This article is all fine and dandy and obviously I think the value plays below are well worth their write-up, but everything could change dependent on how the Lakers decide to go about things. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are currently questionable and they could possibly sit, meaning a LOT more value opens up and the Lakers value options would become near must plays in cash games, tournaments and whatever format there is.
**UPDATE** Kyrie Irving will NOT play on Thursday due to personal reasons. This puts the likes of Chris Chiozza, Bruce Brown, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot firmly on our radar.
DraftKings
Juancho Hernangomez , PF MIN ($4,400)
It’s likely that Hernangomez will be the chalk of the slate after his last game putting up 25 points, eight rebounds and 46.5 DK points at just 3.4K. He’s still just 4.4K and should draw his third consecutive start here. This game has the highest total on the board and is honestly the best environment for fantasy production. We need 22 DK points to get 5x his salary, which profiles perfectly for cash games.
Patty Mills , PG/SG SA ($4,300)
With Derrick White still out, it makes it easier to roster Mills and feel good about it. He’s very scoring dependent, but that part of the equation has been coming as he’s averaging 14.4 PPG this season. He’s coming off a season high 27 actual points and although it’s hard to assume he’d make eight three’s again here, we’ve seen him do it in the past. He’s hit and surpassed 20 FP in three-of-four games and has accomplished that feat four times over his previous six outings. Mills is more of a GPP dart, but one I could get behind if the Spurs want to stay competitive with LAL.
Gorgui Dieng , C MEM ($4,100)
What works extremely well for Dieng is that Brandon Clarke was moved into the starting lineup, which means Dieng is the primary backup at center as opposed to Clarke. Dieng has made the most of his opportunity averaging 24.4 DKP/game over his last five, including a couple of games of 30 FP. The match-up is decent as CLE ranks 16th in DvP versus centers but they’ve been a bad rebounding team ranking 22nd, which could really help Dieng’s upside here. He’s an interesting tournament option.
FanDuel
Shake Milton , PG PHI ($4,500)
The price tag really does it for me here as Milton and the 76ers have an elite match-up against a banged up Nets team. Milton has put up 22.5 or more FD points in four straight games including a 35.8 pointer last week against Orlando, showing us he has upside, not just a cash floor. Milton has been a high usage player off the Philadelphia bench as he enters tonight's game with a 22% mark and also averages .91 FP/min. Is Seth Curry -- currently questionable -- doesn’t suit up, Milton is in line for an even bigger workload and could potentially find himself in the starting lineup.
Anthony Edwards, SF MIN ($4,100)
Anybody can tell you the best plays from Minnesota these days are D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley , but I’ll be there to tell you to dig deeper. Dig deeper to find more value in the best game environment on the board. Yes it’s a 10-point spread, but we’ve seen Edwards play in blowouts and be the featured offensive player in those situations. Edwards has a robust 26.2% USG rate this year, second on the entire team. He’s also averaging an above average .87 FP/min this season. The Trailblazers rank 25th against small-forwards this year, where Edwards has played 66% of his time. He’s a sneaky GPP option this evening.
Bruce Brown , SG BKN ($3,900)
There will be a lot of love for the Brooklyn value tonight, but who will be the one to step up and be the ace in the hole? Every indication in the game against Utah made it seem like it would be Brown who put up 19.7 FD points in 23 minutes, putting up six points, six rebounds and five assists, giving us a glimpse of his versatility. He’s under 4K and is likely to see a bigger workload in a much better game environment.
Player News
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Stephen Curry is day-to-day with a hamstring injury and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
Kerr relayed that Curry was “crushed” after being forced from the game due to injury. While Kerr described Curry as day-to-day, he also mentioned that the 37-year-old point guard will undergo imaging on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Thursday’s Game 2 showdown. With the Warriors taking Game 1 on the road Tuesday, Kerr added that it’s hard to imagine Curry being available for Game 2 on Thursday. With Game 3 Saturday at Golden State, Curry could have more time to rest and recover.
Naz Reid had 19 points (8-of-14 FGs), five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and three three-pointers in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Reid briefly left the floor with an apparent leg injury towards the end of the second quarter before returning in the second half. The 25-year-old center played 34 minutes and was the second leading scorer for the Timberwolves in what turned out to be a lackluster game for Minnesota. Reid appeared healthy in the second half and should continue to be counted on for starter-level minutes despite coming off the bench.
Anthony Edwards had 23 points (9-of-22 FGs), 14 rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block and one three-pointer in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Draymond Green had 18 points (6-of-13 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and four three-pointers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Buddy Hield had 24 points (7-of-19 FGs), eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and five three-pointers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Jimmy Butler had 20 points (7-of-20 FGs), 11 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two three-pointers in the Warriors’ 99-88 victory over the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Tuesday.