NBA Daily Plays: November 12, 2013
Wow those undefeated Pacers look tough. Would be hard to argue against anyone saying this might be the year they finally eliminate the Heat in a series. Their size and overall talent will make them a real force come May. There are only 4 games on tap tonight, which is pretty typical for a Tuesday in the NBA. I do think there are some nice match ups in play here so let’s get down to business.
Point Guard:
Steve Blake – Old Man Nash is out for awhile, and Blake has posted spectacular numbers for his price the past 2 games and heavy minutes the past 3. While his price is trending upwards on some sites, he still should post value tonight. The fact that Vegas thinks this is the most competitive game tonight doesn’t hurt either.
Brandon Jennings – Yes I am a bit leery of a blowout here as Deeetroit Basketball is out West on a b2b but I think the Pistons are athletic enough to keep this game somewhat close. If you haven’t noticed Jennings is starting to fit in real nicely with his new team, averaging 25 and 8 with 3.5 thefts tossed in for good measure. Golden St. ranks #29th on the season vs. point guards this year and we all know Curry is an offensive player, so on a low game night I like the potential of Jennings here.
Shooting Guard:
Bradley Beal – Well, we waited for it and it’s finally here….Beal is heating up. The Wizards need him to score and he has been given the green light to shoot, jacking up 20+ shots in his past 3 games. If you haven’t noticed, Dallas has been hemorrhaging points to the off-guards lately, giving up big games to Kevin Martin and OJ Mayo in the past 2. While Monta Ellis is quick, his short stature will allow Beal to shoot right over top of him. The only thing that concerns me a bit is that Ellis loves to attack and draw fouls, but I like Beal’s chances of crowding 30 real points if he plays his normal minutes. His teammates have nicknamed him “Shooter” and in my opinion anyone with that nickname should be a fixture on your fantasy squad.
Klay Thompson – Maybe it’s just me but it seems that Klay’s monster games always come at home. While the sample size is small, this year his home/road splits are drastically different. In 2 home games he is averaging over 32 pts a game and shooting close to 70% from the field! The Pistons shooting guard spot is a bit of a mess….Billups is too old and Stuckey simply not that good of a player. Neither one has ever been accused of being a good defender. Let’s hope Thompson doesn’t have an off-shooting night, as it would probably lead me to say things worse then Old McDonald’s “Dang-nabbit” but I love the upside of Klay tonight.
Small Forward:
Shawn Marion – I can’t seem to write a column without including the Matrix! #mancrush . Marion has spun a couple well-rounded lines out this year already and is getting solid minutes this year. I love the way he is hitting the glass and tossing in almost 3 combined swats/swipes per game. This game has a high total and should involve plenty of fantasy points by both teams.
Anthony Morrow – It isn’t my job to list Lebron James here so I am going to grab a shovel and dig for a few hours on this pick. I know Morrow is technically a SG, but he is eligible at minimum price on a site like Draftkings at the SF position also. Tyreke Evans has looked like a fish out of water for the Pelicans this year and now is likely out tonight due to an ankle injury. The one thing Morrow can do well on the court is shoot the ball from deep…you could say he is a bit of a “gunner.” Last game he blew up 16 pts off the bench and is likely looking at playing around half the game tonight in a good match up in LA. Granted, Morrow won’t help you much in other areas other then scoring…but at minimum price I think he is worth a look.
Power Forward:
Anthony Davis – Did you see his game 4 days ago vs. this same Lakers team? Two minutes into the game the score was 6-0 New Orleans and Davis had EIGHT fantasy points already. Bwahahaha. No real in-depth research needs to be given to feel the need to play the Brow tonight. The Lakers are going to struggle all year with athletic bigs and it would not shock me to see Davis go over 50 fp again tonight against them. Yes, he doesn’t come cheap but you have to spend your money on someone. In the words of former Manchester United great George Best “90% of my money I spent on women and booze….the rest I just wasted.” Anthony Davis will not be wasted money tonight.
DeJuan Blair – I see Blair is still very cheap on some sites. Looking back at his last 6 games I can see he has hit or exceeded value in 5 of them. The puzzling thing to me is that Blair is doing all this work while averaging only 20 minutes per game. To see he is finding the grass greener on the other side of Popovich would be an understatement. On sites like Draftkings he is a no-brainer for me on a low-game night.
Center:
Marcin Gortat – I have always liked the Polish Hammer’s game. He is not an outstanding defender but has a nice low-post game, rebounds well and runs the pick n roll very nicely. The Wizards have given him plenty of playing time even with the return of Nene and he is a great bet for a double-double on any given night. Gortat is averaging 2 blocks on the young season, a nice boon to his consistent points/rebounds in each contest. Nene is also probably a decent pick but can have poor games just as easy as good ones. I like Gortat as a “safe” center in a high scoring game.
Chris Bosh – The Human Raptor has had 3 match ups out of his 6 games played this year against soft front courts. He has had nice games in all 3 of of those. Yes, a quick glance at the spread would deem this game to be a bit of a blowout threat…but you could say the same thing against Boston on Saturday night and how did that turn out? For some reason the Heat have a tendency of playing down to their opponents at home at times and so I expect Bosh to play his normal minutes tonight. The Bucks are a bit of a mess in the front court…no Sanders and several other big men banged up. I think Bosh is a safe play for 30-35 fantasy points tonight, and his salary is still reasonable. Plus, if I list him here I can add a picture of him. That picture scares me, and it should scare you also.