After a busy couple of days, the NBA fantasy schedule finally slows down a little bit with only five games on Thursday’s slate. That means fewer options to choose from and a much smaller margin for error when it comes to building the optimal lineup in DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues. Here is some important fantasy advice to consider for Thursday’s NBA fantasy action.
Weak Defense To Target: Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings have played .500 basketball over the last 10 days but they still rank dead-last in the NBA with an average of 109.0 points allowed per game this season. That should make them worth targeting when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday with some intriguing value options in mind. Ricky Rubio has been very steady manning the point guard position. He has averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 three-point shots per game over the last week of action and is definitely worth taking a chance on. Meanwhile, Nemaja Bjelica is finally getting some decent minutes off the bench and could be a deeper sleeper option if you are desperate. Bjelica has averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 three-point shot in 20.5 minutes per game over his last three outings and with the favorable NBA fantasy matchup he could be an option if you are low on remaining cap space when it comes to your FLEX plays.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are locked in to the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference but they will want to maintain some momentum heading in to the postseason with another interesting matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. DeMar DeRozan has been on fire for Toronto and there is no reason to expect him to slow down against the visiting Hawks. DeRozan has averaged 24.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 three-point shots per game over the last seven days in NBA fantasy so ride the hot hand with the Raptors playing at home on Thursday night.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Nikola Mirotic, Patty Mills
Nikola Mirotic continues to average upwards of 30.0 minutes per game for the Chicago Bulls and he has been very productive as a result. Mirotic has averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 three-point shots and 2.0 assists per game over the last seven days and will likely be at his best as the Bulls continue to fight for a playoff spot when they visit the Miami Heat.
Meanwhile, it will be very interesting to see what Gregg Popovich decides to do with his roster heading in to a date with the Golden State Warriors. Mills has averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-point shots per game over the last week of action and could see a minutes boost if Popovich decides to rest some of his starters. The Spurs still have two more games against the Warriors so they technically aren’t out of the race for top spot in the Western Conference just yet. However, it’s still more than likely that they will be forced to settle for second place so keep an eye on Twitter and see if Popovich decides to rest some of his starters with Mills one of the likely beneficiaries from a fantasy standpoint if that happens.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: PHX @ HOU
The Phoenix Suns have been an absolute disaster since December but they should be able to put up some decent numbers against the Houston Rockets on Thursday. Houston ranks fourth in the NBA with 106.0 points per game this season, but also ranks 26th in the NBA with an average of 106.7 points allowed per game. James Harden is the obvious fantasy stud in this matchup but Michael Beasley might be the best option as a strong value play. Beasley has averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game over the last week and is worth taking a chance on. Meanwhile, Mirza Teletovic continues to put up impressive numbers for Phoenix. Teletovic has averaged 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 three-point shots and 1.0 assist per game over his last three outings and he is another solid value option.
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