Sunday was full of surprises in the NBA and daily fantasy. Not only did Anthony Davis return, he played 40 minutes in peak form. The Celtics won in Oklahoma City. The Lakers won.
Two of France’s finest players performed well on an emotional day for their entire country. Back from an ankle injury, Rudy Gobert double-doubled (11 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK) as the Jazz upset Atlanta. Nicolas Batum scored 33 after hearing his national anthem to lead Charlotte over the Blazers.
Tonight we have a 6-game slate; contests at DraftKings close at 7:00 Eastern with Turbo (8:00; 3 games) and Late (8:30; 2 games) offerings for those who prefer small player pools.
With everyone now healthy, Boston coach Brad Stevens shortened his rotation. Isaiah Thomas $7100 started alongside Marcus Smart $4500 — who loves Oklahoma (a career-high 26 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL in 34 MIN) — and Avery Bradley $4600 was effective off the bench. Jared Sullinger $5800 scored 39.8 FPTS despite missing nine shots. Amir Johnson $4300 is the glue guy and Jae Crowder $5500 may now be in a timeshare with Evan Turner $5000.
Winning back-to-back in OKC and Houston would be quite an accomplishment. James Harden $10300 and Dwight Howard $7400 are matchup nightmares. The unlucky Terrence Jones $6000 seemed to get his legs back while recovering from an eye injury — he was terrific in back-to-back weekend games. Ty Lawson $5600 has disappointed and seems to be getting worse; there was a Jason Terry $3000 sighting (19 PTS in 26 MIN) on Saturday.
Plays of the Day
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Off that stunning home defeat, the Thunder must try to bounce back in Memphis. The trade for Mario Chalmers $3200 has paid dividends for the Grizzlies already; he leads an improved second unit that also gained Courtney Lee $3600. Now starting at SG is defensive ace Tony Allen $3700, with Jeff Green $3500 taking over at SF. Sophomore JaMychal Green $3000 has earned more responsibility lately. If the core trio of Marc Gasol $7000, Zach Randolph $6300 and Mike Conley $6000 can stay healthy, look out.
The Suns had three days’ rest at home before beating the Clippers on Thursday and trouncing Denver on Saturday even without Markieff Morris (knee.) Following another off-day, Eric Bledsoe $8400 and Brandon Knight $7000 will be flying against the Lakers guards. Tyson Chandler $5300 is a strong play vs. Roy Hibbert $4900 (face). In Markieff’s absence, Jon Leuer $3300 was the nominal starter, but Mirza Teletovic $3000 was the better DFS play (11 PTS, 9 REB, 3 3PM, 3 AST in 29 MIN) as the entire Phoenix bench enjoyed garbage time.
Dallas should win easily in Philly and can continue to take it easy on their veteran starters. Dirk Nowitzki $6500, Wesley Matthews $4600 and Chandler Parsons $4000 got Saturday night off, while backups Raymond Felton $3500 (23 PTS) and Charlie Villanueva $3100 (19) filled in more than capably. Dwight Powell $4800 is another underrated bench contributor. Jahlil Okafor $7200 might be too much for Zaza Pachulia $5700 to cope with but the Mavs have superior talent everywhere else. Be sure to check late-breaking news before making lineup commitments, especially in this one.
With Damian Lillard $8700 (thumb) not 100% and Meyers Leonard (shoulder) out indefinitely, Portland limps into San Antonio as extreme underdogs. Kawhi Leonard $8200 (illness) can take another day to recover and let LaMarcus Aldridge $7100 dominate his former mates again. The real-life depth and versatility of the Spurs is a DFS problem; potential bargains like Kyle Anderson $3200 — who notched 31.75 FPTS in a spot start for Kawhi — can get a DNP-CD, while anyone else can become the hot hand.
Indiana at Chicago might not be the highest-scoring game, but Paul George $9200 is a must-start at the injury-plagued SF position and Monta Ellis $5800 is waking up. For the Bulls, Pau Gasol $7400 is as steady as they come, but Nikola Mirotic $6100 is beginning to lose minutes to Joakim Noah $4700, who grabbed 18 boards on Friday.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Russell Westbrook $12200 | Marcus Smart $4500 | Mario Chalmers $3200 |
| SG | James Harden $10300 | Eric Bledsoe $8400 | Monta Ellis $5800 |
| SF | Paul George $9200 | Jeff Green $3500 | Mirza Teletovic $3000 |
| PF | Pau Gasol $7400 | LaMarcus Aldridge $7100 | Dwight Powell $4800 |
| C | Dwight Howard $7400 | Tyson Chandler $5300 | Joakim Noah $4700 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.