The Golden State Warriors escaped some close calls to improve to 22-0 over the weekend but there is no doubt that a seven-game road trip is testing their mettle. Every opponent is throwing their best punch at them and it’s taken its toll on them to this point. The Warriors will look to extend their record start to 23 straight wins when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night as one of seven games on the schedule. Here is a look at some important fantasy advice to consider for Tuesday’s Daily Fantasy Leagues.
Weak Defense To Target: Houston Rockets
Nobody expected Houston would be under .500 through its first 21 games of the season but the Rockets have won three straight following an absolutely terrible start and they can get back to .500 with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. A lack of chemistry has been part of the problem but the biggest issue has been a defense that ranks 29th in the NBA in points allowed. Seven of their last eight opponents have topped the 100-point mark.
Brooklyn might not be the Rockets but they should put up some points against them with Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Joe Johnson among the fantasy options worth considering.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
Utah has won three of its last five and while it will remain a struggle for them to climb in to the playoff hunt in the loaded Western Conference race, they are playing some good basketball right now including Favors, who has been absolutely on fire. Favors is coming off an incredible 35-point effort where he also added 13 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 44 minutes of action. He has averaged 23.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game over the past week and there is every reason to expect him to stay hot against a Sacramento Kings defense that ranks 30th in the NBA.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For…Matthew Dellavedova, Allen Crabbe
Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard Matthew Dellavedova was a brief sensation in last year’s playoffs and while he came crashing down to earth in a hurry, he has played better of late. He has been rewarded for his strong play with increased minutes and thus has become fantasy relevant again. Dellavedova has averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the last week. There are minutes for him to play because Iman Shumpert is still out. Considering his numbers of late are better than Mo Williams, who is banged up a little bit, he is definitely worth considering as a bargain sleeper play in Daily Fantasy Leagues for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the revolving door of openings in Portland continued this past week with Allen Crabbe stepping up big time for the Trail Blazers. He is another deep sleeper pick worth taking a shot on. Crabbe has averaged 13.0 points and 2.3 three-point shots per game over the last week of action. He has mostly been an inconspicuous player this season but he’s seen a bump in his minutes this month and thus a bump in productivity. He’s up to 27.7 minutes so far in December and has scored in double figures in each game. He doesn’t provide a lot across the board but he can give you threes (2.7 per game). He could be the perfect FLEX play for those that like to spend the bulk of their cash on superstar players.
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Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: GS @ IND
Golden State’s 115.1 points per game this season is 7.4 points more per game than the Oklahoma City Thunder for the most in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers rank fifth in the NBA with 103.3 points per game, so there is every reason to expect some fireworks on Tuesday night. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are all obvious fantasy options for the Warriors but it might be worth considering Rodney Stuckey and CJ Miles as two players that have been hot of late for the Pacers.
