Merry Christmas! Hope everyone is enjoying a day off and gets some quality time with family and friends. Thursday is a five-game showcase for the NBA, starting at noon Eastern, and the $200K Holiday Classic at Draft Kings will make someone $25,000 richer. It’s a $20 entry fee for a maximum of 11,340 teams. There are a total of 2,300 cash prizes: $15,000 for second, $10,000 for third, $7,000 for fourth and so on down to $40. Multiple entries are allowed; you can win more than once.
What a busy week for the Warriors. Stephen Curry $10700, Klay Thompson $7800 and the gang won easily on Monday, were somehow upset by the Lakers on Tuesday — without Kobe Bryant — and face a much tougher challenge against the Clippers in the Christmas nightcap.
Blake Griffin $11000 and Chris Paul $10200 are usually superb, J.J. Redick $4700 stayed hot and DeAndre Jordan $8500 (15 PTS, 22 REB, 4 BLK) was a force in the paint. (Not much has changed since yesterday’s Spin, so this is mostly a rerun.)
Plays of the Day
Open a new account at DK and get a FREE entry for today’s $50K Layup — the winner gets $5,750 and 5,075 of 28,750 teams earn cash prizes. Your initial deposit ($5 or more) is matched 100% up to $600 with bonus money, which you earn a dollar at a time as you play. Here’s the link to enter the $200K Holiday Classic (details above) — you can’t win it if you aren’t in it.
Maybe Kobe Bryant $9500 (rest) will come back strong after watching his teammates play their best game of the season in a huge upset of the league’s best team on Tuesday. Ronnie Price $3400 led a balanced attack, Ed Davis $4200 shot 7-7 and the bench, led by Carlos Boozer $6400 and Nick Young $4800 kept the pressure on. If they are competitive in Chicago, Derrick Rose $6900, Pau Gasol $9000 and Jimmy Butler $8000 should play enough minutes to pay their way.
Should we be worried about Kevin Durant $10500 (ankle)? My sympathy to his owners in Roto and H2H leagues; it’s already a nightmare season. In his absence, Russell Westbrook $12000 becomes a monster while Steven Adams $4400, Reggie Jackson $5000 and Serge Ibaka $6800 all chip in a little. They lost a critical home game last night to the Blazers and will have their hands full in San Antonio without KD.
Tony Parker $3000 is a Christmas present at that salary. He made a surprise return on Monday night (26 points in 34 minutes) to more than earn a $6300 salary, but instead of going up a little, his price has been slashed to rock bottom. He might not outplay Westbrook, but at 1/4 the cost is a tremendous value play. Tim Duncan $8900 and Manu Ginobili $5000 are also rested and reasonably priced.
LeBron James $11600 and Kyrie Irving $9300 can burn the Heat and Kevin Love $9400 could also score at will. Note that Anderson Varejao (Achilles) is out for the season, moving Tristan Thompson $5100 into the starting five, where he has double-double potential. Chris Bosh $8000 (calf) is doubtful, but Dwyane Wade $8400 has been great in his absence. Miami also needs Luol Deng $6500 to play better than he just did in a stunning loss to the Sixers. When the Cavaliers get bench contributions like they did last night from Dion Waiters $4100 (19 PTS, 4 AST, 3 STL) and Shawn Marion $3200 (11 PTS, 4 REB, 3 BLK), opponents are in trouble.
The Knicks may be at close to full strength, and except for Carmelo Anthony $10400, they are inexpensive. Amar’e Stoudemire $5900 is presumably fresh after sitting out two games to rest, and whatever was bothering Jose Calderon $4600 may be in the past, as he double-doubled in Toronto on Sunday. Despite losing their last two, the Wizards are by far the better team. John Wall $10300 makes it go, along Marcin Gortat $6800, Bradley Beal $6400 and Paul Pierce $5000, who has been playing through a toe injury. Rasual Butler $3900 has been intermittently productive off the bench..
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Russell Westbrook $12000 | Derrick Rose $6900 | Tony Parker $3000 |
| SG | Jimmy Butler $8000 | Manu Ginobili $5000 | Dion Waiters $4100 |
| SF | LeBron James $11800 | Wesley Johnson $4900 | Shawn Marion $3200 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $11000 | Tim Duncan $8900 | Ed Davis $4200 |
| C | DeAndre Jordan $8500 | Marcin Gortat $6800 | Steven Adams $4400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.