Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 23rd)

To fit higher-priced studs like Kevin Durant or James Harden into your DFS lineups, it's important to identify lower-priced options to provide some salary-cap relief.

In our DraftKings value posts, we will highlight players with salaries of $6,500 or less. The average salary of the $50,000 cap is $6,250 so the vast majority of the players referenced below are priced below the average salary.

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With that said, here are some DraftKings values for Friday's NBA games:

PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (at NYK), $5,400: With the return of Tobias Harris, Payton played just shy of 30 minutes on Wednesday instead of the 35-plus he had averaged over his previous five games. But he was still productive as he finished with eight points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals for 28.5 fantasy points. Over his past five, he's averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.

PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (vs. ORL), $4,100: Getting another start on Wednesday, the results were identical for Galloway, who has now scored exactly 32.25 fantasy points in back-to-back outings. In his six games with the Knicks, Galloway has played 30-plus minutes three times and has scored 30-plus fantasy points in all three of those games.

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SG - Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (at MIN), $5,500: With Jrue Holiday out for a few more weeks, Gordon should continue to see plenty of minutes and production. Gordon has now scored more than 20 fantasy points in eight consecutive games including 41.75 last night. During that eight-game span, Gordon has averaged 35 minutes, 15.88 points, 4.75 assists and 3.38 rebounds per game with a steal in seven of those eight games. In addition, no team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season than the T'Wolves.

SG - J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. CHA), $5,000: Excluding his debut with the Cavs, Smith has averaged more than 35 minutes and just shy of 30 fantasy points (29.32) per game. Over that seven-game stretch, Smith has averaged 16.71 points and 3.14 three-pointers, 3.86 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. One of the concerns with Smith, however, is that Iman Shumpert is expected to make his debut with the Cavs tonight.

SF - P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns (vs. HOU), $4,200: Not only should this be a high-scoring game (220.5 over/under), but it should be close as well (two-point spread) and that should lead to plenty of fantasy upside. Only the Warriors are projected to score more points than the Suns, but that game has loads of blowout potential with Golden State favored by 15.5 points. Tucker's minutes and those of other Suns can fluctuate a lot, but Tucker doesn't need to score to be productive. As an example, he had just three (real) points on Wednesday, but he still scored 36.75 fantasy points with 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block.

SF - Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks (vs. CHI), $5,900: Although the first matchup went into double-overtime, Parsons had one of his five games with 40-plus fantasy points this season against the Bulls on Dec. 2nd. While he likely won't score 40 fantasy points again, he has now scored at least 30.5 fantasy points in three consecutive games. If you decide to not pay up for someone like KD, Parsons is one of the better mid-priced options at the position tonight.

PF - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (vs. CHI), $6,400: Reaching 35 minutes only three times this season, Nowitzki may lack the upside to be a strong tournament play, but his consistency and salary make him a solid option in cash games. Although Nowitzki is averaging slightly less than 30 minutes per game, he has scored more than 20 fantasy points in 21 consecutive games with an average of 30.83 during that span.

PF - Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls (at DAL), $6,100: If Joakim Noah misses another game tonight, Gibson remains a strong option. Over his past five games, he is averaging more than 37 minutes per game with 11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

PF - Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. TOR), $5,300: Before missing Wednesday's game with flu-like symptoms, Noel has been getting consistent playing time with 30-plus minutes in six of his past seven games. Over his past four games, Noel has averaged 11.75 points, 8.25 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.25 blocks per game. Noel needs 31.8 fantasy points to reach six times his salary and he has scored 31.5 or more fantasy points in three of his past four games.

PF - Jason Smith, New York Knicks (vs. ORL), $3,900: Smith has scored more than 25 fantasy points in back-to-back games with at least 32 minutes in each contest. With a top-10 matchup against the Magic, Smith should be able to easily reach value on Friday night assuming he gets another heavy dose of minutes.

PF - Brandon Bass, Boston Celtics (at DEN), $3,300: Getting a start and more than 30 minutes on Thursday, Bass had his first double-double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as well as a steal and a block. Even if they are showcasing him for a trade, Bass has now scored at least 22 fantasy points in three consecutive games including 38.0 last night and is a solid low-priced option. In addition, few teams allow more fantasy points to opposing bigs than the Nuggets.

C - Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. CHA), $5,100: Mozgov played a seven-game high of 39 minutes on Wednesday since being acquired by the Cavs and finished with his consecutive double-double. In his past two games, he's averaging 15.5 points, 13.0 rebounds (6.0 OREB/G), two blocks and one steal per game and 39.0 fantasy points per game. And LeBron James has referred to Mozgov as being a "walking double-double."

C - Alex Len, Phoenix Suns (vs. HOU), $4,600: There are some concerns with Len's foot tendinitis, less than 20 minutes of playing time in back-to-back games and potential foul trouble against Dwight Howard. That said, Len was averaging 29.18 fantasy points per game before his disappointing 11.25 outing on Wednesday.

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 22nd)

To fit higher-priced studs into your DFS lineups, it's important to identify lower-priced options to provide some salary-cap relief.

In our DraftKings value posts, we will highlight players with salaries of $6,500 or less. The average salary of their $50,000 cap is $6,250 so the vast majority of the players referenced below are priced below the average salary.

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With that said, here are some DraftKings values for Thursday's NBA games:

PG - Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (at CHI), $5,800: Against the Nuggets on Tuesday, Parker had 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds to score 33.5 fantasy points. He now has 33 fantasy points in two of his past three games. The Spurs are projected to score the third-most points tonight behind the Clippers and Blazers, but their matchup has the lowest point spread (-5) of the night so hopefully the game stays close and Parker sees a full allotment of minutes.

PG - Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets (at LAC), $6,200: The matchup against Chris Paul is far from favorable as the Clippers allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing point guards. In his past three games, Jack has scored 49.5, 38.5 and 35.5 fantasy points, respectively, and he's averaging 21.3 points, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals during that span. In addition, Jack has averaged more than 37 minutes per game over his past nine games and Deron Williams (ribs) will miss tonight's game.

