NBA Thursday $20,000 Team Tips

It has been a spicy week of on and off court drama as player frustrations boil over. Ben Simmons invited Kyle Lowry to meet him in the locker room after both were ejected for fighting, but then stood him up when he didn’t show up to finish what they started. Chris Paul and the Rockets went into the Clippers change room via a secret corridor to confront Austin Rivers and Blake Griffin over comments he made on court. Whatever actually happened in this remains to be seen, but it sure adds a bit of spice to the season. There are ten matches to sink your teeth into today with highlights including the Bucks taking on the in-form Heat and the red hot Clippers hosting the Nuggets.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NBA $20k+ Thursday competition

Point Guard

Ish Smith ($10,200)

With regular starter Reggie Jackson out injured, Smith has been starting and doing a decent job. Smith can be inconsistent at times, but he is a decent scorer who also racks up a lot of assists. He gets an okay match up against the Raptors. With the extra minutes that Smith will play as the starter, he looks like a good choice.

Josh Hart ($6,950)

Regular starters Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are both in doubt for the Lakers match against the Thunder, which means that Josh Hart should see a lot more court time. Hart is a good scorer who usually makes the most of any opportunity he gets for extra minutes. In his last game against Memphis, Hart finished with 26 DS points. A similar performance here would be gold.

Shooting Guard

Zach LaVine ($9,800)

After being injured for the first half of the season, LaVine is finally back and has hit the ground running. LaVine is an athletic guard who is famous for his monster dunks, but is also a good shooter and shot creator. LaVine will most likely have a minutes restriction, however, he is cheap enough salary wise to be able to take a punt on him. Whilst he is a risky selection, LaVine has significant upside.

Milos Teodosic ($9,300)

Teodosic has returned from injury with three solid matches, scoring over 10 points and dishing out over 5 assists all three of those matches. Teodosic is a classic European point guard who always looks to pass first and bring his teammates into the game. The Clippers are flying, beating the Rockets in their last game. Teodosic should be able to dominate the Nuggets at home and return another good score.

Small Forward

Josh Richardson ($11,700)

The Heat are flying. They have gone from a team that was considering tanking, to the four seed in the East sitting one game behind the Cavaliers. Richardson has been a big part of that, replacing the injured Dion Waiters. Richardson is an efficient shooter who also racks up rebounds and assists. He gets a good matchup against the Bucks and looks like a good pick.

Kyle Kuzma ($11,000)

Kuzma has been exceptional in his rookie season, turning himself into one of the two main pieces in the Lakers. Kuzma is a consistent scorer who also rebounds well, which makes him a great fantasy scoroer. Kuzma has a tricky matchup against the Thunder, with Paul George most likely to guard him, but Kuzma should be able to generate enough offence to score well.

Power Forward

Blake Griffin ($16,850)

The Clippers looked down and out before Griffin returned to their team, now they are firmly in the playoff picture. The Clippers are 8 and 2 in the last ten matches with Griffin dominating. Griffin has posted two double doubles in his last three matches and was one assist away from a third. Griffin has a tricky match up against Nikola Jokic from the nuggets, but is definitely good enough to dominate and post another huge score.

Willie Cauley-Stein ($11,500)

Cauley-Stein is one of the rawest young big men in the game. He has all the physical tools and has shown glimpses of his huge potential, but also has games where he really struggles. Cauley-Stein gets a good matchup against the Jazz who will be missing their starting centre, Rudy Gobert. Look for Cauley-Stein to go big.

Centre

Steven Adams ($12,000)

The young kiwi has been fantastic this year for the Thunder, dominating rebounds and providing a good inside scoring option for the Thunder. Adams gets the matchup against the Lakers who struggle against big men, they are the worst team in the league at defensing centres from a fantasy perpective. Adams should have a huge day against the Lakers, expect a double double and lots of points.

The Line Up

PG: Ish Smith ($10,200)

PG: Josh Hart ($6,950)

SG: Zach LaVine ($9,800)

SG: Milos Teodosic ($9,300)

SF: Josh Richardson ($11,700)

SF: Kyle Kuzma ($11,000)

PF: Blake Griffin ($16,850)

PF: Willie Cauley-Stein ($11,500)

C: Steven Adams ($12,000)

Salary Remaining: $700