NBA $20,000 THURSDAY: TIPS & SELECTIONS
NBA Thursday brings with it an eight game slate including a huge Eastern conference clash with the Raptors visiting the Celtics.
The Magic and Pistons currently sit 9th and 10th in the East, so will have plenty of reason to produce a good scrap in Detroit.
In the West the Jazz will be looking to bump the Lakers out of the eight spot when they visit LA to take on the Clippers, while superstar Anthony Davis will need to somehow try to combat a Warriors team who just produced an NBA record 51 point first quarter.
James Harden – SG/PG – $25,840
The Beard is the most expensive player on the slate, but he is becoming impossible to overlook, his performances of late have been historical. He’s coming off a 57 point nine rebound night where he only played 34 minutes. He hasn’t scored under 32 points since the 12th of December, since that time he has posted five triple doubles, and 10 games over 40 points. In 2019 he is averaging 42 points, 10 dimes and 8.6 rebounds. His style of play draws some criticism, but the astronomical numbers he is producing cannot be debated. He now draws a Brooklyn defense ranked 19th in the league, not that who he is playing seems to matter much at all. If you don’t select him, don’t be surprised when you miss out on the 40 point triple double.
Donovan Mitchell – SG/PG – $16,860
Mitchell continues to rack up the points of late, coming off a 28-5-2 line against the Pistons. This came after three straight games where he put up 33 points or more, in his last six outings he has scored at least 26 every night while snatching good numbers in dimes, boards and from deep. Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto are all still dealing with injury concerns, and Spida Mitchell is thriving with the extra weight on his shoulders. Joe Ingles also looms as a game time decision. The Clippers defense ranks 25th in the league in points allowed, so it should be another busy night for the explosive sophomore.
Danny Green – SG/SF – $7,800
Green has bounced back a bit lately, putting up double digits in three of his last four games including a 16 point eight rebound effort in the Raptors last game against Washington. He has also logged over 40 minutes in two of his last four games. It’s unlikely he blows up for a huge night, but this type of output with his standard multiple scores from deep is a nice return for his low price. This is a huge game in the East, Green’s defense will be highly valued which should see him get plenty of time on court. It is also going to be a busy night for the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry with difficult match ups across the board, so they maybe turning to Green from deep to help them out on offense.
Gerald Green – SG/SF – $7,360
Keeping with the Green theme, Gerald should be in line for some more opportunities after the Rockets failed to come to an agreement with forward Danuel House who reached the maximum days allowed in the NBA on his two-way contract. With an injury toll that already includes wing Eric Gordon, along with star guard Chris Paul and Clint Capela, it was already difficult to find anyone to support James Harden, and the loss of House who started the last 12 games will exacerbate that. Green got 30 minutes in his last game, returning 14 points with six boards, he has put up double digits every time he has played 30 minutes this season. He may not be consistent, but he’s a very capable scorer when he gets the opportunity.
Derrick White – PG/SG – $11,190
The Spurs point guard made a couple of nice contributions early in the season, but soon found himself almost completely out of the rotation. However, recently he has pushed his way back into the mix in San Antonio and has logged 31 minutes or more in four of his past five games. Throughout that stretch he has average close to five rebounds and four assists. White has also scored 17 points or more in six of his last eight outings. He gets a decent match up here against a Dallas team that is ranked in the middle of the NBA for points allowed.
Enter the NBA $20,000 Thursday tournament.
NBA SCORING SYSTEM
Point Scored = 1 point
Missed Field Goal = -0.25 points
Missed Free Throw = -0.25 points
Assist = 1.5 points
Rebound = 1.25 points
Turnover = -0.5 points
Steal = 2 points
Block = 2 points
3 Point Made Bonus = 1 point
Double-Double = 2 points
Triple-Double = 2 points
NBA