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SG - Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. BOS), $5,700: With LaMarcus Aldridge (and Robin Lopez) out, Matthews will continue to shoulder more of the offensive load. Matthews now has 17-plus shot attempts in each of his past three games and has averaged 33.42 fantasy points per game during that stretch. That said, Avery Bradley is one of the league's best on-ball defenders, but it's possible he guards Damian Lillard instead of Matthews.

SG - Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (at LAC), $6,000: Averaging more than 38 points per game over his past 12 games, Johnson broke out of a six-game slump (23.75 FPPG) with 31.75 and 34.5 fantasy points in his two most recent games. In his past 21 games, Johnson has as many games (two) with 40-plus fantasy points as he has with less than 20 fantasy points (two) and has averaged slightly more than 30 fantasy points during that span.

SG - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $5,200: The Alphabet has played 32 minutes in back-to-back games with 25 fantasy points in each game. Given Jason Kidd's rotations and allotment of minutes, it's hard to trust any Buck not named Brandon Knight to get consistent minutes. But he should be able to reach 5x value if he gets 32 minutes once again and he has 40-point upside considering his stat-stuffing nature of his game. If you play The Greek Freak, however, I'd stick with GPPs over cash games.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. BOS), $5,300: Breaking out of his slump, Batum scored a season-most 52.5 fantasy points last night after scoring no more than 38.5 in his first 36 games this season. In fact, he had just 67.25 fantasy points in his past four games combined. Knocking down six of eight three-pointers last night, Batum scored 27 points and added 10 rebounds, five assists and a block. It would be unrealistic to expect a repeat performance, but the injury to LMA should continue to lead to increased offensive opportunities for Batum, who does a lot more than just score.

SF - Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $5,100: Over his past nine games, Middleton has scored a minimum of 21 fantasy points and averaged 27.42 per game. Before that, however, he had a couple of games with seven or less fantasy points in a six-game stretch. That said, Middleton has averaged 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals over that nine-game stretch. Until Kidd pulls the rug from under us, Middleton appears safe.

SF - Dorell Wright, Portland Trail Blazers (vs. BOS), $3,000: Getting the start in place of Aldridge at power forward, Wright is a minimum-salary option at SF. Wright played (and fouled out in) nearly 35 minutes and finished with 30.75 fantasy points. Wright scored 15 points and added five assists, three rebounds and two steals and was three-of-six from behind the arc. Like with Batum, I wouldn't expect a repeat of last night's production, but he's certainly a viable punt option.

PF - Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls (vs. SA), $6,100: With Joakim Noah listed as doubtful for tonight's game, Gibson should once again get a heavy dose of minutes as is typical when Noah or Pau Gasol is out. Averaging close to 40 minutes in his past three games, Gibson has averaged 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game during that span.

PF - Ersan Ilyasova, Milwaukee Bucks (vs. UTA), $3,700: After playing 12 and 22 minutes in his first two games of the month, Ilyasova is expected to move into the starting lineup for tonight's game. In the past eight games that the oft-injured Ilyasova has played 20-plus minutes, he has scored a minimum of 21.75 fantasy points and averaged 26.78 fantasy points. At his price point, he should easily reach value given starter's minutes.

C - Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets (at LAC), $6,400: Over his past three games, Lopez has averaged 35.5 fantasy points as well as 21.0 (real) points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. In addition, Lopez has been getting to the line with 7.0 made free throws per game over that stretch. Meanwhile, the Clippers have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.

C - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (at MIL), $5,900: Starting and playing 33 minutes, Kanter had a monster 24/17 double-double last night and finished a fraction shy of 50 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert played less than 20 minutes. With starter's minutes, Kanter should be able to reach value tonight.

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Fantasy NBA FanDuel DFS Values (Jan. 21)

Earlier today, I posted my favorite DraftKings value plays for tonight's NBA games.

As I turn my attention to FanDuel contests, there will obviously be plenty of overlap in terms of the value plays I like. Even though DraftKings and FanDuel price players independently, their price points are generally in the same ball park.

The players listed in this post will have a maximum salary of $7,000, which is slightly above the average $6,667 salary on FanDuel's nine-men rosters.

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Here are some FanDuel values for Wednesday's NBA games:

PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (at DET), $5,900: Payton has scored 30-plus fantasy points in three of the past four games with an average of 35 fantasy points per game over that span. Over his past four games, he is averaging 16.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. In those four games, Payton has double-digit points plus a minimum of four rebounds, four assists and two steals in each of those games.

PG - Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets (at SAC), $6,800: With Deron Williams out for tonight's game, Jack remains a strong option among the mid-priced point guards. In his past eight games, Jack is averaging 29.76 fantasy points per game with 36-plus in half of those games including back-to-back games against the Wizards. During that eight-game span, Jack has averaged 15.63 points, 7.38 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.13 three-pointers in nearly 37 minutes per game. Meanwhile, the Kings have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Mo Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. DAL), $6,100: Williams is coming off a disappointing performance (18 fantasy points in 29 minutes), but he had at least 25 fantasy points in the previous seven games with 42-plus points in three of them. Even though Kevin Martin is considered a game-time decision, the good news is that Ricky Rubio has been ruled out for tonight's game. This game has the second-highest over/under behind the Warriors-Rockets matchup and Williams price on FanDuel is actually $100 less than his salary on DraftKings even though the average salary per player in FanDuel is higher than it is on DraftKings ($6,250).


* FanDuel's $300K NBA Super Slam: $300,000 in prizes including $30,000 to 1st in tonight's NBA Super Slam ($25 entry).

SG - Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (at PHO), $5,700: Matthews' minutes won't directly benefit from the injury to LaMarcus Aldridge, but his usage rate and shot attempts will. With Aldridge playing only 14 minutes before his injury on Monday, Matthews took a season-high 20 shot attempts including 12 three-point attempts. Dollar for dollar, Matthews is my favorite play among SGs tonight.

