State to contain
Dwight Howard/HOU in the paint. James Harden/HOU is coming off a great game against the Lakers, but will find a lot less room to operate. Stephen Curry/GSW is coming off a sub-par game, in part because he wasn’t needed against the Kings. Things will be different tonight and I expect a big game from the sharpshooting guard.
My Lineup at DraftStreet
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $2/$5,000 Standard Payout at DraftStreet (closing at 8 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:
F-Kevin Durant/OKC-$23,814, F-Chandler Parsons/HOU-$14,356, G-Nate Wolters/MIL-$12,717, C-J.J Hickson/DEN-$12,305, G-Mario Chalmers/MIA-$10,926, G-Wilson Chandler/DEN-$10,319, F-Ersan Illyasova/MIL-$9,165, G-Norris Cole/MIA-$6,392.
Others to consider: LeBron James/MIA, Dwight Howard/HOU, James Harden/HOU, David Lee/GSW, Kenneth Faried/DEN, Klay Thompson/GSW, Jordan Hamilton/DEN, Timofey Mozgov/DEN, Jermaine O’Neal/GSW.
There are a lot of injury issues that will have a major impact on daily fantasy tonight, so the above selections should be regarded as provisional. Most important is the status of Ty Lawson/DEN, Russell Westbrook/OKC, and Patrick Beverley/HOU. If Beverley plays and guards Stephen Curry/GSW, that will eliminate the latter from serious consideration. If Westbrook/OKC plays, it will dampen my expectations for Kevin Durant/OKC and Reggie Jackson/OKC. If Lawson/DEN plays, all of the Denver guards and small forwards will be downgraded.
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. Help support the Fantasy Spin by spending your daily fantasy dollars at DraftStreet. 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.