Happy New Year to all! Ten unlucky teams will have to rouse themselves after last night’s festivities and do battle on the hardwood. Yesterday, the Hawks rallied to beat the Celtics on the continued heroic play by Paul Millsap/ATL. James Harden/HOU rebounded from a poor outing, but the Rockets fell to the visiting Kings. The Spurs and Pacers registered expected wins, and the Raptors won a defensive battle over the Bulls. In the feature matchup, LaMarcus Aldridge/POR and Damian Lillard/POR led Portland to an important win in Oklahoma City. Tonight, I will be watching the intriguing confrontation between the improving Pelicans and the Timberwolves. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin.
Fantasy Boom and Bust
Top Performers:
Paul Millsap/ATL. The loss of Al Horford/ATL may lead to Millsap breaking through as a star. 12 of 19 FGA, 10 of 14 FTA, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 4 TO, 34 points.
Kevin Durant/OKC. Got tired in crunch time.
Brandon Knight/MIL. Played even better than I expected when I made him a key part of my DraftStreet
lineup.
James Harden/HOU. Unpredictable, but few are better when he is on his game.
DeMarcus Cousins/SAC. Among the most consistent fantasy big men; occasionally has off games due to foul trouble.
Sleepers:
Kelly Olynyk/BOS. Consistency will remain a problem for now, but Olynyk has the skills to become a great player once he adjusts to the league. 8 of 11 FGA, 2 of 2 FTA, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 TO, 21 points.
Mason Plumlee/BKN.
Draymond Green/GSW.
Ersan Ilyasova/MIL.
Shawne Williams/LAL. Stepped in for Xavier Henry/LAL.
Disappointments:
Stephen Curry/GSW. Probably the last player I’d expect to see at the top of this list. 4 of 10 FGA, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 TO, 9 points.
Nikola Vucevic/ORL.
O.J. Mayo/MIL.
Lou Williams/ATL
Carlos Boozer/CHI.
New Years’ Day at DraftStreet
The evening leagues at DraftStreet start earlier than usual today, 6 PM. The feature contests range from a $5 buy-in/$4,000 GPP to a $55 buy-in/$8,000 GPP, with a $11/$5,000 GPP sandwiched between. Though there is no DraftStreet Basketball Championship qualifier tonight, another chance to qualify for the finals and a shot at $100,000 is coming soon. If you like double-up leagues like I do, there are ten GPPs in the lobby to choose from.
After a week hiatus, our weekly freeroll returns, this time on Saturday. Click on any DraftStreet text link, register and set your lineup before the league starts. It’s a chance to win valuable entries into DraftStreet contests with no risk to you.
Today in the NBA
Dallas Mavericks at Washington Wizards (6:00 pm EST); over/under 205; Wizards -1 . INJURIES: DAL: Devin Harris (OUT) ; WAS: Al Harrington (OUT).
The talented Wizards sometimes fall into careless basketball mode. The Mavericks have less athleticism, but almost always play fundamentally sound, perimeter-oriented ball. If Washington shoots well they will win. The Mavs don’t have anyone who can handle John Wall/WAS, who is primed for a big game in my view and is my top speculative play of the night. Bradley Beal/WAS is getting close to game shape and this might be his breakout night. Dirk Nowitzki/DAL, Jose Calderon/DAL and Vince Carter/DAL are a shade over fair value.
Indiana Pacers* at Toronto Raptors* (6:00 pm EST); over/under 194.5; Pacers -5.5 . INJURIES: IND: none ; TOR: none .
Both teams are lacking injury problems – a rarity in the NBA. The Raptors have won three straight but the don’t match up well with the high intensity, defense-first Pacers. I like Roy Hibbert/IND as a speculative play.
New Orleans Pelicans at Minnnesota Timberwolves (8:00 pm EST); over/under 214; Wolves -6 . INJURIES: NOP: Eric Gordon (Q), Jason Smith (Q) ; MIN: Chase Budinger (OUT) .
My numbers say that even though Kevin Love/MIN is expensive, he is the best value play of the day. Nikola Pekovic/MIN will likely have to contend with Anthony Davis/NOP to deal with, so is not recommended. Point guards Jrue Holiday/NOP and Ricky Rubio/MIN are decent plays.
Philadelphia 76ers at Denver Nuggets (9:00 pm EST); over/under 211; Nuggets -9.5 . INJURIES: PHI: none ; DEN: JaVale McGee (OUT) .
Deploying a Denver frontcourt player like Timofey Mozgov/DEN or J.J. Hickson/DEN against the weak Sixers interior isn’t a bad idea, though I like Wilson Chandler/DEN a bit better. Ty Lawson/DEN and Michael Carter-Williams/PHI are both solid choices in what should be an up tempo game.
Charlotte Bobcats at Los Angeles Clippers (9:30 pm EST); over/under 196; Clippers -10. INJURIES: CHA: ; LAC: Ryan Hollins (Q), J.J. Redick (OUT) .
The Bobcats play solid defense so this should be a low scoring game. The Clippers should win, though the betting line is unjustly skewed in their favor. I would wait for a recovery game from both Chris Paul/LAC and Blake Griffin/LAC before selecting them. DeAndre Jordan/LAC isn’t a bad choice if you need a center.
My Lineup
The following is my recommended lineup, subject to change, for the $11/$1,000 double-up GPP at DraftStreet ($99,957 spent of $100,000 max):
Stars Worth Starting: Kevin Love/MIN, Dirk Nowitzki/DET, Kemba Walker/CHA
Bargain Plays: Martell Webster/WAS, George Hill/IND
Speculative Plays: Roy Hibbert/IND, Wilson Chandler/DET, Darren Collison/LAC
Estimated DraftStreet Points: 210 (+- 60).
The Fantasy Spin is here every day, around 1 PM EST. Follow me @robdudek for breaking news and pre-game thoughts relevant to NBA daily fantasy.