SG - Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. LAL), $5,100: If Jrue Holiday (ankle) misses another game, that would benefit Gordon. Since returning from his own injury on Jan. 5th, Gordon has played 33-plus minutes in seven of eight games. In his past seven games, Gordon has scored a minimum of 22.5 fantasy points and he's averaged 27.57 per game over that span. Gordon has a solid floor, but his relatively low ceiling makes him a better play in cash games than tournaments.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (at PHO), $5,300: Things haven't gone so well for Batum (and his fantasy/DFS owners), but that has led to a more modest price tag. Although he has failed to reach 20 fantasy points in four consecutive games, Batum could shoulder a little more of the load with Aldridge out. In addition, the Suns play at the third-fastest pace and rank fifth in most turnovers per game (15.3) and Batum is less of a scorer and more of a player that contributes across multiple stat categories. And like Williams, Batum has a slightly lower salary on FanDuel than DraftKings, which makes him an even more appealing option on FanDuel.

SF - Jeff Green, Memphis Grizzlies (vs. TOR), $5,600: Excluding his debut with the Grizzlies, Green has scored 26.5-30 fantasy points with at least 30 minutes in his other three games with his new team. During that three-game span, he has at least 14 shot attempts each night and has posted an average of 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and a steal per game. The Raptors have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

PF - Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. NYK), $5,800: While he may lack some consistency, Noel has been getting consistent playing time with 30-plus minutes in six of his past seven games. Over his past four games, Noel has averaged 11.75 points, 8.25 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.25 blocks per game. Noel has scored at least 31.1 fantasy points in three of his past four games.

[Update: Noel (sick) has been ruled out for tonight's game.]

PF - Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets (at GS), $5,600: In a game with a 218.0 over/under, there should be plenty of fantasy points tonight. Motiejunas has now scored double-digit (real) points in 12 consecutive games and has now scored at least 23 fantasy points in seven consecutive games. Against the Warriors on Jan. 17th, Motiejunas scored 28.4 fantasy points in less than 22 minutes, a 12-game low in minutes. Over the past 12 games, he has averaged nearly 30 minutes per game.

PF - Channing Frye, Orlando Magic (at DET), $4,300: This play is contingent upon the status of Tobias Harris, who is considered a game-time decision for tonight's game. If Harris can't go, Frye should continue to benefit. In the five-game stretch that Harris has missed, Frye has averaged nearly 36 minutes and 25.44 fantasy points per game. Frye's shooting percentage (15-of-51, 29.4 percent) during that stretch has been awful, but he still has a minimum of 20.1 fantasy points in those games despite poor shooting. In addition, Frye's price on FanDuel is $700 than his DraftKings price.

[Update: Harris will play, but he may come off the bench.]

C - Alex Len, Phoenix Suns (vs. POR), $5,200: With injuries to Robin Lopez and LMA, Len gets a favorable matchup against a Blazers' front court that lacks depth. Len is coming off his worst performance (20.2 fantasy points in 19 minutes) over his past seven games, but he had an average of 28.68 in his previous six games.

C - Chris Kaman, Portland Trail Blazers (at PHO), $4,400: Kaman had just 12 fantasy points in 19 minutes on MLK Jr. Day and only 18 points on the 16th against the Spurs. With the injuries in the Blazers' front court, however, Kaman should see close to 30 minutes tonight and he has averaged close to one FanDuel point per minute this season.

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Fantasy NBA DraftKings DFS Values (Jan. 21st)

In order to fit studs like DeMarcus Cousins ($11,100), Kevin Durant ($10,700) or LeBron James ($10,700) into our DraftKings lineups tonight, finding values at other roster spots is imperative.

Like most Wednesdays, it's another large slate (12 games) today, which increases the odds of finding value at other spots.

For this post, I will focus on players with a salary of $6,500 or less to highlight the mid- and low-priced players that I like for tonight's games.

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With that said, here are some DraftKings values for Wednesday's NBA games:

PG - Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets (at SAC), $6,300: With Deron Williams out, Jack remains a strong option among the mid-priced point guards. In his past eight games, Jack is averaging 32.19 fantasy points per game with 38.5 or more in half of those games including back-to-back games against the Wizards. During that eight-game span, Jack has averaged 15.63 points, 7.38 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.13 three-pointers in nearly 37 minutes per game. Meanwhile, the Kings have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Mo Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves (vs. DAL), $6,200: Williams is coming off a disappointing performance (18 fantasy points in 29 minutes), but he had at least 25 fantasy points in the previous seven games with 42-plus points in three of them. Assuming that Ricky Rubio misses at least one more game, Williams has plenty of upside in what should be a fast-paced game. Both teams rank in the top-third of the league in terms of pace. (That said, I'll like Williams a little less if Kevin Martin (GTD) suits up tonight although he may be on a minutes restriction if he does.)

PG - Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (at CLE), $5,600: Burke has scored at least 22.75 fantasy points in 11 consecutive games and has averaged 30.68 points over that span. Burke is averaging 16.9 points, 5.1 assists and a steal per game during that span and gets a great matchup against Kyrie Irving and the Cavs, who have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.

PG - Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic (at DET), $5,400: Payton has now scored 40-plus fantasy points in back-to-back games and 30-plus fantasy points in four consecutive games. Arguably the best defender in last year's draft class, Payton has multiple steals in all four of those games, but he has surprisingly stepped up offensively with 22 and 19 points in his past two games, respectively. Over his past four games, he is averaging 16.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.

PG - Langston Galloway, New York Knicks (at PHI), $3,600: With three opportunities to start a point guard on DraftKings (PG, G and UTIL spots), that's typically a strategy that I use most nights and will do so again tonight in many of my lineups. There are plenty of great mid-priced options, as mentioned above, but Galloway is a much cheaper option that is likely to draw another start and no team allows more fantasy points to opposing point guards than the 76ers. Galloway has averaged 21.75 fantasy points in his five games with the Knicks including a pair of 30-point fantasy outings.

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SG - Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers (at PHO), $5,700: Matthews' minutes won't directly benefit from the injury to LaMarcus Aldridge, but his usage rate and shot attempts will. With Aldridge playing only 14 minutes before his injury on Monday, Matthews took a season-high 20 shot attempts including 12 three-point attempts. He now has 26 three-point attempts in his past two games. Dollar for dollar, Matthews may be my favorite play among SGs tonight. SG - Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (vs. LAL), $5,400: If Jrue Holiday (ankle) misses another game, that would benefit Gordon. Since returning from his own injury on Jan. 5th, Gordon has played 33-plus minutes in seven of eight games. In his past seven games, Gordon has scored a minimum of 22.5 fantasy points and he's averaged 27.57 per game over that span.

