With the NBA All-Star break right around the corner, the basketball schedule picks up again this week including an absolutely loaded slate for Wednesday night. There will be plenty of players to choose from with 24 teams in action, but finding the perfect balance between superstar talent and strong value options is never easy and it could be that much more complicated with 12 games on the schedule. Here is some important NBA fantasy advice to consider for Wednesday’s action.
Weak Defense To Target: Sacramento Kings
The Kings have been a popular defense to target throughout most of the first half of the NBA season and Wednesday will provide another favorable matchup when they visit the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. Sacramento has dropped four in a row. While they are likely to break out of their funk in Philadelphia, they still rank dead-last in the NBA in points per game allowed this season and that makes their defense worth targeting with some strong value options from the 76ers. Ish Smith has averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over the last week of action for Philadelphia and should have a strong game against the Kings. Meanwhile, Jerami Grant might be a strong sleeper option for those looking for a value play with high upside as he has averaged 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game over the last week. He could definitely top those averages with Sacramento in town.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The Phoenix Suns have been an absolute mess since December and that will make it tough not to build around the reigning NBA MVP as the top superstar option on the board for Wednesday night. Curry has averaged a ridiculous 38.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 three-point shots, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game over the last week of action and now he gets the opportunity to carve apart the Suns’ 29th-ranked scoring defense. Curry has the potential to dominate versus Phoenix and he will be worth every penny spent on him in Daily Fantasy Leagues on Wednesday night.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Stanley Johnson, Norris Cole
The Detroit Pistons have given rookie first-round pick Stanley Johnson close to 37 minutes per game over the last week and he has rewarded their faith in him with some solid production of late. Johnson has averaged 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 three-point shots per game over that span. The minutes increase has been quite notable for the Pistons rookie as he played just 18.7 minutes per game in October, 21.7 in November, 22.4 in December, 24.9 in January and 33.4 in February. Clearly, the Pistons have more and more faith in their young stud, so he’s worth investing into. He should have another productive night with the Denver Nuggets in town. The Pistons are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, so this looks like a plus matchup for him.
Meanwhile, Norris Cole has averaged 28.3 minutes per game for the New Orleans Pelicans over the past seven days and should continue to play decent minutes with Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon both out. Cole has averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game over the past week of action and should be a strong value option when New Orleans hosts the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Keep in mind that the Jazz have been hot of late and are playing really well at the defensive end.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: HOU @ POR
The Houston Rockets will visit the Portland Trail Blazers in a matchup that pits the fifth-ranked scoring offense against the 12th-ranked scoring offense and that should produce the highest scoring game of the night on Wednesday. James Harden is the obvious fantasy stud from the Rockets, but Corey Brewer has been very consistent of late as well and is a strong value option. Meanwhile, C.J. McCollum has been an under appreciated fantasy asset from the Trail Blazers all year, but if you can’t afford him then it’s worth targeting Allen Crabbe as another decent value option that has produced of late.
