There’a a dandy doubleheader in the NBA tonight and a $1,000 Freeroll for our readers. Click that link to enter; the top 225 finishers will win cash and first place is worth $100. It’s money for nothing!
Stephen Curry $9800 and the Warriors visit LeBron James $10300 and the Cavaliers in the opener, a possible Finals preview. Klay Thompson $7800 can outscore and check J.R. Smith $5000, but Draymond Green $6700 can’t cover both LBJ and Kevin Love $7800, who hit eight 3-pointers on Monday. Kyrie Irving $7700 is no slouch, either. Based on their recent play, Timofey Mozgov $5300 has the edge over Andrew Bogut $4400.
The pace will be fast and both benches are deep. Their previous meeting (Jan. 9 in Oakland) is irrelevant, as King James didn’t play. This terrific matchup is the key to winning at DraftKings.
Plays of the Day
New to DK? They match your initial deposit 100% ($5 to $600) with bonus funds, converted to cash as you play, plus you get a FREE entry for tonight’s $55K Layup — the top score earns $5,000 and 6,600 of 31,625 teams receive cash prizes. If you prefer to win more with better odds, the $80K Crossover, with an $8,000 first prize. 920 of 4,579 teams will cash. That $20 buy-in is also FREE to first-time depositors.
The Fantasy Basketball World Championship has a million dollar first prize, to be awarded March 23. There are only 40 seats in the Final; finish first in a Qualifier to win a spot, including a 5-day VIP trip to Las Vegas (worth $55,000) plus a minimum of $7,000 in cash!
In the nightcap, Russell Westbrook $11300 leads the Thunder into Phoenix. WB for MVP is gaining steam, as he keeps his team alive in the playoff race despite injuries to Kevin Durant (foot). It really helps that Serge Ibaka $7900 has turned it on, and Enes Kanter $5900 was just what they needed in the middle. A 9-1 streak has vaulted OKC from 4.5 games back to 2.5 ahead of their former rival for the eighth playoff spot.
We liked all the Suns against Denver and they didn’t disappoint. This is a back-to-back against a more talented, motivated opponent. Even at home, and even if Eric Bledsoe $7900 is outstanding, the size difference up front will be difficult to overcome. Alex Len $4900 will need his very best to contain Kanter and I can’t see Markieff Morris $6400 defending Ibaka. The wild card is rookie T.J. Warren $3000, who got 20 minutes off the bench last night (10 PTS, 7 REB) and may stick in the rotation.
You can afford all three superstars. Using Westbrook, James and Curry (left) leaves a paltry average of $3720 for the other five players.
Consider the jigsaw puzzle analogy. We need pieces of the right shape. That’s not always possible in two-game contests, but there are low-priced options tonight at almost every position. Dion Waiters $4100, Gerald Green $3500, Iman Shumpert $3500 and Anthony Morrow $3400 are playable at SG, while Warriors starter Harrison Barnes $3800 and/or key reserve Andre Iguodala $3900 can produce at SF.
Several low-cost PF — Marcus Morris $3700, Tristan Thompson $3600, Mitch McGary $3900, Marreese Speights $3300 and Brandan Wright $3300 — will get minutes. The trick is to predict who gets hot.
If you decide to punt C, Nick Collison $3400 is the only option. It’s possible that all four teams employ small-ball and that none of the starting centers gets enough minutes to put up a great stat line.
Picking two megastars is still a starts-and-scrubs approach, slightly less extreme. Because LBJ doesn’t have to be a one-man team, we’ll build another sample lineup (right) around Curry and Westbrook. The underrated P.J. Tucker $5400, Ibaka and Mozgov can be squeezed in, with ‘only’ three ultra-cheap guys required, instead of five.
With just two games, daily fantasy is still challenging and lineup construction can be complex. You can try to stack the maximum seven players from one team, or one game — seven Cavaliers plus Knight (or Markieff) is a valid lineup, and there are many other angles to consider. Don’t forget to join the $1,000 Freeroll before 8:00 Eastern.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R. Westbrook $11300 | Stephen Curry $9800 | Brandon Knight $6200 |
| SG | Eric Bledsoe $7900 | Klay Thompson $7800 | Dion Waiters $4100 |
| SF | LeBron James $10300 | P.J. Tucker $5400 | Andre Iguodala $3900 |
| PF | Serge Ibaka $7900 | Kevin Love $7800 | Marcus Morris $3700 |
| C | Enes Kanter $5900 | Timofey Mozgov $5300 | Nick Collison $3400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.