SG - J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. UTA), $4,900: Smith has averaged over 35 minutes per game in his past six outings with 17.0 points, 3.3 treys and 1.8 steals per game during that span. With at least 22.5 fantasy points in five of those six games, he has averaged 28.58 fantasy points over that stretch. Meanwhile, Utah has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

SF - Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers (at PHO), $5,400: Things haven't gone so well for Batum (and his fantasy/DFS owners), but that has led to a more modest price tag. Although he has failed to reach 20 fantasy points in four consecutive games, Batum could shoulder a little more of the load with Aldridge out. In addition, the Suns play at the third-fastest pace and rank fifth in most turnovers per game (15.3) and Batum is less of a scorer and more of a player that contributes across multiple stat categories.

SF - Jeff Green, Memphis Grizzlies (vs. TOR), $5,000: Excluding his debut with the Grizzlies, Green has scored 28.25-31.25 fantasy points with at least 30 minutes in his other three games with his new team. During that three-game span, he has at least 14 shot attempts each night and has posted an average of 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and a steal per game. The Raptors have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season.

PF - Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets (at GS), $5,500: In a game with a 218.0 over/under, there should be plenty of fantasy points tonight. Motiejunas has now scored double-digit (real) points in 12 consecutive games and has now scored at least 24.75 fantasy points in seven consecutive games. Against the Warriors on Jan. 17th, Motiejunas scored 29.75 fantasy points in less than 22 minutes, a 12-game low in minutes. Over the past 12 games, he has averaged nearly 30 minutes per game.

PF - Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers (vs. NYK), $5,300: While he may lack some consistency, Noel has been getting consistent playing time with 30-plus minutes in six of his past seven games. Over his past four games, Noel has averaged 11.75 points, 8.25 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.25 blocks per game. Noel needs 31.8 fantasy points to reach six times his salary and he has scored 31.5 or more fantasy points in three of his past four games.

[Update: Noel (sick) has been ruled out for tonight's game.] 

PF - Channing Frye, Orlando Magic (at DET), $5,000: This play is contingent upon the status of Tobias Harris, who is considered a game-time decision for tonight's game. If Harris can't go, Frye should continue to benefit. In the five-game stretch that Harris has missed, Frye has averaged nearly 36 minutes and 27.95 fantasy points per game. Frye's shooting percentage (15-of-51, 29.4 percent) during that stretch has been awful, but 41 of his 51 attempts have been from behind the arc and he still has a minimum of 21.5 fantasy points in those games despite poor shooting.

[Update: Harris will play, but he may come off the bench.]

C - Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks (at MIN), $6,300: Typically Chandler isn't someone that finds his way into my lineups, but he now has three consecutive double-doubles with at least 35 fantasy points. Meanwhile, the T'Wolves have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season so Chandler has an excellent shot at reaching value once again.

C - Alex Len, Phoenix Suns (vs. POR), $4,800: With injuries to Robin Lopez and LMA, Len gets a favorable matchup against a Blazers' front court that lacks depth. Len is coming off his worst performance (21 fantasy points in 19 minutes) over his past seven games, but he had a minimum of 26 fantasy points with an average of 30.54 in his previous six games.

C - Chris Kaman, Portland Trail Blazers (at PHO), $4,400: Kaman had just 12 fantasy points in 19 minutes on MLK Jr. Day, but he averaged 28 minutes and 26.31 fantasy points in his previous four games. With the injuries in the Blazers' front court, Kaman should see close to 30 minutes tonight and he has averaged 1.05 DK points per minute this season.

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 13

Winners of just two of their past seven games, the Chicago Bulls are in a mini-slump, but one positive is that Derrick Rose is starting to turn the corner in his return.

Averaging more than 35 minutes per game in his past three outings, Rose has notched back-to-back double-doubles (only has three on the season) and has averaged 28.0 points and 8.3 assists per game during that three-game span.

In his first 28 games this season, Rose averaged just 16.96 points and 4.86 assists per game on less than 29 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol has played really well over his past 10 games.

To begin the season, Gasol had 15 double-doubles in his first 21 games and then had only two double-doubles in his next nine games. Since then, Gasol has seven double-doubles in his past nine outings.

With 23 double-doubles on the season, Gasol is tied with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis for second in the league behind Nikola Vucevic (24).

Over the past 10 games, Gasol is averaging 22.7 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

Atlanta Hawks extend winning streak to 12 games

Pulling a trick out of Gregg Popovich's book, the Atlanta Hawks sat their entire starting lineup (in waves) against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in back-to-back games to kick off last week.

It's not as though they needed their starters as the Hawks won both of those games by at least 14 points.

With their squad at full strength, the Hawks faced two tougher foes -- Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls -- in back-to-back at the end of the week, although the results were the same. Atlanta won those games by 21 and eight points, respectively.

During that four-game road trip last week, the Hawks averaged 106.75 points (with a minimum of 105) while holding their opponents to 91.5 points (maximum of 99) per game.

On Monday, the Hawks will host the Detroit Pistons, who have won 11 of 13 games since parting ways with Josh Smith. The toughest game of the week will be Friday's tilt against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are extremely dangerous with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook back at full health.

That said, their next seven games and nine of their next 10 games are all at home.

Russell Westbrook's triple-double aided by "execution"

Against the Warriors on Friday night, Russell Westbrook recorded his ninth career triple-double.

Westbrook finished the game with 17 points, 17 assists, 15 rebounds as well as four steals. Among active NBA players, Rajon Rondo is the only other player in the league with a 15/15/15 triple-double.

After the game, Westbrook attributed his and the team's offensive success to "execution."



As part of the short interview, Westbrook goes on to tell The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel, author of the "Mr. Unreliable" column on KD, that he doesn't like him.

