NBA Picks At Sleeper Fantasy Tuesday, 10/22: Basketball Projections + More
NBA Opening Night 2024 features two exciting matchups, starting with the New York Knicks visiting the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks made significant offseason moves, acquiring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns to bolster their roster after falling just short in the Eastern Conference last season.
Out West, the Minnesota Timberwolves head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers. The Timberwolves, who were Western Conference favorites last season but lost in the Conference Finals, made waves by trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks. In return, they gained Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
The Lakers made headlines with the hiring of new head coach JJ Redick and the drafting of LeBron James’ son, Bronny James. Expect to see father and son take the court together in this highly anticipated opener.
Now, let’s get to the picks. For NBA Opening Night on Sleeper Fantasy, we’re focusing on Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell and Minnesota’s Naz Reid.
These three plays combine for a 3.32x entry multiplier this evening.
NBA Sleeper Fantasy Picks: Tuesday, 10/22; Fantasy Basketball Projections
NBA Opening Night is here and now is the best time to dive headfirst into the exciting realm of NBA DFS Sleeper Fantasy picks and fantasy basketball projections right now!
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D'Angelo Russell Sleeper Fantasy NBA Pick: More Than 2.0+ Three-Pointers Made
Let's kick things off with the Lakers starting guard D'Angelo Russell. Never one to shy away from launching three-pointers, Russell averaged over 2.0 three-pointers made per game last season while attempting over 7.0 three-pointers per game.
The Lakers offensive philosophy this season under new head coach JJ Reddick is to push the pace and shoot more threes, something that fits right into the wheelhouse for Russell.
All we need for him to do tonight is be a volume three-point shooter and look for him to continue to be a 40% shooter from beyond-the-arc to cash this play tonight.
- NBA DFS Sleeper Fantasy Pick: More Than 2.0+ Three-Pointers Made
Naz Reid Sleeper Fantasy NBA Pick: More Than 1.5 Three-Pointers Made
The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Reid averaged 2.5 three-pointers per game after the All-Star break last season while shooting over 40% from three-point range.
Poised to come off the bench again this season for the Timberwolves, Reid has showed no hesitation in shooting from three-point range this preseason, totaling 16 three-point attempts over the final two games.
Let's look for Reid to get on the floor and look to defend his Sixth Man Award title with a strong start against a Lakers team that allowed the third most three-pointers to opponents last season.
- NBA DFS Sleeper Fantasy Pick: More Than 1.5 Three-Pointers Made
Karl-Anthony Towns Sleeper Fantasy NBA Pick: More Than 10.5 Rebounds
Considering this number is higher across most other platforms it seems like a no brainer. We know that members of the Knicks starting unit are going to see 35-to-38 minutes a night on average and during the preseason we saw Towns finish with 12, 16 and 12 rebounds over the final three games.
The Celtics are without Kristaps Porzingis and could look to limit Al Horford as well given that he was rested for all but the final preseason game.
With Towns no longer competing with Rudy Gobert for rebounds and moving back to his natural position of center, I'm banking on him cleaning up on the glass here tonight.
- NBA DFS Sleeper Fantasy Pick: More Than 10.5 Rebounds
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Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.