Nobody would have predicted that the Washington Wizards would be on the outside looking in to the Eastern Conference playoff picture through 30 games but that is exactly where they stand heading in to Thursday’s NBA action. They have a subpar 14-15 record and head coach Randy Wittman is – for a second year in a row – on the hot seat. The Wizards will look to claw their way back on to the right side of the .500 mark when they host the Orlando Magic as one of six games on the slate for Thursday night. Here is a look at some important NBA daily fantasy advice to consider for Thursday night’s games.
Weak Defense To Target: Los Angeles Lakers
There won’t be many games this season in which the Philadelphia 76ers are actually worth betting on to win but one of their two wins this year came against the Los Angeles Lakers. The rematch could result in another victory. Jahlil Okafor is dealing with a nagging injury, so he’s probably not a great investment in terms of fantasy, but Ish Smith has been absolutely on fire for the 76ers over the last couple of weeks. He’s played three games in Philadelphia since being acquired by the 76ers and he’s played at least 31 minutes in each contest. In terms of his averages, he’s giving you 18 points per game along with 8.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks and 3.3 made free throws per game. He’s a very under-the-radar player in daily fantasy who comes in at a great price with a great matchup in this spot. Meanwhile Nerlens Noel and Isaiah Canaan are also worth considering for your Daily Fantasy League roster on Thursday night.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Chris Bosh
The Miami Heat have dropped back-to-back games but they still sit eighth in the Eastern Conference standings and they have played their best basketball at home where they are 13-7 on the season. Chris Bosh has been absolutely on fire over the last couple of weeks including over the past seven days in which he has averaged 25.0 points, 9.3 rebounds,3.3 three-point shots, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Bosh should be in line for another strong performance against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night so it makes sense to plug him in as a reasonably priced superstar that you can build your lineup around.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For…. Marcin Gortat, JJ Barea
The Wizards will need more out of Gortat with Nene sidelined because of injury and he has certainly delivered of late with some solid fantasy numbers over the past week of action. Gortat has averaged 16.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over the last seven days and there is every reason to think he will deliver when Washington looks to get back on track against Orlando on Thursday.
Meanwhile, an injury to Mavericks point guard Deron Williams opened the door for Barea to play big minutes as a starter and he has certainly delivered with some impressive statistics including in particularly over this past week. Barea has averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 assists and 4.3 three-point shots per game over the last seven days and should be in for another strong game against the Bulls on Thursday night.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: CHA @ TOR
The Charlotte Hornets have climbed to 11th in the NBA in points per game this season thanks in big part to the strong play of Jeremy Lin and youngsters Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller and they should provide a tough challenge for the Toronto Raptors in a game that has the potential to be the highest scoring matchup for Thursday night’s slate. DeMar DeRozan has been on fire for the Raptors of late but it’s also worth considering depth options like Luis Scola and Terrence Ross if you don’t have enough money to spend big on Toronto’s leading scorer this season.
