With only three games on the schedule for Thursday night in the NBA the room for error is extremely slim when it comes to building the optimal lineup for NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues. Here is some important NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Thursday advice to consider for Thursday night’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Los Angeles Lakers
The Houston Rockets struggled out of the gate this season but they have started to turn things around with seven wins in their past 11 games. They should be a lock-in for another victory when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night as the betting odds show them as a six-point favorite. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have fewer wins than the Lakers so far this season and a big part of that is the fact that Los Angeles ranks 28th in the NBA in opponent points per game. They are allowing an average of 107.3 points allowed per game on the season, but that number has climbed to 111 over their last six games. The Rockets have plenty of firepower, so look for James Harden to lead the way with Dwight Howard also a strong option in his return to Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
A lot has been made about the numbers put up by Harden, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant recently, but the one guy who still doesn’t get the respect he deserves in fantasy circles is LeBron, who has been on fire of late. LeBron has averaged a ridiculous 29.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game over the last week of action and he will need to be at his best against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that can put up points in bunches. A lot of people look past LeBron when it comes to daily fantasy because his price tag is astronomical. Many times, it’s not worth it to blow the bank on one player like that, but given the way James is playing these days and given the match-up, he is an excellent option to build around on Thursday night.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For…. Luis Scola, Cody Zeller
The Toronto Raptors will be without DeMarre Carroll once again on Thursday night and that means Luis Scola will continue to pick up the slack. He’s a decent bargain option in NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues. Scola has averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals over the past week of action and as long as he’s getting minutes, he’s going to be a reasonable fantasy play. He’s played at least 27 minutes in three of his last four games, so that makes him a solid option.
Meanwhile, Cody Zeller has stepped up to fill the void left by the injured Al Jefferson, and he should be in for a strong performance matched up against Scola and the Raptors. Zeller has averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 block per game over the past week of action, the numbers are actually dragged down by a two-point effort against the Memphis Grizzlies when Zeller battled foul trouble. He’s scored 11 or more points in four of his last six while averaging a steal per game. He is worth taking a chance on as a decent value bargain play for Thursday night’s light schedule.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: OKC @ CLE
The Cavaliers are currently just outside the top-10 in NBA scoring, but they will need to be at their best with the Thunder bringing their second-ranked scoring offense to town on Thursday night. Cleveland and Oklahoma City can put up points in bunches and should be able to edge out the Rockets and Lakers for the highest-scoring game of the night. Iman Shumpert has played at a high level since making his season debut for Cleveland and is worth considering in Daily Fantasy Leagues while Enes Kanter might be worth taking a shot on if you can’t afford either Durant or Russell Westbrook.
