The Late Cut: NBA $15,000 Thursday

Thursday is here and with it comes the highlight of the pinnacle of the Draftstars week
, the massive NBA $15,000 Thursday game. There are a massive thirteen matches to pick your lineup from, with the highlight of the day’s play being Golden State playing host the the Kings. There is a huge $3,000 prize going to first place. With tip off at 11.00am, it is sure to be an exciting day.

Tuesday’s Score: 275.5

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Here is a team you may consider for the NBA $15k+ Thursday competition

Point Guard

James Harden ($21,100)

Harden has been flying lately. Arguably the best player in the league right now, he has been carrying his Rockets to six wins out of their last seven matches. Harden has been scoring for fun, scoring at least 25 points in his last five and over 40 in three of those. Throw in his rebounding and assisting and you have a Draftstars points machine.

Jameer Nelson ($7,650)

After taking down the high flying Warriors, Nelson and his Nuggets are flying high. Nelson was on fire, especially from deep, dropping five 3 pointers and 23 points on his way to 39 DS points. Nelson’s red hot form has seen him elevated to the man running the floor for the Nuggets recently, but his salary has not caught up to his scoring potential. Nelson is a perfect value pick.

Shooting Guard

Seth Curry ($9,850)

Definitely the more unheralded of the two Curry brothers, Seth has been in decent form for the low flying Mavericks. Curry has been extremely efficient shooting the ball, scoring at least one 3-pointer in 17 out his last 18 matches. Curry and his Mavericks are up against the Pistons in what appears to be a high scoring game. Curry should get every opportunity to shoot the ball and finish with a big score.

Ben McLemore ($5,000)

Since replacing Garrett Temple in the starting lineup, McLemore has been scoring for fun. Over his last six matches, he has reached double digits five times. Temple is due to retrn soon, so McLemore will be desperate to leave a good impression in order to preserve some of his minutes. He does face the tricky task of the Warrior on the rebound, but with his basement salary and his high scoring potential, McLemore is worth picking in your team.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard ($16,450)

With the rest of the Spurs not playing at their best, Leonard has really picked up the slack, carrying his team over the last four matches. Over the period, Leonard has scored at least 32 points in each match and is averaging 50.25 DS points. Something similar here would make your team go a long way to getting a big score.

Michael Beasley ($5,450)

Beasley has done a brilliant job for the Bucks, coming in to replace the injured Jabari Parker. In his last match against the Pistons, he finished with 23 points on his way to 40 DS points, which is brilliant for someone at his salary level. Beasley will continue to receive starters minutes with a cheap salary, which makes him a good value pick.

Power Forward

Kristaps Porzingis ($12,100)

The big Latvian has been somewhat flat since his return from injury a couple of weeks ago, not playing as well as he was at the start of the season. Porzingis appears to have turned a corner, especially defensively. Porzingis has recorded multiple blocks in six out his ast eight matches and is starting to find his range from the field. Porzingis just needs to start crashing the boards for him to be back to his dynamic best, he can do that against an undersized OKC outfit.

Channing Frye ($7,200)

With the injury to Kevin Love, Frye makes his way into the starting lineup. In his first start, Frye was brilliant, finishing with 21 point and 10 rebounds on his way to 43 DS points. Whilst he may receive less minutes on the second day of back-to-back games, he is still a good play against the Pacers because they also have injury concerns in the Power Forward position.

Centre

Nikola Jokic ($14,850)

The form player of the league in the last week gets an opportunity to continue his white hot form against the Timberwolves. After dominating the Warriors, recording a triple-double (17 points, 21 rebounds, 13 assists), and the Cavaliers (27 points, 13 rebounds) in his past two matches, Jokic comes up against another promising big man in Karl-Anthony Towns. Expect no difference from the big Serb who is sending a message to the league after his all-star snub.

The Line Up

PG: James Harden ($21,100)

PG: Jameer Nelson ($7,650)

SG: Seth Curry ($9,850)

SG: Ben McLemore ($5,000)

SF: Kawhi Leonard ($16,450)

SF: Michael Beasley ($5,450)

PF: Kristaps Porzingis ($12,100)

PF: Channing Frye ($7,200)

C: Nikola Jokic ($14,850)

Salary Remaining: $350