Here are my NBA Power Rankings heading into Week 13:

1. Atlanta Hawks (Record 33-8, Last Week 2)
2. Golden State Warriors (Record 32-6, Last Week 1)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 30-11, Last Week 3)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 29-11, Last Week 4)
5. Houston Rockets (Record 28-13, Last Week 6)
6. Washington Wizards (Record 28-13, Last Week 10)
7. Chicago Bulls (Record 27-15, Last Week 5)
8. Toronto Raptors (Record 26-14, Last Week 7)
9. Dallas Mavericks (Record 28-13, Last Week 8)
10. San Antonio Spurs (Record 26-16, Last Week 9)
11. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 27-14, Last Week 11)
12. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 21-20, Last Week 15)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 20-20, Last Week 13)
14. Phoenix Suns (Record 24-18, Last Week 12)
15. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 21-19, Last Week 17)
16. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 20-20, Last Week 14)
17. Detroit Pistons (Record 16-25, Last Week 24)
18. Denver Nuggets (Record 18-22, Last Week 18)
19. Miami Heat (Record 18-22, Last Week 19)
20. Charlotte Hornets (Record 16-25, Last Week 20)
21. Brooklyn Nets (Record 17-24, Last Week 16)
22. Sacramento Kings (Record 16-24, Last Week 21)
23. Indiana Pacers (Record 15-27, Last Week 22)
24. Orlando Magic (Record 15-29, Last Week 23)
25. Utah Jazz (Record 14-27, Last Week 26)
26. Boston Celtics (Record 13-25, Last Week 25)
27. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 12-29, Last Week 27)
28. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 8-32, Last Week 28)
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 7-32, Last Week 29)
30. New York Knicks (Record 5-36, Last Week 30)

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 12

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Since moving into the No. 2 spot of our NBA Power Rankings last week, the Atlanta Hawks have continued to play great basketball as they finished the week with a 4-0 record despite some difficult matchups.

Three of their four wins were against teams that are more than 10 games above .500 -- Clippers, Grizzlies and Wizards. The other win was against the Pistons, who have played much better since releasing Josh Smith. In fact, the Pistons have won eight of nine games without Smith with the loss to the Hawks being the exception.

Since November 28th, the Hawks have posted a 22-2 record.

The Hawks will begin a four-game road trip starting on Tuesday against a couple of beatable Eastern Conference teams (Philadelphia and Boston) and then a couple of matchups (Toronto and Chicago) against two fellow teams in the top-three of Eastern Conference standings.

Although they may lack well-known superstars, they have played efficient, team-first basketball.

Not only does Atlanta rank third in three-point percentage (.383) and fifth in shooting percentage (.467), but they also rank eighth in opponent's three-point percentage (.339) and sixth in opponent's shooting percentage (.438).

In addition, the Hawks rank third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89) behind only the Clippers and Mavericks.

The final All-Star ballots will be announced on January 22nd, but the Hawks don't have any players in the top 10 and Paul Millsap currently ranks 13th in voting among Eastern Conference forwards.

Who's the worst: Sixers, Knicks and Celtics?

The Sixers opened the 2014-15 NBA season with 17 consecutive losses and it seemed as though they wouldn't win any games this season.

For the second time this season, however, the Sixers have a two-game winning streak with wins over the Nets and Pacers this past weekend and they have now won three of their past four games.

While their competition for the most lottery ping-pong balls is increasing within the division, the Sixers will host the 29-8 Hawks on Tuesday so it's highly unlikely that they get their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Perhaps the Knicks will shut down Carmelo Anthony for the season, but they have now lost a franchise-worst 15 consecutive games and currently own the league's worst record (5-35, .125). In addition, they have won only one of their past 26 games.

Aside from Anthony's injury, the Knicks have traded J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers and released Samuel Dalembert as they try to improve their salary-cap situation going forward.

Earlier in the season, the Celtics traded away point guard Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks. One of the players acquired in that trade, Brandan Wright, has since been traded away as the Celtics work to stockpile draft picks.

The next player on the move will be the team's leading scorer, Jeff Green, in a trade that is expected to be completed on Monday.

Sources: Boston, Memphis and New Orleans agree on five-player trade sending Jeff Green to Grizzlies. Trade call Monday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) January 11, 2015

In a race to not be mediocre, but instead to be as bad as you can, which one of these Atlantic Division teams is the worst?

Cavs on five-game losing streak, lost eight of nine games

It takes time for a new trio of superstars playing for a first-year head coach to gel. Making the situation more challenging is the fact that LeBron James has missed the past eight games with a knee injury.

The injury isn't too serious and he should be back soon. In fact, he has noted that he would have played if it were the playoffs.

That said, the Cleveland Cavaliers have now lost five consecutive games and eight of their past nine.

With the Cavs ranking in the bottom half of the league in team defense, they have made some moves that should help bolster their defense. Not only is newly-acquired Iman Shumpert one of the league's more talented perimeter defenders, but they acquired Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets. Mozgov played for coach Blatt on the Russian National Team.

Despite dropping to .500 as we near the midpoint of the season, Vegas still has the Cavs installed as the favorite to win the 2015 NBA Finals at 5/1 odds. (The Warriors are a close second at 11/2 odds.)

Turnaround coming for the Hornets?

Expectations were high in the preseason for the Charlotte Hornets, who were coming off their second playoff appearance in the past decade.

Despite starting the season with a 10-24 record, the team is now on a five-game winning streak.

If the season were to end today, the Hornets would be tied with the Pacers at the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, but both teams are only two games behind the Heat and Nets for the eighth seed.

Not only has Lance Stephenson been out since last playing on December 17th, but Al Jefferson has now missed seven consecutive games. With Stephenson and Jefferson out, Kemba Walker has put the team on his back.

