The NBA will kick in to high gear again this weekend with a full slate of games beginning on Friday night. 18 teams will be in action and that will mean plenty of options to choose from when it comes to building the optimal lineup for DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues. Here is some important NBA fantasy advice to consider for Friday’s DraftKings tournaments.
Weak Defense To Target: Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have been among the most inefficient teams in the NBA at the defensive end of the floor this season and they rank 26th in the association with an average of 106.7 points allowed per game. It makes a lot of sense to target them when they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Denver has shown some signs of life while winning six of its last 10 games and one player to strongly consider based on his production of late is D.J. Augustin. The veteran guard has averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 three-point shots and 1.0 steal per game over the last seven days and could very well top those averages against the Lakers.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
The obvious favorite for the Rookie of the Year award has been adding to his resume with some absolutely outstanding numbers of late for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged 27.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.7 assists per game over the last week of action. Towns has put up strong numbers all year but he has really heated up of late and it makes sense to ride the hot hand in NBA fantasy when the Timberwolves visit the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Josh Richardson, Michael Beasley
The Miami Heat have to love what they have seen out of Josh Richardson over the last week of action as his relentless fight and energy have translated to some impressive numbers of late. General Pat Riley continues to find gems and Richardson is the latest as he’s a rookie, drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA DRaft. Richardson has averaged 15.0 points, 2.5 three-point shots, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game over the last seven days but more importantly, he’s getting a heavy dose of minutes. He played just 15.7 minutes in January, 21.7 minutes in February and 28.0 in March. He has played at least 24 minutes in eight straight games. He is available at a very reasonable price in NBA fantasy leagues ahead of Friday’s date with the Orlando Magic.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have dropped three straight and now sit on the outside of Western Conference playoff picture. However, Michael Beasley has put up some decent numbers while averaging just 22.5 minutes per game and could see a bump in playing time with the Toronto Raptors in town on Friday night. Beasley has averaged 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds but he could easily top those averages with a little more playing time as the Rockets fight to stay in the mix for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: DAL @ GS
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the highest scoring team in the NBA is often involved in the highest scoring matchup of the night when they play. The Golden State Warriors have averaged an NBA-best 115.3 points per game this season and they should be involved in another high scoring matchup when they take on a Dallas Mavericks team that ranks 13th in that department. The biggest question mark is whether or not it is worth taking either Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson at such an expensive price. If it is, they will likely be the highest or second-high priced player on your roster. If not, then you might want to turn to the Mavericks’ roster to find the best option to capitalize on this high scoring matchup. Dirk Nowitzki has been putting up some solid numbers of late but the better bet for Friday’s game might very well be Deron Williams. The veteran point guard has averaged 18.0 points, 11.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 three-point shots and 1.3 steals per game over the last week of action and should deliver another solid NBA fantasy performance against the Warriors.
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