As much as I enjoy fantasy hoops, the real games are way more interesting. The Heat had won nine in a row by 10 points or more, but lost to the fired-up Jazz. With Chris Bosh away for a funeral, Shane Battier was an effective fill-in starter, notching 18 points on 6-7 shooting, with four blocked shots. Paul Millsap was back for Utah, Al Jefferson was stellar and the bench was very helpful: another good game from C.J. Miles, with encouraging stints from rookies Enes Kanter and Alec Burks.
Other Friday Games
MIL @ ATL: Joe Johnson didn’t benefit from that first game after all; he’s been shut down again. With Kirk Hinrich replacing JJ, it fell to Josh Smith (24 PTS, 19 REB) to take over. However, the fourth quarter comeback was all the Hawks’ bench — an unlikely quintet of Tracy McGrady, Jerry Stackhouse, Vladimir Radmanovich, Jannero Pargo and Ivan Johnson. For the Bucks, Brandon Jennings (34 PTS, 9 AST) and Drew Gooden (26 PTS, 10 REB) were heroic in defeat.
MEM @ TOR: So near and yet so far for the Raptors, whose bench might be able to beat their starting five. It was a horrible night for DeMar DeRozan (4 PTS in 35 min.) and Jose Calderon wasn’t as effective as backup Jerryd Bayless, who came to life with 18 points in as many minutes. The Grizzlies dug deep, with Rudy Gay (23 & 12) leading the way. Dante Cunningham replaced Marreese Speights in the fourth quarter; coach Lionel Hollins had run almost to midcourt earlier to berate Mo Speezy, whom you can probably cut.
CHI @ CLE: Derrick Rose seems fine and Kyrie Irving didn’t play because of the flu, making an anticipated matchup more of a mismatch. Luol Deng led the Bulls with 24, but garbage time came early. Rip Hamilton (10 PTS in 20 min.) gets a little better with each start. Ramon Sessions had 16 & 7 in his emergency start, but this is one of those games you should toss out when evaluating players.
NJN @ BOS: Brook Lopez had another 28 points but it wasn’t enough, as Rajon Rondo (14 PTS, 13 AST, 5 STL) outplayed Deron Williams — who has a sore foot — and Paul Pierce had a 27-point night. Kevin Garnett added 20 & 10, while Chris Wilcox played well off the bench. Of note in deeper leagues, Gerald Green got 25 minutes for the Nets and scored 11 points.
DAL @ NOH: Dirk Nowitzki was questionable, so my hunch play in the Freeroll was Jason Terry, who was awful. The Jet missed 8 of 9 shots. Rodrigue Beaubois (25 PTS, 4 STL) got the start at SG with Vince Carter (14) coming off the bench. Dirk had 19 & 9 but turned it over six times, as the Hornets pulled off the upset. As anticipated, Jarrett Jack is starting again over Greivis Vasquez, who can be dropped in shallow leagues. Chris Kaman (20 & 13) was a beast, and Xavier Henry had a career-high 19 as Trevor Ariza was out sick.
DEN @ HOU: At one point, Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo were a combined 2-11, but they both heated up in the second half. Lawson finished with 22 PTS and 15 AST, while Afflalo had 17 including a couple of 3-pointers. Word is that both Nene and Danilo Gallinari are nearing a return, but Timofey Mozgov may have re-injured his ankle, so rookie Kenneth Faried may continue to get big minutes. Kevin Martin was tremendous in the losing cause, with six 3-balls among his season-high 35 points.
GSW @ PHI: No Stephen Curry, no chance for the Warriors, as the Sixers rolled to an easy home win. Lou Williams had 25 against his old high-school rival Monta Ellis, and Thaddeus Young added 16 off the bench.
CHA @ SAS: Manu Ginobili did not play after all, but he’s getting close. Neither did Bismack Biyombo, whose shoulder remains an issue. In a 30-point blowout, there are rarely any useful fantasy tidbits. Let’s move along…
LAC @ PHO: Here we go again, DeAndre Jordan owners. The big man got just 16 minutes as Kenyon Martin (14 PTS, 8 REB) played 26 off the bench. Randy Foye going 1-for-8 was costly for the Clips, while Marcin Gortat (18 & 14) and Jared Dudley (22) led the victorious Suns.
SAC @ LAL: Not as close as the 8-point margin would suggest, as the Kings’ bench made a meaningless late run. The amazing Kobe Bryant shook off an assortment of injuries to score 38, while Andrew Bynum had 19 & 15 with 3 BLK.
Tonight, Tonight
OKC @ ATL: With Joe Johnson out until at least Tuesday, this is a tough assignment for the Hawks. It remains to be seen how Larry Drew will adjust his rotation. As always, it’s hard to recommend any Thunder players beyond the stars, who are consistently brilliant.
MIL @ ORL: Despite his courageous effort last night, I’m worried about the banged-up Drew Gooden having to battle Dwight Howard. This one could be one-sided enough that the reserves get extra playing time; someone like J.J. Redick could have a big night.
CLE @ WAS: Andray Blatche is expected to play, which puts a damper on the value of Trevor Booker. The Wizards shook up their starting five, with Nick Young and JaVale McGee benched, but I suspect that was a motivational ploy. Whether he starts again or not, Jordan Crawford is worth owning. For the Cavs, be sure Kyrie Irving is over his flu or use Ramon Sessions.
IND @ NOH: David West should get a nice welcome from the N’Awlins fans and the Pacers have an edge in talent overall, but the Hornets have been overachievers for a while now. Watch for Carl Landry to return soon, and Trevor Ariza is questionable with an illness.
DET @ MEM: The Grizz have won 9 of their last 11, the Pistons are prone to taking games off. The matchup between Greg Monroe and Marc Gasol is interesting, and Detroit can get big nights from Rodney Stuckey or Brandon Knight, but I’d recommend rolling with Mike Conley and Rudy Gay.
UTA @ DAL: Will Dirk’s back be OK in a back-to-back? Can the Jazz sustain the momentum from last night’s upset of Miami? Will Lamar Odom regain his confidence and desire in the D-League? Sometimes I have more questions than answers. I do know that Rodrigue Beaubois is a lot of fun to own, especially in deep keeper leagues.
MIN @ POR: The Blazers are not in sync. Jamal Crawford is a shoot-first PG, Raymond Felton (who was actually a keeper for some of us) has become a bench player and Gerald Wallace has scored in double figures only twice in his last six games. It’s an opportunity for the T-Wolves. Kevin Love was sick and tired the other night; he should cancel out LaMarcus Aldridge. There are signs that Nikola Pekovic is tiring too, but he’s always capable of a double-double.
Draft Street
In last night’s Freeroll, my team got trounced. The two “bargains” I was most optimistic about, Jason Terry and Udonis Haslem, were useless. It’s a challenging game of skill, but a little luck never hurts. Starting on Monday, I’ll be getting more serious about Draft Street, sharing my experiences here as I try to get better at the salary cap game by playing in $2 and $5 pools.
The best way to stay in touch is to follow me on Twitter. The Spin is here at 8:00 Eastern six days a week, with the Sunday extravaganza coming your way at noon.