During their five-game winning streak, Walker has averaged 30.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Here are my NBA Power Rankings heading into Week 12:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 29-5, Last Week 1)
2. Atlanta Hawks (Record 29-8, Last Week 2)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 30-8, Last Week 3)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 26-11, Last Week 4)
5. Chicago Bulls (Record 26-12, Last Week 5)
6. Houston Rockets (Record 26-11, Last Week 7)
7. Toronto Raptors (Record 25-11, Last Week 8)
8. Dallas Mavericks (Record 26-12, Last Week 6)
9. San Antonio Spurs (Record 23-15, Last Week 13)
10. Washington Wizards (Record 25-12, Last Week 9)
11. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 25-13, Last Week 10)
12. Phoenix Suns (Record 22-18, Last Week 12)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 18-19, Last Week 11)
14. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 18-18, Last Week 14)
15. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 19-19, Last Week 15)
16. Brooklyn Nets (Record 16-21, Last Week 16)
17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 20-19, Last Week 17)
18. Denver Nuggets (Record 17-20, Last Week 19)
19. Miami Heat (Record 16-21, Last Week 18)
20. Charlotte Hornets (Record 15-24, Last Week 26)
21. Sacramento Kings (Record 16-21, Last Week 20)
22. Indiana Pacers (Record 15-24, Last Week 21)
23. Orlando Magic (Record 13-27, Last Week 22)
24. Detroit Pistons (Record 13-24, Last Week 23)
25. Boston Celtics (Record 12-23, Last Week 24)
26. Utah Jazz (Record 13-25, Last Week 25)
27. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 12-26, Last Week 27)
28. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 7-29, Last Week 29)
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 5-31, Last Week 28)
30. New York Knicks (Record 5-35, Last Week 30)

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 8

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Since Kevin Durant made his season debut seven games ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won their past six games in a row.

All six of those wins have come against teams that missed the playoffs last year and although the Cleveland Cavaliers still remain the favorites (based on Vegas odds) to win it all, the Cavs were without LeBron James (knee) when they faced the Thunder last week.

That said, the Thunder have beaten the opponents on their schedule and are now just two games under .500 and only one-half game behind the Phoenix Suns, who currently occupy the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Their next game is against the Kings, who have been without DeMarcus Cousins for nine consecutive games and have lost eight of their past 10 games. Before his bout with viral meningitis, Cousins had seven consecutive double-doubles with at least 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Assuming the Thunder beat the DMC-less Kings, they will try to get back to .500 against the Golden State Warriors, who have now won 16 consecutive games.

Kobe Bryant moves into third all-time in scoring

While Magic Johnson would like the Lakers to lose all of their remaining games to get the highest 2015 NBA Draft pick as possible, it should come as no surprise that Kobe Bryant isn't on board with that philosophy.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, if their first-round pick is outside of the top-five selections, they will send that selection to Phoenix as part of the deal that led to the acquisition of Steve Nash.

That said, the Lakers have won three consecutive games and five of their past eight games.

Despite shooting a career-low 38.6 percent from the field in his 19th NBA season, Bryant is one of the all-time greatest scorers the game has ever seen. With 26 points last night against the Timberwolves, Bryant moved past Michael Jordan for third all-time in the career scoring list.

Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) have more career points than Bryant (32,310). Meanwhile, Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07) are the only two players that have averaged more than 30 points per game over their careers; Bryant is 10th on that list at 25.46 PPG.

It's unlikely that Bryant plays long enough to catch Malone.

Pau Gasol, the double-double machine

Bryant's ex-teammate Pau Gasol is currently tied with three others for the most double-doubles (14) this season.

Averaging 19.0 points and a career-high 11.9 rebounds per game, Gasol had just nine points and nine rebounds on Sunday, but he had double-doubles in all of his previous eight games. Of the six games in which he has not had a double-double this season, Gasol was short by one point and/or one rebound in four of those games.

In other words, Gasol has 18 games (out of his 20 games played) this season with nine-plus points and nine-plus rebounds.

Gasol had 30 double-doubles in 60 games last season and only 15 of them in 49 games in the 2012-13 season.

Here are my Week 8 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 21-2, Last Week 1)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 19-4, Last Week 2)
3. San Antonio Spurs (Record 17-7, Last Week 3)
4. Houston Rockets (Record 18-5, Last Week 5)
5. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 18-6, Last Week 4)
6. Toronto Raptors (Record 18-6, Last Week 6)
7. Washington Wizards (Record 17-6, Last Week 10)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 16-7, Last Week 9)
9. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 13-9, Last Week 7)
10. Dallas Mavericks (Record 17-8, Last Week 8)
11. Chicago Bulls (Record 15-8, Last Week 11)
12. Atlanta Hawks (Record 16-7, Last Week 12)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 11-13, Last Week 16)
14. Phoenix Suns (Record 12-13, Last Week 13)
15. Sacramento Kings (Record 11-13, Last Week 14)
16. Miami Heat (Record 11-13, Last Week 15)
17. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 11-12, Last Week 18)
18. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 12-12, Last Week 17)
19. Denver Nuggets (Record 10-14, Last Week 19)
20. Brooklyn Nets (Record 10-12, Last Week 20)
21. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 8-16, Last Week 24)
22. Orlando Magic (Record 10-16, Last Week 22)
23. Indiana Pacers (Record 7-17, Last Week 23)
24. Boston Celtics (Record 7-14, Last Week 21)
25. Charlotte Hornets (Record 6-17, Last Week 25)
26. Utah Jazz (Record 6-18, Last Week 26)
27. Detroit Pistons (Record 5-19, Last Week 29)
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 5-18, Last Week 27)
29. New York Knicks (Record 5-21, Last Week 28)
30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 2-21, Last Week 30)

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 7

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The day was Tuesday, November 11th.

That was the last time that the Golden State Warriors lost a game. In fact, it was the second of back-to-back losses against the Suns and Spurs.

Other than those two games, however, they haven't lost another game this season and they carry a league-best 12-game winning streak and 17-2 record into this week.

From a team statistical standpoint, the Warriors lead the league in point differential (+10.9) while ranking third in scoring (107.1 points per game) and seventh in team defense (96.2 PPG).

In addition, they rank first in the league in assists (26.1/G), third in rebounding (45.6/G) and second in three-point shooting percentage (.384).

Point guard Stephen Curry is averaging 23.2 points, 7.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game in just 32.8 minutes per game. Curry played 38.2 and 36.5 minutes per game in each of the past two seasons so Curry's scoring and assists numbers are down slightly year over year.

On a per-36 basis, however, Curry is averaging a career-high 25.5 points, 8.5 assists and 2.1 steals. In addition, Curry is once again converting on more than 40 percent of his three-point attempts and is making at least two per game.

Assuming that Curry maintains that pace, it will mark the sixth consecutive season he has done so to start his career. To put that into perspective, only two other players in the history of the NBA have six such seasons: Ray Allen (seven) and Reggie Miller (six).

