The Toronto Raptors have really heated up over the past couple of weeks and it’s no surprise that their best two players have been a big part of the club matching a franchise-record with nine consecutive wins. One of those players is already an All-Star in Kyle Lowry while the other has certainly made his case for a spot in that showcase in front of the home fans with his outstanding play of late in DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors are back in action on Thursday night when they host the New York Knicks but keep in mind that Lowry is questionable after getting hurt late in the team’s previous contest. That’s why anybody playing in NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues should strongly consider having DeRozan on their roster. Here is some important NBA daily fantasy advice to consider for Thursday’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Denver Nuggets
Denver has played .500 basketball over its past 10 games but they have struggled defensively for the most part this season, giving up an average of 103.8 points per game to rank 23rd in the NBA in scoring defense. The Nuggets were forced to travel across the country to the east coast for their current road trip and they will have to play the Washington Wizards on short rest on Thursday after squaring off with the Boston Celtics the night before. Isaiah Thomas has performed at an absolutely elite fantasy level over the past month of action and is worth using in an effort to target the Denver defense but if you can’t afford him then you might want to consider adding either Avery Bradley or Evan Turner as strong sleeper value plays.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
DeRozan has made a case for himself as an All-Star with a ridiculous 25.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 three-point shots per game over the last seven days as one of the hottest players in the NBA right now. The Knicks have ranked in the middle of the pack defensively this season but this should be another favorable matchup for Toronto so it’s worth banking on DeRozan to put together another strong NBA daily fantasy stat line on Thursday night.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… D’Angelo Russell, Kent Bazemore
The Los Angeles Lakers have a number of players that are banged up right now including Lou Williams, Julius Randle and Kobe Bryant, and that has really opened up more opportunities for rookie first-round pick D’Angelo Russell. Russell has taken advantage of the situation by averaging a team-high 16.3 points along with 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the last week of action and he should be in for another productive night when the Lakers host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. He has played 25 minutes or more in six of his last seven outings.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have given Kent Bazemore every opportunity to showcase his skill set this season and he has rewarded their faith in him with some absolutely outstanding numbers of late. Bazemore has averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 three-point shots per game over the last week of action and he should be in line for another strong performance when the Hawks visit the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: SAC @ NO
The Kings and Pelicans both rank in the top-10 in the NBA in scoring on offense as well as in the bottom five in the NBA in scoring defense so this should be the perfect matchup to take advantage of in terms of projecting the highest scoring game o the night. Sacramento and New Orleans are giving up a combined average of 212.9 points per game this season and both teams should score plenty of points in this one. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are the obvious superstar players for their respective teams but if you can’t afford them then it will be worth turning to Omri Casspi for the Kings and Jrue Holiday for the Pelicans as strong value options for Thursday night’s NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues.
