There are seven games on the schedule for Saturday night in the NBA and while that gives us enough choices to get creative, it also leaves little room for error when it comes to building a winning lineup in NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues. Here is a look at some important advice to keep in mind when it comes to Saturday’s fantasy basketball slate.
Weak Defense To Target: Los Angeles Lakers
There isn’t much that has gone right for the worst team in the Western Conference through the first few weeks of action. While it’s easy to point out Kobe Bryant’s declining skill set as he continues to grind out every minute he can add to his lengthy career total, it’s also worth mentioning that Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the league in points allowed per game this season with an average of 105.8 against. Only the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans are worse.
The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled of late but they are a better team than the 2-12 Lakers. They have averaged 101.6 points per game at home this season, which ranks them 12th in the NBA. They should be able to take advantage of a weak defense at home in order to bounce back with a win, so keep an eye on this matchup with C.J. McCollum, Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis among the reasonably priced options that might be worth considering for Saturday’s nights action.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings
Gay has played his best basketball of the season in his two games since returning from a shoulder injury including a season-high 36 points in Wednesday’s 129-118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to that, he had 28 against Charlotte earlier in the week. The veteran wing has averaged 32.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 threes and 1.0 steal in those last two contests and the Kings will need him to play at a high level as they try to keep up with the undefeated Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For… Bismack Biyombo, Raymond Felton
The Toronto Raptors will be without starting center Jonas Valanciunas for at least another month and while Bismack Biyombo isn’t considered an elite fantasy performer by any means, he will continue to play the bulk of the minutes in place of Valanciunas. That could make him a sneaky bargain value play. Biyombo had 11 points and 12 rebounds in Toronto’s 103-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. He could be in for another strong performance as the Raptors look to earn a measure of redemption on the road against the same Washington Wizards’ team that eliminated them from last year’s playoffs with an opening round sweep. It’s worth noting that the Wizards defense has fallen off the map completely and now they’re all of the sudden one of the worst defensive teams in the league. That means the Raptors – and Biyombo – are good options in DFS.
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Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks could be without point guard J.J. Barea after he injured his right ankle in Wednesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Barea is considered day-to-day but even if he plays, he could have his minutes reduced and that should mean more opportunity for Raymond Felton against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Felton has averaged 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 threes and 0.5 steal per game as a starter this season.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: SAC @ GS
The Warriors have averaged a ridiculous 114.3 points per game while winning 17 straight games to open the season and there is no reason to expect their offense to stall against a Sacramento side that is tied for the worst points per game allowed in the NBA this season. The Kings have some decent scoring weapons and while they won’t win this game, they should be able to score enough points to make this a contest worth targeting in Daily Fantasy Leagues as the projected highest scoring game of the night.
