Several high scoring games in the NBA last night led to fat fantasy stat lines at DraftStreet : it took well over 300 DraftStreet points to get the top spots in most contests last night. Both Goran Dragic/PNX and Anthony Davis/NOP were game-time decisions last night, and both had monster games. Dragic made the Pelicans defense look silly. The Bulls reaffirmed their status as a rising power with a comfortable win over Dallas, while the Knicks’ swoon continued. The Spurs took over in the second half and limited Al Jefferson/CHA, while the Lakers won a shootout over the Kings. Tonight is another busy night on the hardwood floors. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
The Brow Almost Beats the Suns
TOP GUNS:
Anthony Davis/NOP. A surprise start and he had a great game; too bad his teammates offered little support. 14 of 18 FGA, 4 of 4 FTA, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 TO, 32 points.
Stephen Curry/GSW. Bounce back game as predicted. 9 of 19 GA, 4 of 4 FTA, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 block, 4 TO, 27 points.
Kevin Durant/OKC, Rudy Gay/SAC, Kyrie Irving/CLE, Goran Dragic/PNX, Tim Duncan/SAS.
SLEEPERS:
Derrick Williams/SAC. Ultra cheap player, got extra minutes due to the DeMarcus Cousins/SAC suspension. 10 of 20 FGA, 6 of 10 FTA, 12 rebounds, 2 assist, 2 steals, 0 TO, 26 points.
Jordan Farmar/LAL. Should be the starting point guard, but it doesn’t really matter for the Lakers at this stage. 9 of 14 FGA, 4 of 5 FTA, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, 30 points.
Wes Johnson/LAL, Jason Thompson/SAC, MarShon Brooks/LAL.
LET DOWNS:
Chris Kaman/LAL. Tucked away until the next Pao Gasol/LAL injury.
Kemba Walker/SAS. Shut down by the Spurs.
Brandon Wright/DAL, Tiago Splitter/SAS, Dirk Nowitzki/DAL.
DraftStreet NBA Contests
This week saw two major NBA contests at DraftStreet: the 40K Pick’Em last night and the 50K Salary Cap on Wednesday. Satellites for the 50K run every day – look for the green dollar sign in the NBA lobby. Today we get a break from the monster contests and focus on the wide range on contests on offer at DraftStreet day in and day out. Filling up quickly is my highlight contest of the day: an $11/$8,000 GPP with room for 800 runners. There are also scores of double-up contests, with several reaching 200 entries or more.
If you don’t have a DraftStreet account, you can sign up HERE and begin accumulating DraftStreet Credits.
Wolves Gear up for Desperate Playoff Push
Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 pm EST); over/under 214 ; Warriors -11.5 . INJURIES: WAS: Kevin Seraphin (OUT), Nene Hilario (OUT) ; PHI: none .
This is where my prime focus will be for tonight. Several Wizards are undervalued against a horrendous Sixers defense, particularly Marcin Gortat/WAS. Martell Webster/WAS and Andre Miller/WAS are solid bargain plays given the likely blowout conditions, while Tony Wroten/PHI is inconsistent but capable of great things.
Orlando Magic at Miami Heat (7:30 pm EST); over/under 200 ; Heat -14 . INJURIES: ORL: Arron Afflalo (OUT) ; MIA: none.
Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets (8:00 pm EST); over/under 215.5 ; Rockets -11 . INJURIES: DET: Brandon Jennings (Q), Josh Harrellson (OUT) ; HOU: none.
Expected to be a high scoring game and James Harden/HOU is set up for a monster game.
Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics (8:00 pm EST); over/under 192 ; Pacers -7.5 . INJURIES: IND: George Hill (OUT), Andrew Bynum (OUT) ; BOS: Jared Sullinger (Q), Kelly Olynyk (D), Avery Bradley (OUT), Gerald Wallace (OUT).
With Wallace/BOS going down to season-ending injury, the Celtics are spread thin. The Pacers’ margin of victory in this game will correlate to their intensity level. Roy Hibbert/IND is coming off a great game and has a very good match against Kris Humphries/BOS.
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks (8:30 pm EST); over/under 197.5 ; Nets -6.5 . INJURIES: BKN: Kevin Garnett (OUT) ; MIL: Larry Sanders (OUT) .
The Bucks front court is in ascendancy, and I like John Henson/MIL as a dark horse in this one.
Cleveland Cavaliers* at Memphis Grizzlies* (9:00 pm EST); over/under 185.5 ; Grizzlies -8.5 . INJURIES: CLE: Anthony Bennett (Q), Dion Waiters (OUT), C.J. Miles (OUT), Anderson Varejao (OUT) ; MEM: Beno Udrih (Q).
The Cavs finish up a busy stretch ad face the tough Grizzlies, who are coming off a defeat at the hands of the Thunder. Memphis will want to tighten up the defense and pay special attention to Kyrie Irving/CLE. As a result, few if any players are decent value plays in this one.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings* (10:00 pm EST); over/under 214 ; Wolves -4 . INJURIES: MIN: Nikola Pekovic (P), Kevin Martin (Q), Ronny Turiaf (OUT) ; SAC: Carl Landry (OUT) .
Watch and see if Pekovic/MIN returns, if not Kevin Love/MIN remains a good value play.
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers (10:00 pm EST); over/under 214 ; Blazers -11.5 . INJURIES: DEN: Wilson Chandler (D), Darrell Arthur (D), Ty Lawson (OUT) ; POR: Thomas Robinson (Q), LaMarcus Aldridge (Q), Meyers Leonard (Q) .
A likely blowout. Mo Williams/POR is a decent cheap play.
New Orleans Pelicans* at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 pm EST); over/under 210 ; Clippers -12 . INJURIES: NOP: none ; LAC: Jamal Crawford (Q), Danny Granger (Q), J.J. Redick ( OUT).
If Crawford/LAC sits, expect Glen Davis/LAC to get significant minutes in this one. Blake Griffin/LAC and Chris Paul/LAC will be very busy.
My Lineup at DraftStreet
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $2/$5,000 Standard Payout GPP at DraftStreet (closing at 7:30 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-Chris Paul/LAC-$19,358, G-James Harden/HOU-$19,309, C-Marcin Gortat/WAS-$15,766, F-Trevor Ariza/WAS-$13,597, G-Bradley Beal/WAS-$12,265, F-Khris Middleton/MIL-$8,182, F-Shane Battier/MIA-$6,034, F-Derrick Williams/SAC-$5,179.
Others to consider: Kevin Love/MIN, Blake Griffin/LAC, DeAndre Jordan/LAC, Lance Stephenson/IND, Ricky Rubio/MIN, Ersan Ilyasova/MIL, Mario Chalmers/MIA, Giannis Antetokounmpo/MIL, Darren Collison/LAC, John Henson/MIL, Tony Wroten/PHI, Jarrett Jack/CLE, Mo Williams/POR, Ramon Sessions/MIL, Courtney Lee/MEM, Jerryd Bayless/BOS. Martell Webster/WAS.
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