It’s a typical second-half Sunday, with nine NBA games. DraftKings offers six different opportunities to win, with contests closing at five different starting times and involving various combinations of teams.
The fun starts early in the afternoon. If you like LeBron James $10200 and Kyrie Irving $8000 against what’s left of the tanking Knickerbockers, or want to back J.R. Smith $4800 in his return to the Garden, enter All-Day and/or Early-Only leagues before 1:00 Eastern. Timofey Mozgov $5200 is another possibility; just be wary of garbage time, as the Cavs could be up by 30 or more in the first half.
Plays of the Day
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There is Turbo action on the 3:30 starts, for those who enjoy the unique challenge of picking an 8-man team from only two games. Atlanta was horrible at home on Friday and may take out their frustrations on the Bucks, with Jeff Teague $7200 a great play against Jerryd Bayless $4400 and Al Horford $7500 much better than any Milwaukee big man. It will take time for Jason Kidd to put the new pieces together and Michael Carter-Williams $7500 (toe) is a doubtful starter.
If you know what’s wrong with the Wizards, a puzzled Randy Wittman would love to hear from you. John Wall $8600 has been their only reliable player during seven losses in the last nine games; they got destroyed by 38 at home on Friday. On the same night, Detroit shocked the Bulls, with Andre Drummond $7600 leading the way (18 PTS, 20 REB) and rookie Spencer Dinwiddie $3600 effective in an emergency start. Newcomer Reggie Jackson $3500 should see plenty of action in his Pistons debut, and Caron Butler $3800 may continue to start at SF, though Tayshaun Prince $3300 is returning “home” to the Palace. Greg Monroe $7900 is also worth considering.
Things get more interesting at 6:00, with a variety of excellent players at four of the five positions. Today’s Short List and sample lineup are for those contests, which span six games. Note that you can use the same guys in All-Day events; that’s not a bad strategy if Cleveland wins so easily that the second unit gets to play the whole fourth quarter.
Russell Westbrook $10600 and Stephen Curry $10000 top the PG options, and Mo Williams $4800 wasted no time taking over the Hornets, with 24 points, 12 assists and four rebounds last night. Isaiah Thomas $5200 will be trying to win the starting job for the Celtics. Isaiah Canaan $3000 also has a chance to start for the Sixers.
Klay Thompson $7600 is the best SG, Victor Oladipo $6900 has the easiest matchup and Evan Fournier $4200 is a potential bargain play — only if Tobias Harris $6400 (knee) sits out again. Avery Bradley $5100 is red-hot; we are slightly concerned that he’ll get fewer touches with IT2 in the fold.
At SF, almost everyone at the top of the salary scale is hurt. The stealth move is Al-Farouq Aminu $4500, because Chandler Parsons (ankle) is out. Danilo Gallinari $4400 is now starting for Denver and OKC newcomer Kyle Singler $3000 will probably start again if Kevin Durant $10400 (foot) can’t go.
PF is loaded. LaMarcus Aldridge $9000 and Zach Randolph $8100 meet head-on in a big game, but I like the suddenly invigorated Serge Ibaka $6600 at home against the Nuggets, who have waved the white flag. Nerlens Noel $5600 was great on Saturday — 12 PTS, 9 REB, 9 BLK, 4 STL — and the price is right.
Marc Gasol $7400 has been ill and is officially questionable, so Nikola Vucevic $8400 is the standout C as he takes on the team that traded him away. It will be a good battle between Al Jefferson $8000 and Tyson Chandler $6500 in Dallas, if you can pick a winner. Enes Kanter $5200 fits well with the Thunder, playing 32 minutes last night with a double-double, and Tyler Zeller $4900 has a good matchup against the Lakers.
The evening Turbo at 7:00 covers two apparent mismatches. Ty Lawson $8500 was benched last game for missing a practice, and there’s no way to predict his mindset for the remainder of a lost season. Returning against Westbrook is no easy task even if he’s fully motivated. Jusuf Nurkic $5200 hasn’t quit on his coach, mostly because he’s 20 and trying to establish himself.
The Hornets gave the proverbial 110% last night at home, lost to a better team and presumably won’t be able to duplicate that effort 24 hours later in Dallas. Eight Mavericks scored in double figures on Friday in a win over Houston, which is great in real life but less so in DFS.
Late contests (9:00) are not easy to figure. If Memphis and Portland slug it out in a tough defensive battle, loading up with guys from the meaningless Celtics-Lakers game could pay off. The Blazers came out flat after the break, underestimated the Jazz and suffered an embarrassing defeat, scoring just 76 points. They will take this far more seriously, with Damian Lillard $8300 and Aldridge leading the way. Arron Afflalo $4400 is a potent new sixth man who also provides insurance if oft-injured Nicolas Batum $5000 needs a rest.
Who knows what Byron Scott is thinking? Ed Davis $5200 just double-doubled (16 & 14) while Carlos Boozer $5200 didn’t get off the bench. Perhaps it was disciplinary (Booz missed a Wednesday practice) but everyone is subject to the coach’s whims. Jordan Clarkson $5000 and Robert Sacre $3500 are the safest plays. For the visitors, Brandon Bass $5200 and Zeller are getting all the minutes they can handle because Jared Sullinger (foot) and Kelly Olynyk (ankle) are out. New Celtic Jonas Jerebko $3000 might be a factor off the bench as a stretch four.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10000 | Damian Lillard $8300 | Mo Williams $4800 |
| SG | Klay Thompson $7600 | Victor Oladipo $6900 | Evan Fournier $4200 |
| SF | Al-Farouq Aminu $4500 | Danilo Gallinari $4400 | Jerami Grant $3000 |
| PF | L. Aldridge $9000 | Serge Ibaka $6600 | Nerlens Noel $5600 |
| C | Nikola Vucevic $8400 | Tyson Chandler $6500 | Jusuf Nurkic $5200 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.