On the eve of a busy holiday Monday schedule, there are only five NBA games, with three different starting times for daily fantasy contests at DraftKings. The Suns play in Minnesota at 3:30 EST; that one is included only in All Day offerings. Late pools at 8:00 span the final two, but our focus is on the 7:00 starts that cover all four evening games.
Patrick Beverley $4500 and Dwight Howard $7700 (oblique) are questionable for Houston, while the Lakers could be missing any or all of Kobe Bryant $5900 (Achilles), Larry Nance Jr. $5000 (knee) and Brandon Bass $3900 (ankle.) In those circumstances James Harden $9900 might score 40+, Trevor Ariza $5200 is affordable and if Howard sits, both Clint Capela $5600 and Terrence Jones $4700 gain value. Don’t count on youngster Julius Randle $5000 getting all of Nance’s minutes, as Ryan Kelly $3000 and Tarik Black $3000 each played 20+ in last night’s blowout loss.
Plays of the Day
The $35K Sharpshooter (All Day) is only a $3 buy-in (FREE with your initial deposit at DK) where the top 2,750 finishers (from up to 13,415 teams) win cash. First place gets $2,000. Deadline is 3:30 ET; enter before it fills and make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
All is not well for the Pacers, who have lost three of four. Paul George $9000 has pain behind his surgically-repaired knee and their big men are inconsistent. If George Hill $5300 (personal) doesn’t play, Monta Ellis $6100 is a candidate for a huge night. At home, several Nuggets could surprise. Darrell Arthur $4700 started at C for Jusuf Nurkic $4600 (knee, ankle) as coach Mike Malone went very small against Miami. Danilo Gallinari $7100 should bounce back from a poor shooting night; Will Barton $6000 and Emmanuel Mudiay $5100 are dangerous off the bench.
Hassan Whiteside $7400 triple-doubled for the Heat on Friday (10 PTS, 17 REB, 11 BLK) and Chris Bosh $7800 scored 24 as they won without Dwyane Wade $6800 (shoulder) and Goran Dragic (calf.) We told you interim PG Beno Udrih $4000 was a good play, but he’s up against Russell Westbrook $10600 tonight. Tyler Johnson $4600 also gains value if Wade sits out. Kevin Durant $9700 will be extremely difficult to stop as usual, and don’t overlook the Thunder’s second unit. Rookie Cameron Payne $3600 is actually getting some run at SG alongside Westbrook in addition to his backup PG duties. Big Steven Adams $4400 will battle Whiteside, allowing Enes Kanter $4500 to attack off the bench.
On a 10-game winning streak, the Spurs are now just two games back of the Warriors. A perfect 23-0 at home this season, they have won 32 straight at the AT&T Center. Kawhi Leonard $8200, LaMarcus Aldridge $7000 and Tony Parker $5500 are the most consistent performers in a deep, versatile rotation. Tim Duncan $5400 is pacing himself and can still deliver. Dallas might give them a good test, if Deron Williams $5800 and Dirk Nowitzki $6300 play as well as they did in Chicago on Friday. However, with talent like Manu Ginobili $4500, Boris Diaw $3800 and David West $3900 available in reserve, San Antonio will prevail.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Russell Westbrook $10600 | Tony Parker $5500 | Cameron Payne $3600 |
| SG | James Harden $9900 | Monta Ellis $6100 | Tyler Johnson $4600 |
| SF | Kevin Durant $9700 | Kawhi Leonard $8200 | Trevor Ariza $5200 |
| PF | LaMarcus Aldridge $7000 | Dirk Nowitzki $6300 | Julius Randle $5000 |
| C | Hassan Whiteside $7400 | Tim Duncan $5400 | Enes Kanter $4500 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.