Pistons on 12-game losing streak, giving Sixers run for their money No. 1 pick

While the Pistons have won more recently (Friday, November 14th) than the Warriors last lost, Detroit is on a 12-game losing streak, the longest active losing streak.

One of their recent losses was to the Sixers in overtime on Saturday. In fact, the Sixers have now won two of their past three games and the Pistons now only have one more win than the Sixers.

Detroit has really struggled to score as they average just 93.1 points per game, third-worst in the league, and they rank last in the league in FG percentage (40.7 percent) and second worst in FT percentage (68.9 percent).

As bad as Detroit has been, there is a strong chance that they could lose their next six games as well.

The Pistons host the Blazers on Tuesday, then they head on the road to face the Suns, Kings and Clippers before returning home to host the Mavericks and Raptors. Perhaps the Kings still won't have DeMarcus Cousins back for their matchup on Saturday, but the Pistons should be underdogs in all six of those games.

Cavs turning things around

After a 5-7 start, the Cavaliers have won their past six games. Some of those matchups were against poor teams, but wins are wins and two of those wins were over the Wizards and Raptors.

During their six-game winning streak, the Cavs have scored 100-plus points in all but one game and held their opponents to less than 100 points in all but one game.

Meanwhile, LeBron James is averaging 24.3 points, 10.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during that six-game span. James has double-digit assists in three consecutive games and in five of his past seven games.

With Kevin Durant returning last week, fans will get treated to a KD-versus-LeBron matchup later this week.

Here are my Week 7 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 17-2, Last Week 2)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 16-4, Last Week 1)
3. San Antonio Spurs (Record 15-5, Last Week 3)
4. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 16-4, Last Week 4)
5. Houston Rockets (Record 16-4, Last Week 5)
6. Toronto Raptors (Record 15-5, Last Week 6)
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 11-7, Last Week 11)
8. Dallas Mavericks (Record 16-6, Last Week 7)
9. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 14-5, Last Week 9)
10. Washington Wizards (Record 13-6, Last Week 10)
11. Chicago Bulls (Record 12-8, Last Week 8)
12. Atlanta Hawks (Record 13-6, Last Week 15)
13. Phoenix Suns (Record 12-9, Last Week 12)
14. Sacramento Kings (Record 10-10, Last Week 13)
15. Miami Heat (Record 9-11, Last Week 14)
16. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 7-13, Last Week 19)
17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 11-11, Last Week 17)
18. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 9-10, Last Week 18)
19. Denver Nuggets (Record 9-11, Last Week 16)
20. Brooklyn Nets (Record 8-10, Last Week 21)
21. Boston Celtics (Record 7-11, Last Week 24)
22. Orlando Magic (Record 9-14, Last Week 22)
23. Indiana Pacers (Record 7-13, Last Week 20)
24. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 5-16, Last Week 28)
25. Charlotte Hornets (Record 5-15, Last Week 26)
26. Utah Jazz (Record 5-15, Last Week 23)
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 4-15, Last Week 25)
28. New York Knicks (Record 4-18, Last Week 27)
29. Detroit Pistons (Record 3-18, Last Week 29)
30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 2-18, Last Week 30)

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Kevin Durant to make season debut on Tuesday

One game after Russell Westbrook returned from his multi-week hand injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder will get back Kevin Durant for tonight's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The initial timetable for Durant was six to eight weeks and he's returning in the early part of that range so naturally he'll be on a minutes restriction in his debut -- and probably for his first few games.

Per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman, Durant's minutes will be limited to "around 30 minutes" for tonight's game.

Winning the league's scoring title in four of the past five seasons, Durant averaged a career-high 32.0 points per game last season with 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He was only the fourth player in league history to average 32/7/5 and the other three were Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Elgin Baylor.

Durant should obviously be started in all seasonal leagues, but I'd probably fade him in daily fantasy leagues given the minutes restriction and expected rust and conditioning levels in his first game back.

Only LeBron James ($11,600) and Anthony Davis ($11,500) are priced higher than Durant ($11,400) on DraftKings. Davis ($11,600), James ($10,800) and DeMarcus Cousins ($10,400) are the only players priced higher on FanDuel than the Durant ($10,000).

With Westbrook and Durant back, the Thunder are currently 4.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: Week 6

When healthy, the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the few elite teams in the NBA.

Although they are only 5-12 through the first 17 games after winning back-to-back games, they are getting healthy as Russell Westbrook returned from his multi-week hand injury to drop 32 points in just 24 minutes and he added eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal.



Not only has Westbrook returned, but Kevin Durant, the NBA's reigning MVP, is on the verge of returning from his foot injury. Durant is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game, but he's likely to return at some point within the next week if he doesn't return on Tuesday.

Based on odds from Sportsbook.ag, only four teams have better odds to win the NBA Championship than the Thunder (12/1): Cavs (3/1), Spurs (9/2), Warriors (13/2) and Bulls (10/1).

Here are my Week 6 NBA Power Rankings:

1. Memphis Grizzlies (Record: 15-2, Last Week: 1): In the final year of his existing contract, Marc Gasol is having a career-best season (20.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game). Gasol is the only player in the league averaging a 20/8/3/1/1 line this season.

2. Golden State Warriors (Record: 14-2, Last Week: 2): The Warriors have the league's longest active winning streak (nine games).

3. San Antonio Spurs (Record: 12-4, Last Week: 5): The Spurs have won seven games in a row and that streak began against the Sixers, who is also their Monday night opponent. With games in back-to-back nights, we'll likely see a lot of Matt Bonner, who led them in scoring vs. Philly on Nov. 17th, and very little, if any, of Tim Duncan and usual starters tonight.

4. Portland Trail Blazers (Record: 13-4, Last Week: 6): The Blazers currently rank in the top six in the NBA in scoring (104.2 PPG), rebounding (48.1 RPG), assists (24.0 APG) as well as defense (96.2 PPG allowed).

5. Houston Rockets (Record: 13-4, Last Week: 3): With Dwight Howard (and others) sidelined, James Harden continues to put up dominant stat-stuffing numbers. Harden is averaging 28.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.4 blocks over his past five games.

