NBA Friday Night Fantasy
Here's a breakdown of Friday night in the NBA from a fantasy perspective:
Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics
The Magic enter TD Garden on a seven-game losing streak while the Celtics have won four in a row. ... Newly-anointed All-Star Isaiah Thomas has led his team on offense and has tallied fewer than 20 points just twice in his last 10 games. A young team like Orlando will struggle to contain him. ... On the other end of the floor, Magic big Nikola Vucevic has been a solid cash-game option; in his last four games, he has had between 15 to 16 points and 11 to 14 rebounds with solid block and assist totals. Boston's post defense won't be able to stop Vooch from his fifth-straight double-double. ... Celtics C Kelly Olynyk is a player to watch; with comparable floor-spacing bigs Channing Frye and countryman Andrew Nicholson on Orlando, the Celtics can hide Olynyk on defense. ... Fade Victor Oladipo. As Orlando's top perimeter player, he'll draw coverage from tough defenders Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley.
Prediction: Celtics 101, Magic 93
DFS MVP: Isaiah Thomas
DFS Dud: Victor Oladipo
Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons
The last time LeBron faced the Pistons, he scored 30 points and added six rebounds and three assists; as impressive as those numbers are, he actually finished below his season fantasy rate - a sign of just how much he has to do to return value against his high salary. ... Detroit All-Star Andre Drummond and running mate Reggie Jackson will likely struggle against Cleveland's great containment of opposing centers and point guards. ... Keep an eye on Kyrie Irving, who sits at fifth in pricing in this game due to his volatile playing time. As a GPP play where a big night could swing a contest, Irving is a medium-risk, high-reward play. ... Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has seen over 35 minutes of action in eight of his last 10 games. ... Rookie Stanley Johnson has averaged 10.2 points, four rebounds and two assists in his last five games.
Prediction: Cavaliers 105, Pistons 98
DFS MVP: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
DFS Dud: Reggie Jackson
Phoenix Suns at New York Knicks
The Knicks are back at MSG after a prime-time game in Toronto on Thursday night and they'll likely be without Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis for the second straight game. ... The Suns are dealing with their own injury bug; Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price are out while Jon Leuer, Mirza Teletovic and T.J. Warren are questionable. ... What that means for both teams is that under-priced backups should see starter-level minutes - and against other backups, starter-level production isn't out of the question. ... Archie Goodwin has seen his fantasy production double since being thrust into Knight's role as the team's primary ball-handler. Devin Booker and P.J. Tucker have seen a similar surge for the Suns. ... On the Knicks, Derrick Williams has been playing 30 minutes a night and contributing across multiple categories. His versatility allows him to play both as a traditional SF and as more of a long PF, so if either 'Melo or 'Zinger miss another contest, he'll see plenty of action.
Prediction: Suns 94, Knicks 89
DFS MVP: Archie Goodwin
DFS Dud: Mirza Teletovic
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
The Beard returns to where it all began. The last time James Harden faced his former teammates, he put up 37 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. ... On the other side, Russell Westbrook had 25 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals while Kevin Durant chipped in with 29 points, four rebounds and two blocks. ... It's clear that the shared history of this trio brings the best out of each other, so all three are great options at their respective positions. ... A player to avoid is Rockets C Dwight Howard; he needs help getting the ball in scoring position and, with Harden's usage rate expected to go though the roof, he simply won't have the touches to have big scoring potential.
Prediction: Thunder 115, Rockets 113
DFS MVP: James Harden
DFS Dud: Dwight Howard
Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks
The young Bucks are flailing, having to take on one of the best defenses in the league a night after a rough 20-point loss to the Grizzlies in Memphis. ... There are some key injury concerns in Miami - Goran Dragic is probable while Hassan Whiteside is questionable - but the veteran core duo of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh remains to school the youngsters in Milwaukee. ... Some have questioned why Bosh was named an All-Star for the 11th straight season, beating out the likes of Kevin Love and Pau Gasol but the man is having one of the best seasons of his underrated career, upping his effective field goal percentage, rebounds and assists while playing slightly fewer minutes. Bosh should dominate Milwaukee's turnstile frontcourt defense. ... The brightest spot on the Bucks' slumping roster is Khris Middleton, who has recorded 21 points, 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game over his last five outings; even though the Heat will likely emerge victorious, Middleton could have a solid performance in a loss.
