The Late Cut: NBA $10,000 Wednesday

The half way point of the working week is here and what better way to get through it than to launch into NBA on Draftstars. There are eight matches to choose your lineups from, with the highlight being a match that is touted to be a preview of the Western Conference Finals with Golden State travelling to Houston to take on the Rockets. There is a whopping $10,000 up for grabs, with $2,000 going to first place. Tip-off is at 10.00am AEDT, so make sure you get your lineups in by then.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NBA $10k+ Wednesday competition

Point Guard

Kemba Walker ($15,500)

Walker and his Hornets come up against the Bucks in what is a huge match with playoff implications. The Hornets currently sit two games outside the eight spot and the Bucks are a further two games ahead in the six spot. Often in late season DFS, you need to find players who are motivated to succeed, which Walker clearly is. Over his last two matches, Walker is averaging 48.25 DS points which he can easily continue against the Bucks.

Tyler Ulis ($6,050)

With his salary finally increasing above the minimum the days of Ulis being a lock are numbered. Ulis has been a fantasy stud since he relapsed Eric Bledsoe for the Suns consistently returning elite figures of six to seven points per thousand salary. Ulis is still great value at his salary, but if it was to increase further (around the $8,000 mark) then his position as a lock would be in question.

Shooting Guard

Eric Gordon ($10,200)

With the injury to Ryan Anderson, the Rockets have had to reshuffle their starting five, which includes the introduction of Eric Gordon. Gordon is an elite three point shooter and if Houston are to beat Golden State they will need to fire from the perimeter. Gordon sets up well because Klay Thompson will have to guard James Harden, leaving Gordon on Steph Curry who is the weaker defender.

Andre Iguodala ($9,250)

Whilst he will most likely not be in the starting lineup, Iguodala will still see 30+ minutes of court time against the Rockets. Iguodala leads the Warriors second team in what will be where this game is won and lost. In his last match, Iguodala finished with 42.25 DS points from 32 minutes on court, a similar performance here would set up your team nicely.

Small Forward

Khris Middleton ($11,200)

The Bucks are flying, winning seven out of their last ten matches and are racing up the standings in the congested Eastern Conference. Middleton has played a big part in their rise, combining with the Greek Freak and Aussies Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova to be sitting in sixth, one game behind fifth. Whilst Middleton can be a little inconsistent, he gets a good match up against the Hornets, so he should be able to score freely.

Taurean Prince ($5,250)

With the injury to Thabo Sefolosha, Prince will start in this match against the Suns. The Hawks have been struggling lately, losing seven matches in a row. If they don’t turn their form around soon, they can easily slip out of the playoffs, which would have been unthinkable a month ago. Prince is excellent value for this game because the Suns are quite poor defensively, meaning that Prince should be able to score some points. Hopefully he can return a similar result like his last game where he finished with 33.25 DS points against Brooklyn.

Power Forward

Dwight Howard ($14,150)

It is a bit risky stacking Hawks players in the lineup seeing how poor they have been lately, but I really like the look of Dwight Howard today. With Millsap still injured and Ilyasova underperforming, Howard will get every opportunity to have high production against a Suns frontcourt who are extremely inconsistent. Howard should be able to dominate the boards and score at will, making him an exciting prospect for today’ play.

Cody Zeller ($10,800)

Zeller has been in great form for the Hornets recently, averaging 34 DS points in his last three matches. Zeller is in a constant battle for the starting position with Frank Kaminsky, but is clearly ahead in the pecking order on current form. Zeller will be lining up against Thon Maker, which makes him a great pick because as exciting as Maker is, he does not have the size or strength to compete with most NBA centres. Zeller should be able to win that battle and grab a lot of rebounds.

Centre

Karl-Anthony Towns ($17,500)

The KAT is coming off one of his worst performances for the season against the Trail blazers, where he finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds on his way to 21.75 DS points. Towns had played in an overtime loss the night before which goes a long way to explaining it, but he will be keen to come out and get back to his normal levels of production. He gets a favourable matchup against promising centre Myles Turner, who Towns should be able to dominate. Look for a huge day from the KAT.

The Line Up

PG: Kemba Walker ($15,500)

PG: Tyler Ulis ($6,050)

SG: Eric Gordon ($10,200)

SG: Andre Iguodala ($9,250)

SF: Khris Middleton ($11,200)

SF: Taurean Prince ($5,250)

PF: Dwight Howard ($14,150)

PF: Cody Zeller ($10,800)

C: Karl-Anthony Towns ($17,500)

Salary Remaining: $100