An 11-game NBA slate on Monday leaves us room for minimal analysis. OKC at Golden State is sure to be entertaining and high scoring. Kevin Durant $11500 and Russell Westbrook $10500 are unstoppable, but as Toronto found out, so are Stephen Curry $11100 and his energetic teammates. Draymond Green $8300, Klay Thompson $7900 and Marreese Speights $5400 couldn’t miss on Friday, David Lee $5400 is improving and all the Warriors are well-rested. Serge Ibaka $6900 will probably have to play C for the Thunder to keep up.
Late contests at DraftKings close at 9:00, featuring that terrific clash and three others. The Clippers will try to ground those soaring Hawks, who are 2-0 on this West trip and own first place in the East. Chris Paul $10700, Blake Griffin $10800 and DeAndre Jordan $8500 will play big minutes for a change. It’s the third game in four nights for Atlanta, so a letdown is possible.
Plays of the Day
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The Blazers’ big three — LaMarcus Aldridge $10900, Damian Lillard $10400 and Wesley Matthews $6400 — are too good for the Lakers at the best of times. Joel Freeland (shoulder) is out, so Chris Kaman $4200 will get all the minutes he can handle and Meyers Leonard $3000 will get a chance. Kobe Bryant (rest) and Wesley Johnson (hip) are out for L.A., which means extra minutes and touches for Nick Young $4600, Jeremy Lin $5500 and others in this mismatch.
We gave you Rudy Gobert $5900 on Saturday and he scored 43.25 FPTS (13 PTS, 11 REB, 6 BLK) for $1000 less. Trey Burke $6300 had a sweet 28-6-6 line in that road win. The stealth play is Trevor Booker $4300, who is getting extra run off the bench. Avoid the Pacers in this road back-to-back, unless you think Donald Sloan $4600 can turn in a third straight good performance.
While you can make a truly potent lineup just from the late games, there’s a lot more talent to consider. Also, if you’re using one or two expensive superstars, you need to pair them with extreme bargains, and the pickings are kind of slim at that end of the salary scale. I’m going for balance (and hot hands) with today’s sample lineup.
Anthony Davis $11400 has been slightly less awesome for three games. He’s due. Tyreke Evans $7600 is also playable, but Jrue Holiday $8300 will have his hands full with John Wall $10300.
James Harden $11300 vs. Jimmy Butler $8800 will be a lot of fun to watch and could be win-win in DFS. Dwight Howard $9200 vs. Joakim Noah $7000 is another great battle and Patrick Beverley $5100 will shadow Derrick Rose $6500. That leaves one unanswered question, Who is going to stop Pau Gasol $9600?
Ty Lawson $9500 is among several strong plays at the deepest position. Kenneth Faried $7400, Wilson Chandler $6400 and Arron Afflalo $5800 are reasonably priced and Jusuf Nurkic $4600 has become a force. The T-Wolves are waiting for Kevin Martin $5500 (wrist) to return; Andrew Wiggins $6300 is growing up fast.
The Celtics are in flux at PG with Evan Turner $5400 (SF-eligible) starting, so Kemba Walker $10300 is the Hornets’ best hope. Cody Zeller $5100 vs. Tyler Zeller $4400 is an interesting sidebar. Jared Sullinger $6400 has been more assertive in his last three; the slump is over.
Dallas visiting Brooklyn is like a business trip. The Mavericks were tons the best in Cleveland yesterday, with no starter playing 30 minutes, and they should again be as good as necessary. There are more attractive games; if you want an ultra-cheap guy for a stars-and-scrubs lineup, Richard Jefferson $3000 has been contributing off the bench lately.
It’s a waking nightmare for Cleveland. LeBron James (knee, back) is out for two weeks, and Kyrie Irving (back) will not play tonight. Kevin Love $10600 is temporarily a one-man team, like he used to be in Minnesota. Dion Waiters $5600 will have a green light and Tristan Thompson $6800 will get maximum minutes. Matthew Dellavedova $4000 and Shawn Marion $3800 might be bargains. Tony Wroten $6500 is playable for the Sixers.
Memphis should dispose of the Knicks, with the risk that Marc Gasol $9700 and Mike Conley $8400 won’t be needed down the stretch. Quincy Acy $3400 started at PF yesterday, for what it’s worth.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R. Westbrook $10500 | Tony Wroten $6500 | M. Dellavedova $4000 |
| SG | James Harden $11300 | Monta Ellis $7400 | Dion Waiters $5600 |
| SF | Kevin Durant $11500 | Draymond Green $8300 | Richard Jefferson $3000 |
| PF | Pau Gasol $9600 | Jared Sullinger $6400 | Trevor Booker $4300 |
| C | Marc Gasol $9700 | Rudy Gobert $5900 | Jusuf Nurkic $4600 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.