NBA Daily Plays: November 24, 2013
Can we all please have a moment of silence? Thank you. It has been a rough weekend for a Bulls fan. The devastation of losing Derrick Rose again cannot be explained. Yet, the Bulls are still a decent team without him and play the Clippers on a 5 game set today. There are a few different game sets across the industry today and here are the plays that I think will win you some money!
Player Pricing Note: Daily and Weekly Plays will help you find valuable plays each day/week across the MLB, NBA , NFL and NHL. Just keep in mind that players’ prices vary from site-to-site. To check the price of a player for the site that you play on, make sure to click on the $ dollar-sign icon next to a player’s name for a list of their prices on each site.
Point Guard
Kirk Hinrich – I am not sure what the line for this game would have been if Derrick Rose was playing. Looking at a decent over/under and the Bulls are only a +6 against the Clippers. Kirk was already playing 30 minutes a game and while I don’t expect that number to increase too significantly, he will be having his ball in his hands the majority of the game. We have to remember that not only is Rose out, but Butler is out as well who was a major part of the offense last year without Rose. The matchup is not the greatest with CP3, but Captain Kirk should easily reach value in what Vegas thinks will be a high scoring close affair. Get him in your lineups while he is cheap and not hurt!
Shaun Livingston – What happened to Livingston against the Wolves the other night? I am hoping that a lot of players are not going to pick him today based on that performance. Livingston had been playing very well while replacing DWILL up until that game and what I like best is that he has not been afraid to shoot the ball in the offense. He is not going to have another 0-7 day today and Jennings is most likely thinking about how many shots he is going to take rather than play good defense.
Chris Paul – If you can afford him, he will most likely be the highest scoring point guard of the day. Unless the Bulls put Deng on Paul (which they won’t), nobody will have a chance of staying with him. Although Kirk is not the worst defender in the world, he just will not be able to stay with CP3 in the open court. He just never seems to have a bad game and a 50+ fantasy effort is in his sights today.
Shooting Guard
Steve Blake – He is not going to win you any GPPs on Sunday, but he will provide you with some extra value in your lineups, without a chance of an absolute dud. Since old man Nash went out with his old man issues, Blake has only been below 20 fantasy points once in the last 8 games (he got 19 that night). He has hit over 30 fantasy points 4 times during that stretch as well. In what should be an up and down tempo game as well as a close game, Blake will have a good chance to hit another 30+ day. His price has risen a bit, but is still not out of reach on most sites.
Victor Oladipo – It was only a matter of time before Victor began to start. Pushing Afflalo over to the small forward has allowed for Oladipo to play shooting guard and I am hoping that his minutes increase passed that 30 mpg mark from here on out. He played a solid game against the Heat and what really struck me is that he is using his athleticism to get to the line (8-9 FT). As a rookie, Oladipo is going to have some clunkers here and there, but today’s matchup looks real nice as there is no one inside to scare him away from driving to the basket today.
Small Forward
Luol Deng – Deng is an absolute stud and has been the best player on the Bulls by far. The absence of Rose creates the need for Deng to score more. The absence of Butler creates the need for Deng to NEVER leave the floor. He is a machine that plays all the minutes he can until he drops. While I don’t know for how many more years Deng can put in the minutes like this, Thibs seems to think he can do it still. He will fill up the box score today and the Bulls will need him in order for this game to stay close.
Kevin Durant – All this value is here for a reason today, to get players like Durant in your lineups. He is playing out of this world and his price tag shows it. He does everything on the court this year including his assist numbers going up a bit. This has continued with Westbrook on the court as well. The only thing that may scare me away from Durant today is the obvious blow out factor in what is a 14-point spread. Yet, some exposure is necessary on a short slate day like today as if you are not on KD and he goes for 60 Fantasy Points, you may as well kiss your money good bye.
Value- Mike Dunleavy
Power Forward
Jordan Hill – Although his price is rising, he is still getting the minutes to allow him to reach value. Since starting to get around 30 minutes per game he has hit that great 40-fantasy point mark in three of his last 5 games. Once Kobe gets back things may change a bit for players like Hill, but in a matchup against the Kings tonight, I think he is a great play.
Carlos Boozer – We all know about the Clippers struggles to defend on the inside. We all know that the Bulls don’t really have many options to score the ball. We all know Derrick Rose is out (ugh). While I have trouble putting Joakim in my lineups today, I have no problem putting Boozer in. Last year without Rose, Carlos really stepped up his offensive game and had his best season as a Bull. The Bulls will be going to the Booze Cruise early and often in this game in order to keep in close. Boozer’s has been averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes this season, that minute per game number is going to increase a bit as a trickle down affect from all the injuries
Value- Andray Blatche
Center
Demarcus Cousins – This is the perfect spot to start DMC. I usually struggle with slotting him into my lineups since he has burned me just as everyone else. Yet, I do think one of our great RG masterminds says, he plays great when he plays the scrubs, and right now the Lakers inside defense is a bunch of scrubs. He is coming off a near triple double and the guy is simply on fire with two 50+ Fantasy Point efforts in his last 3. If he stays on the court today, he may have a chance to be the highest scoring player of the day.