After a busy night in the association on Friday, the NBA returns with an absolutely loaded slate for Saturday night with nine games on the schedule including the Golden State Warriors matched up against the Milwaukee Bucks. Here is some important fantasy advice to consider for Saturday night’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn is coming off back-to-back wins but the Houston Rockets have been an absolute mess on the road early on this season and the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t exactly NBA title contenders. It’s important not to overreact to those two victories heading into what should be a much tougher test against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. The Nets are tied for 19th in the NBA with an average of 102.4 points allowed per game this season and they are even worse at home (22nd). Brooklyn has given up at least 105 points in three of their last four, so they should be worth targeting by adding players such as Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and even DeAndre Jordan to your lineup for DFS.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Paul George, Indiana Pacers
George entered Friday night’s game against the Miami Heat averaging a ridiculous 40.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 6.5 three-point shots per game over the past week of action. That includes the career-high 48 points he put against the Utah Jazz. George has been an absolute beast for Indiana as of late and on top of his outstanding point totals, it’s his ability to stuff the stat sheet across the board that has made him so good. The Pacers will travel to Detroit to face the Pistons on Saturday and that is a good enough matchup to have him in your lineup.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For…. Brandon Rush, Lou Williams
It’s not a name that often comes up in fantasy basketball leagues this season but the Golden State Warriors have been hit hard by the injury bug. That makes Brandon Rush worth taking a chance on in Daily Fantasy Leagues for anybody that needs a value bargain play that could play at a higher level than his price tag. Klay Thompson missed Friday’s game and with Golden State playing its second game in as many nights on Saturday against the Bucks, it’s likely he’s out again, creating an opening for Rush. Also, Leandro Barbosa and Harrison Barnes are hurt too, so there is a good chance Rush steps up again the way he did when he scored 13 points with three rebounds, one assist and one block in Tuesday’s win over the Indiana Pacers.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to visit the Houston Rockets and while they don’t stand much of a chance on the road against a suddenly desperate team led by James Harden, there is something to be said about the play of Lou Williams of late. He has been handed more opportunity by the team as the Lakers are stumbling and continue to make changes to their backcourt. Williams has averaged 18.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.8 threes per game over the past week of action and should be in for another strong fantasy performance versus Houston team that gives up 107.2 points per game at home.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: BOS @ CHA
There are plenty of options for the highest scoring game of the night but one that may be overlooked to an extent is the matchup between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets as both teams rank in the top 10 in points per game. Both have the potential to do some serious damage matched up against one another. Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk are all solid and reasonably priced options for the Celtics while Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller are available at a decent price for Charlotte in a game that should be pretty high scoring despite flying under the radar somewhat for Saturday night’s NBA action.
