NBA $15,000 SATURDAY: TIPS & PREDICTIONS
Twenty teams take the court on NBA Saturday, with the highlight a Western showdown between the Thunder and Trail Blazers with two of the league’s best point guards throwing down in Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard.
Triple double watch will be in full effect in Milwaukee when Antetokounmpo gets his shot at the woeful Hawks defense, while rookie sensation Luka Doncic will face a big test up against the Celtics.
There is $15,000 up for grabs in the Saturday jackpot tournament.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – SF/PF – $20,640
The Greek Freak is the second most expensive player on the slate, but gets a delicious match up at home against the weakest defense in the NBA. Giannis had a quiet night by his standards in the Bucks recent romp of the Pistons, putting up 15-8-7 in a reduced 26 minutes. That came after three straight games where he posted 30 point double doubles so expect a fresh Giannis ready to get back to posting his usual monster numbers. Early All Star voting numbers have Giannis second in total votes and first in the East which is not surprising in the slightest.
Thomas Bryant – C/PF – $12,210
Bryant continues to blossom with his increased minutes in a weak Wizards team. He has posted back to back double doubles, logging 35 and 39 minutes. Every time Bryant has eclipsed 30 minutes this year he has put up a big double double, and the way things are going he should continue to spend plenty of time on court particularly matching up here with Miami and Hassan Whiteside who will be a struggle for the Wizards other, smaller centre options to deal with. Whiteside will pose some problems for Bryant too, but he remains at a good price for the numbers he is putting up.
Terry Rozier – PG – $9,790
With Kyrie Irving ruled out again for this contest, Scary Terry will be one of the most popular choices across all DFS formats. With Irving absent in the Celtics last game, Rozier logged 32 minutes resulting in 39.25 Draftstars points, he also snatched five steals. The Mavericks defense is ranked 15th in the league, so Rozier should find himself with some good opportunities. He’s capable of being a prolific play maker and remains surrounded by talent in Boston.
DeMarre Carroll – SF/PF – $9,150
Carroll has seen a big uptick in minutes in recent games. In his last three outings, he has averaged 32 minutes, averaging 17 points with six boards and three times. He has also been a threat from deep averaging a shade over two triples a game in this recent stretch. He does get a stiff match up here against a Memphis defense that is ranked second in the game for points allowed but if he continues to get minutes in the 30+ range then he should continue to contribute across the stat sheet.
Kevin Huerter – SG – $7,270
Lloyd Pierce continues to give the Hawks rookie guard big minutes, including a huge 44 minutes in his last game, this coming after 40 and 30 minutes in the two games prior. He was limited to 12 points in that game, but posted 20 the night before, and he also matched his career high with five assists. Huerter is a genuine three point threat, regularly making multiple shots from deep and he appears to have the green light to hoist from there regularly. If he continues to get these big minutes, and with the Hawks injury woes he should, then there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for big nights from Huerter if he can convert from behind the arc.
Enter the NBA $15,000 Saturday 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