The NBA will follow up an extremely busy night that included 22 teams in action on Wednesday with a much lighter slate on Thursday. There will be only four games on the schedule but there will be a couple of nationally televised games thanks to the TNT doubleheaders. That will mean fewer options to choose from when it comes to NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues. More importantly, it will mean less room for error when it comes to building the ideal fantasy lineup. Here is some important fantasy advice to consider for Thursday’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Houston Rockets
The Phoenix Suns have been an absolute mess since December and there is no reason to expect their slide down the Western Conference standings to slow down anytime soon. However, they are still averaging 100.5 points per game this season and now they should be able to put up some decent scoring totals against one of the NBA’s worst defenses on Thursday night. Houston has allowed an average of 106.5 points per game this season to rank 29th in the NBA in scoring defense and they have posted a 10-13 record as the visiting team this season. It makes sense to target them with reasonably priced players from the Suns. Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and T.J. Warren are all injured for Phoenix, so take a long look at Devin Booker as an excellent value option. Booker has averaged 20.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 three-point shots per game over the last week of action and should put up an excellent fantasy stat line versus Houston. The head coaching switch from Jeff Hornacek to Earl Watson has really benefited him as Watson believes he’s got a superstar in the making with Booker and is going to feed him as much playing time as he can handle.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
There is no denying that McCollum has been one of the most surprising players in the NBA this season. He has been particularly hot of late for Portland, averaging 22.7 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 three-point shots per game over the last week of action. He should be able to stay hot with the visiting Toronto Raptors in town on Thursday so look at him as a strong value option to target in NBA daily fantasy. Toronto is a quality Eastern Conference team but their defense can be spotty on the road.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Al-Farouq Aminu, Sasha Vujacic
McCollum isn’t the only player from the Trail Blazers worth targeting right now as Aminu has been excellent of late and should continue to produce as long as he is averaging upwards of 30 minutes per game. Aminu has averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.7 three-point shots and 1.3 assists per game over the last week of action and he should be a strong sleeper option on light night on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have given Sasha Vujacic just over 20 minutes per game over the last week of action and he has made the most out of the opportunity with some decent numbers. Vujacic has averaged 11.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game so he should be a deep sleeper option for Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. If you are looking for an inexpensive player that has the potential to put up some decent numbers, he’s the guy to fill out that final spot on your roster for NBA daily fantasy.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: LAL @ NO
The New Orleans Pelicans continue to claw their way up the Western Conference standings towards a playoff spot but one of their biggest issues has been their defensive play as they rank 25th in the NBA in points per game allowed this season. They should be able to beat up on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night but look for it to be a high scoring game. Anthony Davis is the obvious superstar player to target from the Pelicans while Norris Cole is a decent value option as well. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant has scored 61 points combined over his last two games and it makes sense to target the Mamba while he is hot.
