Without Draymond Green $10000 (rest) and despite 38 points from Stephen Curry $10600, the Golden State Warriors lost for only the third time this season. Tonight at home against the Lakers, Green remains questionable, with veterans Andre Iguodala $5000 and Shaun Livingston $3900 also candidates to rest.
A six-game NBA slate begins at the unusual time of 3:00 Eastern, when the Magic play a “home” game in London, England. That one is included only in All-Day contests at DraftKings. European big men Nikola Vucevic $7100 and Jonas Valanciunas $5900 are both sharp, but the Raptors’ backcourt of Kyle Lowry $8500 and DeMar DeRozan $7900 should make the difference.
Game of the night has the Cavaliers in San Antonio. All eyes will be on Kawhi Leonard $8100 and LeBron James $9700, while the battle between LaMarcus Aldridge $6900 and Kevin Love $7000 is also fascinating. Kyrie Irving $6800 came up big (22 PTS, 9 AST) in Tuesday’s overtime win — the eighth in a row for Cleveland — but Tony Parker $5100 should never be dismissed. Tristan Thompson $4900 was quiet in Dallas, while Timofey Mozgov $3400 played his best game of 2016. You never know who will get hot for the Spurs; veterans Manu Ginobili $4400 and Boris Diaw $4000 could be prominent off the bench.
Plays of the Day
The $40K Sharpshooter (All Day) is only a $3 buy-in (FREE with your initial deposit at DK) where the top 3,236 finishers (from up to 15,332 teams) win cash. First place is worth $3,000. Enter before 3:00 EST; you can make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
If you’re reading this between 3:00 and 7:00 ET, the above link will direct you to the $225K Sharpshooter, with $15,000 to the highest score and more than 17,000 cash prizes. The evening card is our focus in the sample lineup and Short List.
Pau Gasol (rest) is out and the unhappy Joakim Noah $5100 will presumably start again as the Bulls visit Philadelphia. Jimmy Butler $8800 (ankle) is probable, but Derrick Rose $5800 (knee) is questionable. Nikola Mirotic $5900 is coming around again and will be needed. The Sixers are much more dangerous since Ish Smith $7000 took over at PG, while Jahlil Okafor $6100 and Nerlens Noel $6700 are figuring out how to co-exist. With Jerami Grant $4300 (calf) doubtful, Robert Covington $4400 could get extra run.
In a back-to-back after both teams lost, Utah hosts the Kings. DeMarcus Cousins $10300 and Rajon Rondo $8600 didn’t get much help last night, while Gordon Hayward $7200 and Rodney Hood $5900 led the offensively-challenged Jazz.
Mike Conley $6200 (Achilles) is more questionable than Matt Barnes $5400 (thumb) as Memphis continues to juggle the rotation. Mario Chalmers $6300 has been starting, with the key Grizzlies still Marc Gasol $7400 and Zach Randolph $6600. The Pistons usually rely on Andre Drummond $8700 and Reggie Jackson $7100 but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $5700 has scored 20+ in three of his last four.
The nightcap should be the highest-scoring game by a wide margin, even if Kobe Bryant $6000 (Achilles) can’t play. Lou Williams $6500 and Jordan Clarkson $5900 would get more shots in that scenario and if D’Angelo Russell $4800 (ankle) is fully recovered, the price is right. However, if the Lakers aren’t competitive, the Warriors won’t have to ride Curry and Klay Thompson $8200 as hard. Andrew Bogut $4700 played 32 minutes last night and none of the other bigs were effective, so Harrison Barnes $5400 may see some time at PF while Green (if he plays) mans center.
Nothing against the highest-priced studs at each position, it’s just that stars-and-scrubs works better when the ultra-cheap guys have more upside. I’m using seven players between $5400 and $8200 in a balanced lineup. Stay on top of relevant news that will change player values. For example, if Green is a confirmed starter, I might replace Thompson and Barnes.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10600 | Ish Smith $7000 | Tony Parker $5100 |
| SG | Jimmy Butler $8800 | Klay Thompson $8200 | K. Caldwell-Pope $5700 |
| SF | LeBron James $9700 | Kawhi Leonard $8100 | Harrison Barnes $5400 |
| PF | DeMarcus Cousins $10300 | LaMarcus Aldridge $6900 | Nikola Mirotic $5900 |
| C | Andre Drummond $8700 | Marc Gasol $7400 | Timofey Mozgov $3400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.