The NBA returns on Thursday with six teams in action. Even with a relatively light slate, there will be a ton of money up for grabs in daily NBA Fantasy leagues. The limited teams to choose from will make it that much more important to hit on every selection in Daily Fantasy Leagues and that means once again finding the perfect balance between superstar talent and value sleeper plays. Here is some important fantasy advice to keep in mind for Thursday night’s NBA fantasy action.
Weak Defense To Target: Washington Wizards
The Wizards rank 26th in the NBA in points per game allowed this season and it is a big reason why they are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture looking in right now. There has been a lot of talk about Washington playing better defense the rest of the way, but until it happens, it makes sense to bet against them. Whatever system head coach Randy Wittman has put in place, clearly the team isn’t sticking with it.
On Thursday, they’ll host the Jazz, who are fighting for position in the Western Conference playoff race. They had won eight of their previous 10 games heading in to the All-Star break. Gordon Hayward is an obvious option from Utah, but another player worth consideration is Rodney Hood, who averaged 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 three-point shots for the Jazz over the final couple of games before the break.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland will look to step up the urgency in the second half beginning with an intriguing matchup against the Chicago Bulls coming out of the break. LeBron was on fire heading in to the All-Star weekend and with Jimmy Butler out for Chicago, there is no reason to expect him to slow down. James averaged 26.8 points, 8.3 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 three-point shots per game over the final week before the break and he should be refreshed coming out of it. The key for him is simply the minutes. He had played around 25 minutes per game through the first four months of the season but his averages have shot up in February. This month he’s averaging 34.8 minutes per contest. With the added opportunity, he’s piling up more numbers in the box score. He should be able to at least match those recent averages for NBA fantasy purposes in Thursday night’s game against the Bulls.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Jamal Crawford, Patty Mills
The Los Angeles Clippers have played their best basketball since Blake Griffin went down thanks in big part to the play of their role players including Jamal Crawford. Crawford has averaged 20.4 points, 3.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the final two weeks before the All-Star break. It only makes sense to ride the hot hand as the Clippers will need Crawford at his best when they host the San Antonio Spurs.
Meanwhile, on the flip side of the ball the Spurs will continue to give Patty Mills decent minutes even if Tony Parker plays as the latter is listed as day-to-day. Mills averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 three-point shots in just 21.0 minutes per game over the final seven days before the break and he should pick up from right where he left off against the Clippers.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: CHI @ CLE
The Bulls will need to rely even more on Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose to step up with Butler out versus Cleveland, but there is another strong value option that deserves consideration for Thursday night in E’Twaun Moore. Moore averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the final seven days before the break and will be relied on to contribute at a decent level again on Thursday. Meanwhile, J.R. Smith continues to be a strong value option for the Cavaliers as he has all season. Smith averaged 17.8 points, 5.0 three-point shots, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in the final week before the All-Star break and those that invest in him should continue to be rewarded in NBA fantasy.
