Today Fantasy Spin will be the last one before the All-Star break: I will return on Tuesday for a look at the NBA games and DraftStreet. Most of the big name players in action last night came through with big games, and there were a few crucial sleepers that bolstered one’s chances in daily fantasy leagues at DraftStreet. LeBron James/MIA was King of the Hill, as the Heat needed every bit of his production to oust the Warriors 111-110. Kevin
Chris Kaman/LAL confirmed that he is capable of putting up big fantasy numbers against the right opponents in the Lakers’ system. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost again and look headed for a bottom five win-loss record this season. It wasn’t Kevin Durant’s/OKC finest hour (eight turnovers), but his 36 points was enough to lead the Thunder to an important psychological win over Portland. LeBron/MIA picked up extra work in the absence of Dwayne Wade/MIA, as the Heat cooled off the Suns.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been historically bad the last two days – losing by 40+ point margins on consecutive days is no mean feat. That’s what happens when your shooters get cold, you have a poor defense, and are facing two tremendous offensive teams. Denver is a completely different team without Ty Lawson/DEN: they were no match for a motivated Pacers squad. The Raptors’ first unit was in form, but the second unit gave back lead in the first and
The Orlando Magic made it two narrow wins in a row against the NBA’s elite, with a one-point victory over the Pacers. The Cavaliers prevailed over the Grizzlies in overtime, while the Nets took advantage of poor first half shooting by the Pelicans. Kevin Durant/OKC was superb and Joakim Noah/CHI was solid as the Thunder and Bulls won. John Wall/WAS did not bring his A-game, but the Wizards used a balanced attack and a good defense to beat the Kings.
Early indications were that Kevin Love/MIN would play, but (along with Kevin Martin/MIN) he was a surprise scratch. That boosted the fantasy value of the other Wolves, but was not enough to hold off the Trail Blazers. The Spurs earned a road win in Charlotte, as Tim Duncan/SAS and Tony Parker/SAS returned to the fold. The Pistons were firing on all cylinders, working their six-man rotation to the point that the seventh and eight were an afterthought. A rare off night
It was another night in which dozens of players had great games, making for very high scores in DraftStreet contests. When that happens, the stakes are raised: if any one of your players stumbles, it will cost you. One of my lineups last night hit on seven of eight spots, the lone disappointment being Jeff Green/BOS. It was enough to push me out of the top 10 and into 43rd place out of 2,750 runners in the $2 GPP. Several
Despite losing the injury battle, the Warriors’ shooters awoke and they cruised past the Bulls for an easy win in the end. Without Andrew Bogut/GSW inside, the Warriors big men got into foul trouble trying to handle Joakim Noah/CHI. But Chicago was unable to exploit their advantage in the paint and their first quarter lead frittered away by half time. In the earlier game, the Spurs were missing their four best players. I wonder how many games San Antonio would
To say that yesterday was eventful for NBA daily fantasy players is an understatement. Not only was there frenzied and occasionally bizarre action on the court, but DraftStreet held one of its signature contests of the NBA season, awarding a first place prize of $50,000. Taking top spot in the Bizarro world was the Lakers-Cavaliers game. The Cavaliers were horrible in the first half, ended up benching two of their stars, then rallying to almost win the game. That drama