Oklahoma City and San Antonio continued their winning ways with road wins over weaker opponents. The Bucks were blasted so thoroughly by the Spurs in the first half that their starters were benched en masse in the second half. The Pelicans beat the Pistons in overtime and the Celtics fell to the Clippers. The Knicks built a large lead and held on for a win over the Bulls. The Timberwolves’ first half defense was abysmal: they fell behind early but fought back for a home court win over the 76ers. Tonight we have the traditionally light Thursday NBA schedule consisting of two games. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Top performers
1) Carmelo Anthony/NYK. Led the Knicks to a huge lead and they held on to win. 9 of 21 FGA, 11 of 12 FTA, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 TO, 30 points.
2) Tim Duncan/SAS. A tremendous first quarter helped the Spurs coast to victory. 9 of 12 FGA, 3 of 3 FTA, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 21 points.
3) Kevin Love/MIN. 9 of 21 FGA, 7 of 8 FTA, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO, 26 points.
4) Russell Westbrook/OKC. He was conducting things. 7 of 12 FGA, 11 of 11 FTA, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO, 27 points.
5) Stephen Curry/GSW. Tremendously consistent, despite all the turnovers. 13 of 25 FGA, 1 of 1 FTA, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 8 TO, 33 points.
Honorable mention: Chris Paul/LAC.
Top Sleepers
1) Jason Smith/NOP. I liked the way the Pelicans, with perimeter big men Smith and Ryan Anderson/NOP, matched up with the Pistons. 8 of 14 FGA, 6 of 8 FTA, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 22 points.
2) Amare Stoudamire/NYK. Played well in the second of back-to-back games. This is a great development for the embattled Knicks. 7 of 11 FGA, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 TO, 14 points.
3) Al-Farouq Aminu/NOP. Not a big surprise, as we knew he’d be relied upon to battle Detroit’s big men. 4 of 10 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 11 points.
4) Nate Wolters/MIL. Another mass benching of the Bucks regulars created minutes for the reserves. 7 of 15 FGA, 4 of 5 FTA, 1 rebound, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 TO, 18 points.
5) Giannis Antetokounmpo/MIL. Yesterday a bust, today he did well in extra minutes in blowout conditions. 5 of 8 FGA, 5 of 8 FTA, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 TO, 15 points.
6) Miroslav Raduljica/MIL. Another Bucks bench player. 4 of 7 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 0 TO, 10 points.
Biggest Busts
1) Kevin Martin/MIN. 1 of 9 FGA, 3 of 4 FTA, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 TO, 5 points.
2) Klay Thompson/GSW. 3 of 14 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 TO, 11 points.
3) O.J. Mayo/MIL. One of the benched Bucks. 1 of 4 FGA, 1 TO, 3 points.
4) Khris Middleton/MIL. Another Buck. 1 of 7 FGA, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TO, 2 points.
5) DeAndre Jordan/LAC. His status was uncertain and he had a poor game. 2 of 3 FGA, 1 of 6 FTA, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 TO, 5 points.
Thursday NBA contests at DraftStreet
With only two NBA games tonight, it’s a light offering at DraftStreet . The marquee contest is an $11/$3,000 GPP, but there are also two other interesting large field/small buy-in contests – the $2/825-entry GPP and the $5/330-entry GPP.
We are only a day away from our weekly Friday freeroll. It’s a chance to win vouchers for DraftStreet contests at no risk to you. Click on any DraftStreet text link, register and set your lineup before the Friday night deadline.
Rockets and Trail Blazers the Focus Tonight
A look at tonight’s action from a daily fantasy perspective. Dollar figures are DraftStreet prices. An asterisk (*) indicates a team playing the second of back-to-back games.
Los Angeles Clippers* at Brooklyn Nets (8:00 pm EST), Over/Under 196.5; Clippers -2.5
Blake Griffin/$16,088/LAC hurt his left ankle late in last night’s game and may be limited against the Nets. Without a healthy Griffin and possibly DeAndre Jordan/$15,951/LAC, the Clippers are at best a coin flip against the rested Nets. Brook Lopez/$15,856/BKN is among the best bets for a big game tonight.
Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 pm EST), Over/Under 211.5; Blazers -3.5
We will be monitoring the status of Jeremy Lin/$12,139/HOU, who is getting close to returning and may play tonight. If the Rockets can contain LaMarcus Aldridge/$19,780/POR they will be slight favorites to win. I suspect James Harden/$18,788/HOU will be asked to do more than usual and that Dwight Howard/$19,828/HOU will not be heavily featured in the offense. My best bet on the Rockets’ side is Chandler Parsons/$13,222/HOU. This game will almost certainly have more scoring than the Clippers-Nets, so it makes sense that Rockets and Trail Blazers players fill the majority of your lineup slots.
Injuries Relevant for Tonight’s Games
Clippers: Blake Griffin (P), J.J. Redick (Q), Matt Barnes (OUT), Reggie Bullock (OUT).
Nets: Jason Terry (OUT), Andrei Kirilenko (OUT).
Rockets: Jeremy Lin (P), Omer Asik (OUT).
Trail Blazers: C.J. McCollum (OUT).
key: (P) Probable, (Q) Questionable, (D) Doubtful, (GT) Game time decision, (OUT) Out, of course.
My recommended lineup in the $2/$1,500 GPP at DraftStreet ($99,628 salary spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: LaMarcus Aldridge/POR, Brook Lopez/BKN
Bargain Plays: Jamal Crawford/LAC, Chandler Parsons/HOU, Mo Williams/POR
Speculative Plays: Terrence Jones/HOU, Robin Lopez/POR, Wesley Matthews/POR
Estimated DraftStreet points: 205.00 (+/- 55.00)
The Fantasy Spin is here every day, around noon EST. Follow me @robdudek for breaking news and pre-game thoughts relevant to NBA daily fantasy.