What a strange NBA Tuesday. Anthony Davis got double-teamed, so Quincy Pondexter and Omer Asik were the best Pelicans to own. James Harden had an off-night (just 4-14) and Donatas Motiejunas stepped up to lead the Rockets. To my surprise, the Spurs didn’t rest anyone, yet they somehow lost to the Knicks.
There’s no predicting what an angry Gregg Popovich might do with his lineup tonight in Milwaukee. Fortunately, we have ten other games to consider.
Atlanta visits Golden State with mostly pride at stake, though the Hawks are just ½ game back of the Dubs for best overall record, should they meet in the Finals. Stephen Curry $9400 is well-rested and may remind us of his MVP credentials.
Plays of the Day
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Russell Westbrook $12600 showed some fatigue in Dallas, turning it over seven times and shooting 7-17 in a narrow loss. At home vs. Boston with a day of rest, he should be back in triple-double mode. Serge Ibaka (knee) is out for several weeks, so Enes Kanter $6600 is the #2 scoring option for the Thunder.
If you don’t use Curry or Westbrook at PG, Kyle Lowry $7400 is hot again — it’s not a position you can afford to punt. The only downside for Chris Paul $9700 is a high risk of garbage time. Though Kyrie Irving $8100 is also on a scoring roll, he suffered a mild quad strain on Monday that might limit his minutes tonight. Reggie Jackson $6400 went from ice-cold to ridiculously hot last night (23 PTS, 20 AST) and gets the 76ers in this back-to-back.
Compared to the loaded PG spot, SG became even thinner with Klay Thompson (ankle) out for at least a week. It’s between Dwyane Wade $7800 and Monta Ellis $6700 for me. As predicted, J.J. Redick $6500 outscored his illustrious teammates last night. but unless the Kings play very well, he won’t see 39 minutes again. Bargain-hunters can consider Kent Bazemore $4000, who will continue to start until Kyle Korver (broken nose) returns.
Deservedly the highest-priced SF, LeBron James $10600 hurt his knee on Sunday, was relatively quiet in Miami the following night and may not be in beast mode at home against the Nets. We touted Chandler Parsons $6700 on Monday and he scored 31; Rodney Hood $4600 also made the Short List that night and had a career-high 24 in only 22 minutes. (The red-hot Jazz were up by 40+ early in the third quarter.)
Local native Andrew Wiggins $6400 makes his Air Canada Centre debut tonight, with former Raptors coach Sam Mitchell on the Minnesota bench instead of Flip Saunders (personal). The 20-year-old rookie might live up to the hype in front of family, friends, ex-teammates and a huge TV audience hoping he makes our national team a factor in the 2016 Olympics. It’s front-page news and a great day to be a scalper in Toronto.
Choose between Blake Griffin $9000, LaMarcus Aldridge $8800 or Pau Gasol $8800 at the top end of the PF scale. Draymond Green $7200 and Nikola Mirotic $7200 in the midrange and a few decent possibilities like Amir Johnson $4000 are affordable. It’s tied in to your PG selection; using Curry over Westbrook gives you $3200 to upgrade at another spot — like PF in the sample lineup (above left) — or several spots.
Going cheap at C is an option. DeMarcus Cousins $10000 is banged up and complaining. He also must play against the peerless defense of DeAndre Jordan $8800 tonight. That makes Rudy Gobert $8100 my top pick at center, with Kanter a close second and his teammate Steven Adams $4000 — now a starter while Ibaka heals from surgery — a decent value play. Tiago Splitter $3600 had a double-double in the first half last night before cooling off. Don’t forget Justin Hamilton $4500, playing the best ball of his career after being picked up on waivers by Minnesota.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R.Westbrook $12600 | Stephen Curry $9400 | Kyle Lowry $7400 |
| SG | Dwyane Wade $7800 | Monta Ellis $6700 | Kent Bazemore $4000 |
| SF | LeBron James $10600 | Chandler Parsons $6700 | Rodney Hood $4600 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $9000 | Draymond Green $7200 | Amir Johnson $4000 |
| C | Rudy Gobert $8100 | Enes Kanter $6600 | Tiago Splitter $3600 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.