The fact that there are a couple of NBA franchises that on the surface actually appear more satisfied with losing than winning. The allure of the top picks in the 2016 NBA Draft have the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers at a combined 19 wins this season and there is no reason to expect that total to rise on Friday night. Here is some important NBA fantasy advice to keep in mind for Friday’s action.
Weak Defense To Target: Philadelphia 76ers
It makes a lot of sense to target a 76ers’ defense that ranks 26th in the NBA with an average of 106.5 points allowed per game this season – especially when they have absolutely no urgency to turn things around. Philadelphia is set to host the Washington Wizards on Friday night and they’ve been playing well at the offensive end of late. They’ve scored 109 and 104 in their last two games. That combination should mean plenty of scoring for the visiting side. John Wall is the obvious fantasy star that continues to light it up on a nightly basis for Washington, but he isn’t the only option worth taking a chance on from their roster. Marcin Gortat has averaged 16.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game over the last week of action and should have no problem at least matching those averages against the 76ers.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Sacramento has played .500 basketball over the last couple of weeks, but they wouldn’t have fared nearly as well over that span if it wasn’t for the play of Cousins. The All-Star center has been absolutelyand he is arguably the best option as a superstar to build your lineup around on Friday night. Cousins has averaged 32.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 assists, 1.7 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the last seven days. He’s played three games against the Clippers this season and he’s averaged 21.3 points per game along with 11.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 blocks, 1.7 threes and five free throws made per contest. While the scoring is a bit low, the stats across the board – including the 1.7 threes – are quite impressive. He should produce another outstanding fantasy stat line on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Lance Stephenson, E’twaun Moore
Lance Stephenson will return to the Staples Center when the Memphis Grizzlies visit the Lakers on Friday night so there is every reason to expect his quality production to continue. Stephenson has averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game since being traded to Memphis and could be a decent value option with the potential to put up some solid numbers against Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Jimmy, butler’s injury has opened the door for E’twaun Moore to log some solid minutes for the Chicago Bulls and he has rewarded them with some strong production. Moore scored a career-high 24 points against the Lakers on Sunday and has averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 three-point shots per game over the last week of action. Moore will see decent minutes again versus the Atlanta Hawks on Friday so consider him another strong value pick.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: CLE @ TOR
The Clippers and Kings could very easily produce the highest scoring game of the night, but we like the matchup between the top teams in the Eastern Conference to take that honor instead with the Cleveland Cavaliers set to visit the Toronto Raptors. LeBron James might be a little too expensive to fit in most lineups, but JR Smith certainly appears to be a good alternative as a value play. Smith has averaged 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 three-point shots and 1.8 assists per game over the last week of action and should stay hot against Toronto. Meanwhile, the All-Star tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry continues to lead the way for the Raptors, but it’s Cory Joseph who has been the sneaky value option. Joseph has averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 three-point shots per game over the past seven days and considering his price tag it makes a lot of sense to ride the hot hand.
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