NBA Picks Monday

Overall 8-2 (Scores from Saturday Night's Games)

The name of the game today is “injury replacements”:

F-1 Daniel Orton: With Big Baby doubtful for tonight, Orton will likely start at center for the playoff bound Magic.  In Davis’s absence, Orton had an impressive stat line: 11 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 1 assist.  He is facing the best defense in the league, 76er’s, but valued at just over 5K, he is an absolute must play.  Expect 4.0 his value for tonight. 

F-2: Dorell Wright: With David Lee ruled out for the rest of the year, Wright will start at forward in his place.  In his first start Saturday against “Lob City,” Wright scored 23 points and chipped in 7 boards in 41 minutes of action. We expect a similar stat line tonight against the Spurs.

F-2 Michael Beasley/Anthony Randolph: Both T-Wolves’ forwards are seeing big minutes off the bench since Love has been out. Even thought they do not start, they see more than double the amount of minutes the starting forwards see.  Beasley is averaging 31 fantasy points in the last 2 games, and Randolph is averaging 37 fantasy points over the last 3 games.

Other Forwards to consider: J.J. Hickson (no Felton, Batum, or Aldridge for tonight), Josh Smith (a must win tonight for the Hawks and Zaza is out), Ivan Johnson (Zaza is out giving Ivan more minutes of action), Luke Babbitt (Batum’s replacement for tonight)

G-1: Klay Thompson/Nate Robinson: We understand these guys are extremely streaky, but now with David Lee out for good, both these guys production is “through the roof.”  On Saturday, Thompson played in 42 minutes scoring 24 points on 17 shots.  Robinson played in 36 minutes of actions off the bench scoring 28 points with 8 assists and 5 rebounds.  Not only is Robinson thriving off of the Lee injury with more shots to go around, he has scored in double figures in 5 straight games now.  Look for both Thompson and Robinson to easily put up 25+ fantasy points each tonight against the Spurs.

G-2: Jameer Nelson: With Howard indefinitely out, and Big Baby doubtful for tonight, Nelson becomes a must play at just over 10K.  Last game when Davis left the game with the knee injury, Nelson fell just short of a triple-double which led to 35 fantasy points.  Look for 30+ again tonight as Nelson must take on a larger role with the recent injuries.

G-3: Jamal Crawford/Jonny Flynn: With Felton possibly done for the season, Crawford takes over the starting point guard role, and Flynn (just over 5K) will see a nice increase in minutes off the bench.  Portland has been severely bitten by the injury bug of late, and Crawford has shown glimpses of why he still has the ability to take over games.  Crawford had the night off in Sacramento yesterday, but in his last 3 games he has averaged 34.5 fantasy points.

Other guards to consider: DeMar DeRozan (no Calderon tonight), George Hill (if Collison is out), J.J. Barea, Greivis Vasquez.

C-1 Roy Hibbert: Hibbert has been nothing short of spectacular of late.  He has posted a double-double in 3 straight games, and has averaged 42 points over that span.  This trend should continue as Hibbert will be able to feast on a T-Wolves defense tonight that does not have Kevin Love.

C-2 Marcin Gortat: Quietly, Gortat is having a solid season for the Suns.  Gortat has averaged 30 fantasy points over the last 12 games, and has averaged 15.8 PPG, and 9.8 RPG this season.  Tonight he must be in your lineup as the Suns take on a depleted Trail Blazers team who have Aldridge, Batum, and Felton out for tonight.

C-3 Nikola Pekovic: Since Love has been out, Pekovic has averaged 24.5 fantasy points per game.  In addition, Pekovic has been pulling down more rebounds since Love’s injury.

Other Centers to consider: Joakim Noah, Spencer Hawes.

OSF’s Lineup:

F: Daniel Orton

F: Luke Babbitt

G: Jameer Nelson

G: Russell Westbrook

C: Roy Hibbert

C: Marcin Gortat

U: Josh Smith

U: Blake Griffin

Total: $99,091

Snake Draft:

1.     Kevin Durant

2.     Chris Paul

3.     Russell Westbrook

4.     LeBron James

5.     Josh Smith

6.     Blake Griffin

7.     Dirk Nowitzki

8.     Kris Humphries

9.     Dwayne Wade

10.  Al Jefferson

Value Picks for each NBA team:

Hawks: Ivan Johnson

Bobcats: D.J. White

Bulls: Kyle Korver

Mavs: Dirk Nowitzki

Nuggets: Kenneth Faried

Warriors: Dorell Wright

Rockets: Goran Dragic

Pacers: Roy Hibbert

Clippers: Randy Foye

Heat: Chris Bosh

T-Wolves: Anthony Randolph

Nets: Jordan Williams

Hornets: Greivis Vasquez

Thunder: Russell Westbrook

Magic: Daniel Orton

76er’s: Jodie Meeks

Suns: Marcin Gortat

Trail Blazers: Luke Babbitt

Spurs: Gary Neal

Raptors: Ben Uzoh

Jazz: Derrick Favors

Wizards: Kevin Seraphin