After a full slate of games on Wednesday, the NBA schedule for Thursday is substantially lighter with just six teams in action but there is certainly no shortage of storylines to pay attention to among the three games. LeBron James will clash with his former team when Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat visit the Cleveland Cavaliers, which could end up being a first-round playoff series preview (if the standings don’t change). Same goes for the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, who will also meet on Thursday and could clash in the first round. Lastly, we’ll see if the Phoenix Suns can keep their slim postseason hopes alive against a Golden State Warriors team that’s won 10 straight. All three storylines should play into choosing for daily fantasy leagues.
PG – Eric Bledsoe (Phoenix Suns)
Phoenix will be in tough to try and claw out an important win in Golden State and if they are going to have any chance, they will need a monster performance from Bledsoe. The Suns starting point guard had averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 assists in two games before going ice cold from the field against Portland on Monday when he hit just 5-of-20 shots from the field and finished with 12 points. Bledsoe should bounce back with better shooting numbers on Thursday – especially with backcourt mate Brandon Knight doubtful for the contest. Expect Bledsoe to get back to his averages, which should be in the neighborhood of the 17.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.1 threes that’s he’s averaged since the All-Star break.
SG – Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
Wade has been dealing with a knee injury and was held to just 15 points and five rebounds against San Antonio on Tuesday. But remember that he went off for 40 points just two nights earlier against the Pistons and he was excellent in his last game against the Cavaliers. Wade scored 32 points with two assists, two rebounds and five steals in his last game versus Cleveland and has averaged 31.5 points in the two times he’s played against them this season. After a relatively mediocre performance against the Spurs, look for a strong rebound effort from Wade on Thursday.
SF – Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks)
Chandler Parsons has been a steady force for the Mavericks this month and he’s been one of the few consistent contributors on a team that has been banged up, slumping and dealing with chemistry issues. He averaged 17.2 points per game in March, which marks his best month since December. He also had 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.1 threes and 1.1 steals. He’s been even better over the last couple of games, going for 27 and 10 against Indiana and 22, six assists, four rebounds and a three against Oklahoma City last night.
He’s averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.0 threes and 1.3 steals in three games versus Houston this season, so you have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
PF – Hassan Whiteside (Miami Heat)
Whiteside returned to the Heat lineup with a strong performance against San Antonio on Tuesday, scoring 10 points with six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. The Cavaliers have shored up their interior defense but Whiteside had 17 points and 14 rebounds in his last game against them and should put up similar numbers as Miami looks to hang around with Cleveland in a tough test on the road.
C – Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns)
Morris is another value play as a center-eligible starter that has put up some elite numbers over the past 15 days. He should have every opportunity to put up a solid stat line versus Golden State. Phoenix will be hard-pressed to keep up with the Warriors but they will throw everything they have at them as their pursuit of a playoff spot continues and their top producer among big men should be key. Morris has averaged 18.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists over the past two weeks and will be relied on for a big game against Golden State.