6. Toronto Raptors (Record: 13-4, Last Week: 4): After tearing his adductor longus tendon, DeMar DeRozan hopes to return in four weeks. Stepping into the starting lineup, Greivis Vasquez scored 19 points with five assists, but the Raptors have now lost back-to-back games.

7. Dallas Mavericks (Record: 13-5, Last Week: 9): Even though Dirk Nowitzki is playing just 28.6 minutes per game, the fewest since his rookie season, Nowitzki is averaging 24.4 points per 36 minutes, which is his most since the 2008-09 season (24.7).

8. Chicago Bulls (Record: 11-6, Last Week: 8): In the games that Derrick Rose has played at least 20 minutes, the Bulls are 7-1. In the games he hasn't, they are 4-5.

9. Los Angeles Clippers (Record: 11-5, Last Week: 11): Even with DeAndre Jordan (11.6 RPG) and Blake Griffin (7.5 RPG), the Clippers have been one of the worst rebounding teams in the league this season. Only the Heat (36.9/G) average fewer rebounds per game than the Clippers (37.9/G). Only the Sixers (-5.7/G) and Heat (-3.7/G) are worse in terms of rebounding differential.

10. Washington Wizards (Record: 10-5, Last Week: 7): Marcin Gortat had his best game of the season against the Pelicans on Saturday night. The Polish Hammer finished with a season-high 24 points and 13 rebounds, which ties a season high. It was his third double-double in the past four games.

11. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record: 8-7, Last Week: 14): Last year, Kevin Love led the NBA in 20/10 games (50). DeMarcus Cousins was second with 40 of them. While Love certainly won't get 50 of them this year, he did get his third 20/10 game of the season on Saturday with a season-high 28 points and 10 boards.

12. Phoenix Suns (Record: 10-8, Last Week: 10): In his four games last week, Markieff Morris averaged 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, but the Suns dropped three of those four games.

13. Sacramento Kings (Record: 9-8, Last Week: 12): DeMarcus Cousins has missed back-to-back games, but he has an active streak of five games with 22-plus points and 12-plus rebounds. Since the 2011-12 season, there have been only two longer streaks: Kevin Love (seven games) and LaMarcus Aldridge (six).

14. Miami Heat (Record: 9-7, Last Week: 13): After a seven-game absence, Dwyane Wade returned to score a season-high 27 points in the win over the Knicks. Wade now has scored 20-plus points in five consecutive games (that he has played), which ties his longest such streak of last season.

15. Atlanta Hawks (Record: 9-6, Last Week: 16): Paul Millsap is currently tied with John Wall for the league lead in steals per game (2.33) and only Anthony Davis has more games with at least 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals this season.

16. Denver Nuggets (Record: 8-8, Last Week: 18): Ty Lawson has seven double-doubles in his past nine games and he was just one assist shy of double-doubles in the other two games during that span.

17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record: 10-8, Last Week: 17): Rookie Jabari Parker had his best week of his young career. In his four games played last week, Parker averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

18. New Orleans Pelicans (Record: 7-8, Last Week: 15): Getting more minutes (averaging 27/G over past four games), Austin Rivers has been really shooting the ball poorly since scoring 17 points on Nov. 17th. In his past seven games, Rivers has made just eight of 41 shot attempts (19.5 percent).

19. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record: 5-12, Last Week: 25): As noted above, the Thunder are finally getting (close to) healthy and while they may be fighting an uphill battle after their slow start, they are still one of the favorites to win it all.

20. Indiana Pacers (Record: 7-10, Last Week: 19): With the exception of perhaps the Thunder, no team has been as devastated by injuries as the Pacers, but they have at least one key player back. In his two games back, David West averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game and should eventually see his minutes increase.

21. Brooklyn Nets (Record: 6-9, Last Week: 20): All six of Brooklyn's wins this season have come against teams with a losing record. Seven of their opponents thus far currently have a winning record and the Nets have lost all seven of those matchups.

22. Orlando Magic (Record: 7-12, Last Week: 22): Only the Kings have a worse turnover differential than the Magic and only the Rockets, Kings and Sixers have a lower assist-to-turnover ratio than Orlando. Rookie Elfrid Payton leads the team in assists with 4.9 per game.

23. Utah Jazz (Record: 5-12, Last Week: 21): One of the things the Jazz have done well is keep opponents off the free-throw line. Only the Hornets (.233) have a lower opponent's free-throw attempt rate than the Jazz (.236).

24. Boston Celtics (Record: 4-10, Last Week: 23): Since the 2010-11 season, no player has more triple-doubles than Rajon Rondo (16); LeBron James is second (nine). In his nine games since his triple-double this season, however, Rondo has only two double-doubles including none in the past five games.

25. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record: 4-11, Last Week: 28): Mo Williams has three consecutive double-doubles and has averaged 19.0 points and 11.3 assists during that span.

26. Charlotte Hornets (Record: 4-14, Last Week: 24): With a winning record (.524) last year and only their second playoff appearance in the previous 10 seasons, expectations were high for the Hornets. Unfortunately, their 4-14 (.222) start is much more similar (at least so far) to the very lean years of 2011-12 (7-59, .106) and 2012-13 (21-61, .256).

27. New York Knicks (Record: 4-14, Last Week: 26): Missing two games, Carmelo Anthony returned to score 31 points (11-of-26 shooting) with eight rebounds, but the Knicks lost their fourth consecutive game and now 13th out of their past 15 games.

28. Los Angeles Lakers (Record: 4-13, Last Week: 29): With his triple-double against the Raptors Sunday night, Kobe Bryant became the oldest player to ever record a 30/10/10 triple-double.

29. Detroit Pistons (Record: 3-14, Last Week: 27): The Pistons currently rank last in the NBA in points per shot (1.10) and only the Sixers (66.9 percent) are shooting worse at the free-throw line the Pistons (67.5 percent). No other team in the league is shooting below 70 percent from the line.

30. Philadelphia 76ers (Record: 0-16, Last Week: 30): Rookie K.J. McDaniels has played 30-plus minutes in back-to-back games and the extremely athletic rookie followed up a game of 18 points and six boards with a 21/13 double-double and nine of those boards were offensive rebounds.

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