The NBA regular season will be relatively quiet on January 22 as it will only field four games. But these match-ups could give a strong boost to daily fantasy league especially in choosing the right players.
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves: All About Rubio's Trade
Denver and Minnesota are division rivalries in the Northwest and they face off this Sunday with a big question mark on the Timberwolves. Specifically, it all boils down to the possible actions of the Timberwolves' back office: will they pull the trigger on Ricky Rubio?
Rubio is not playing against Denver due to injury but the team will certainly feel some changes if he's not coming back. According to NBA's official report, Minnesota is interested in trading Rubio with Detroit for Reggie Jackson. Rubio's possible trade could linger with the team and his presence will be felt with Denver because he produced 18 points the last time he played against their division rival.
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks: Stopping Barnes and Nowitzki
The Los Angeles Lakers will bring their young team against the struggling Dallas. Although Lakers have a better record against Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki and the gang have home court advantage. The game is going to be an extra challenge for Lakers because the home court scoring of Nowitzki is a lot better than on the road and even better when he gets a day of rest (14 ppg).
But Nowitzki is not their biggest problem: Harrison Barnes is on a breakout year after being traded by Golden State Warriors. Barnes is currently averaging 20.5 ppg according to Yahoo Sports stats and he is currently the first scoring option for the Mavericks. Nick Young and rookie Brandon Ingram should have a big defensive game if they want to win against Mavericks because they will most likely guard Barnes.
