Friday wasn’t my best night in daily leagues. Three games went to overtime, affecting minutes. The Bulls forgot they are a defensive team and barely outscored the winless Sixers. The Suns were upset, both teams shot less than 43% and Isaiah Thomas was all but silent, grieving a death in his family. If you saw all that coming, you deserved to win my money.
Eight Saturday NBA games include one matinee. Chris Paul $9900 and Blake Griffin $9400 are fairly priced, but not available in 7:00 ET contests; nor are the Blazers. Join a 3:30 league — like today’s features — if you want to use them.
Plays of the Day
Not a DraftKings fan yet? Click for a free entry (worth $2) to win as much as $600 in tonight’s $10K Layup, where 1150 of 5750 teams earn cash. DK will also match your initial deposit 100% (up to $600) with bonus money that gets added to your account as you play.
For better odds and larger payouts, try a $27 ticket into the $15K Crossover where the field is only 630 teams and the top 140 will be paid. First place is worth $2,000 in that one.
The list of players to avoid is long. Rajon Rondo is out (tonight only; screws removed from his hand) and teammate Marcus Smart hurt his ankle last night. Derrick Rose is officially questionable, which has become the norm. Ricky Rubio (ankle) will be out for a while, David Lee (hamstring) a couple of weeks and Terrence Jones (leg nerve) is at least another week away. That’s just a partial list.
Can we take advantage at DK? Well, Mo Williams $3300 is suddenly the starting PG for the T-Wolves, with rookie Zach LaVine $3000 his only backup. I’ll roll with Kevin Martin $5700 a third straight game, but the Florida back-to-back is especially tough after an OT loss. Chris Bosh $8800 is the safest play on the Heat, Dwyane Wade $7600 looks healthy and Shawne Williams $3900 might see extra minutes because several other Miami bigs are hurting.
Game of the night is definitely the battle of unbeatens in Houston. Pairing James Harden $10300 with Dwight Howard $9100 is not a bad idea; Trevor Ariza $6300 will keep firing and Isaiah Canaan $3000 is the #1 PG until Patrick Beverley returns from a hamstring pull. Jason Terry $3100 will see extra minutes off the bench. The Warriors are in tough, and Stephen Curry $10200 will need to carry them. Klay Thompson $7400 is off to a great start and Draymond Green $5700 was a huge factor in beating the Clippers on Wednesday.
Anthony Davis $10500 has finally come down in salary and might be psyched for a big night in San Antonio; Omer Asik $6200 is more affordable. Jrue Holiday $7100 and Tyreke Evans $7600 have also impressed. While the Spurs are deserving favorites, their rotation is far more difficult to predict.
The Hawks look good at home despite that crushing double-OT defeat in Charlotte. Al Horford $7400, Paul Millsap $7700 and Jeff Teague $7200 are all playable, as the equally weary Knicks are struggling badly, especially at PG, PF and C.
I’m not as interested in BOS @ CHI and MEM @ MIL because defense may rule. However, Jimmy Butler $5400 has become a mainstay; the DK computer seems to have a “$2000 off special” on him every night. Courtney Lee $3800 is similarly underpriced.
The Wizards got blown out in Toronto last night (35 points in the entire first half) but “should” defeat the injury-riddled Pacers, now 1-5 after losing in Boston. I’m not so sure. Use Roy Hibbert $7100 or Chris Copeland $5300 if you expect the upset.
Enjoy the challenge of putting together your best lineups. Good luck — see you at DraftKings.
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season.
Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.