Prediction: Heat 98, Bucks 88
DFS MVP: Chris Bosh
DFS Dud: Michael Carter-Williams
Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
The Nets are the last bastion of unwatchable basketball, having no up-and-coming prospects, precious little star-wattage and no end in sight. ... Zaza Pachulia is listed as probable and is in line for another double-double against the weak post defense of Brook Lopez. ... In that same vein, backup center Salah Mejri has looked solid when given an opportunity to play and has earned an uptick in playing time. ... Dirk Nowitzki missed Wednesday's game for rest and given that he won't be in Toronto for the All-Star game this year, he has little reason to miss Friday's game. ... The presence of Dirk in the paint isn't an intimating one, so an athletic PF like Thaddeus Young could have a nice game despite averaging just 12.2 points in his last five games. ... Donald Sloan has picked up some of the slack left when Jarrett Jack was ruled out for the season; given that the Nets have few options at PG, Sloan should see extended run.
Prediction: Mavericks 97, Nets 92
DFS MVP: Thaddeus Young
DFS Dud: Brook Lopez
Minnesota Timberwolves at Utah Jazz
With plenty of dysfunction on offense, the Jazz's great interior defense and the T-Wolves' springy athletic youngsters, both teams could struggle to put the ball in the hoop. ... Gordon Hayward has the best opportunity, especially when going against the husk of the defender formerly known as Tayshaun Prince. He's pricey, but has significant upside. ... With Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors back together at last, the Timberwolves would be smart to stay out of the paint, though it probably won't stop rookie Karl-Anthony Towns from trying to score down low. ... Ricky Rubio could have a disastrous game; while he tallied 17 assists against the Jazz on Dec. 30th, that was without Gobert and Favors disrupting scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Prediction: Jazz 97, Timberwolves 85
DFS MVP: Gordon Hayward
DFS Dud: Ricky Rubio
Charlotte Hornets at Portland Trail Blazers
With lingering injuries to Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb, the Hornets are perilously thin in their backcourt. That plays right into the the strengths of the Blazers' double-headed attack of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Lillard has a higher ceiling but McCollum presents greater value with a significantly lower salary; both can be expected to put up 20-plus points ... The two biggest fantasy producers on the Hornets are Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum, which doesn't bode well against a Blazers defense that has found ways to lock down opposing PGs and SFs. ... The weakest point of Portland's defense is at PF, so target the Hornets' Marvin Williams. The veteran tallied 21 points in Sacramento recently and has shown that he can be a third or fourth option in the offense when the occasion is right.
Prediction: Trail Blazers 105, Hornets 99
DFS MVP: C.J. McCollum
DFS Dud: Nicolas Batum
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers
The Lakers will play their second game in as many nights. The Clippers have made more news for players who aren't handling their affairs appropriate off the court but the team has won seven of its last 10 games. ... DeAndre Jordan has totaled 51 rebounds in his last three games while Lakers center Roy Hibbert has grabbed 28 boards in the last 10 games. The mismatch on the glass between the two behemoths could reach Biblical proportions. ... In the backcourt, Chris Paul has quietly been playing his best ball this season, averaging 22.3 points, 10.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals in his last six games. ... The reality is that neither Jordan or Paul will need to play much more than 30 minutes to seal up the win against such inferior opponents. ... With garbage time up for grabs, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle could see some extended run in a lopsided game.
Prediction: Clippers 108, Lakers 93
DFS MVP: DeAndre Jordan
DFS Dud: Chris Paul