The Western Conference produces more excitement than the East, thanks to several great teams and “too many” legitimate playoff contenders. The seventh and eighth seeds in the East are six games under .500, but out West, Phoenix is six games over yet far from certain to make the postseason.
The two teams in hot pursuit of the Suns meet in the best of 11 games on Wednesday. If Kevin Durant $9900 (toe) can’t play, the Thunder will be down to Russell Westbrook $10600, Serge Ibaka $7000 and Dion Waiters $4500. That may not be enough in New Orleans, where Anthony Davis $10800 is dominant at both ends of the floor. On Monday, Tyreke Evans $8000 had 12 assists and no turnovers, Eric Gordon$6400 hit four triples and Omer Asik $4500 pulled down 17 boards as the Pelicans ended Atlanta’s win streak.
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Dallas at Golden State will be wide-open but emergency starter J.J. Barea $3400 is overmatched by Stephen Curry $10300. The battle at SG is more interesting; the Mavericks rely on Monta Ellis $7700, the Warriors on Klay Thompson $8500. Neither could stop the other when they last met in December. We don’t care who wins in DFS if enough points are scored.
This is a fairly easy test for the well-rested Spurs, as Orlando is young and not great defensively. Nikola Vucevic $8200 is consistent, Tobias Harris $5600 improving and Victor Oladipo $6800 back from injury. Because his team has played only once in a week, Gregg Popovich might use 13 players (again) and only Kawhi Leonard $7700 is reliable in daily play.
Memphis should beat the Jazz now that Mike Conley $7000 is back in form. Marc Gasol $8000 and Zach Randolph $8800 have a significant edge in experience over Enes Kanter $6200 and Derrick Favors $7400. The only Utah player I’m considering is Gordon Hayward $8100, who scored 27 in Tuesday’s tough road loss to Portland.
The Pistons looked great last night and D.J. Augustin $6200 led the way with 25 points and 13 assists. We liked Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $4000 who didn’t disappoint (18 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL), while Andre Drummond $7800 double-doubled (14 & 14) with a pair of blocks. Indiana has been off since Saturday, when the bench scored 56 of their 94 points. The Pacers usually try to slow the tempo and are not a fantasy-friendly team.
The pressure is off the Hawks, who can start a new streak tonight. Jeff Teague $7400, Al Horford $7900 and Paul Millsap $8000 are all favorably priced. John Wall $8900 is battling headaches and a sore Achilles, other Wizards are not playing well and Marcin Gortat $5000 apparently thinks a haircut will help.
It looks like a full-fledged mutiny as the Nuggets are completely ignoring coach Brian Shaw. Last night’s 7-point loss to the 76ers was only that close because Danilo Gallinari $3200 got hot in garbage time. The Celtics are a solid choice in this back-to-back for both teams. Avery Bradley $4200 and Jared Sullinger $6500 had the hot hands as they cruised past the Knicks, and rookie Marcus Smart $3700 is now a starter.
All is not well in Toronto despite winning six of seven. Kyle Lowry $7600 (hamstring) is not 100% so Greivis Vasquez $3800 and Lou Williams $4800 will need to be much better than their combined 4-23 on Monday. Unperturbed by swirling trade rumors, Brook Lopez $6300 is on a roll, which means Jonas Valanciunas $5300 might get 30+ minutes for a change. The Nets now have two PG, as Deron Williams $5100 returned after missing a month. That has to affect the fantasy value of Jarrett Jack $6700, so effective in D-Will’s absence.
Bulls at Houston would be a better game in real life if Dwight Howard (knee) was playing. James Harden $10800 (knee) may be less than 100% but is listed as probable. I like Chicago’s big men tonight; Joakim Noah $6400 just played three excellent games in four nights and Pau Gasol $9300 has been terrific all season.
With 60% of their starters injured, Milwaukee won in Toronto. Jerryd Bayless $4300 is a good play if Brandan Knight $7100 (quad) misses another game. Khris Middleton $5600 was outstanding (25 PTS, 9 REB) in that upset. Early on Sunday, the Lakers lost Jordan Hill (hip) and any chance of winning; Jordan Clarkson $4800 and Carlos Boozer $5500 are worth their salaries and Tarik Black $3000 may get a chance to start.
Miami was badly beaten in Detroit and will have trouble with the Timberwolves. Kevin Martin $5500 is getting up to speed and Andrew Wiggins $6900 is already a two-way star. As long as Ricky Rubio $6000 and Mo Williams $5800 are in a timeshare, neither is worth using, but decent point guards make everyone else better. Chris Bosh $7800 was a one-man team last night with 34 points and Hassan Whiteside $7700 is a great story but the Heat have scored 96 points or less in 13 of their last 15.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R. Westbrook $10600 | D.J. Augustin $6200 | J.J. Barea $3400 |
| SG | James Harden $10800 | Monta Ellis $7700 | K. Caldwell-Pope $4000 |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard $7700 | Khris Middleton $5600 | Danilo Gallinari $3200 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $10800 | Serge Ibaka $7000 | Tarik Black $3000 |
| C | Marc Gasol $8000 | Joakim Noah $6400 | Robert Sacre $3300 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.