NBA $15,000 SATURDAY: TIPS & SELECTIONS
NBA Saturday is back with a nine game slate featuring some very enticing contests with 10 playoff teams in action.
The big battles all go down in the West, starting with a battle of the four seeds with the Rockets hosting the 76ers who will be without Joel Embiid.
The highlight of the day sees a potential Western conference final duel with the Nuggets visiting Golden State, while at the same time West third seed the Thunder visit the eighth seed Clippers in LA.
There is $15,000 up for grabs in the Saturday jackpot tournament.
Donovan Mitchell – SG/PG – $15,800
The Jazz are expected to be without Ricky Rubio for this game, on top of the current outs Raul Neto and Dante Exum. This means a further uptick in usage for Spida Mitchell who is already the focal point of the Jazz offense. Mitchell has picked up the slack multiple times this year when the Jazz back-court has been ravaged by injury, and he has thrived with the extra ball, not only from a scoring perspective but his assist numbers also. After a ferocious six game stretch where he put up 40 or more Draftstars points each game, Mitchell has cooled off a little by his standards with scores of 34 and 31 in his last two. It won’t be long before he turns that around again.
Landry Shamet – SG – $8,430
The Clippers rookie has caught a spark recently, averaging a shade under 18 points a game through his last three performances, he is also averaging five triples a game through that stretch. Two of those recent performances were 20+ point outings, which were also his second and third highest scores of the season. The Clippers are still in the playoff hunt, so if they have a hot-hand they’ll be eager to ride it. The Clippers get OKC who are a difficult task but Shamet will likely avoid the toughest match ups on the OKC defense.
Elfrid Payton – PG – $10,730
With star guard Jrue Holiday out of action with a lower abdominal strain, Payton quickly assumes the mantle as lead guard in New Orleans, and with Anthony Davis continuing to play restricted minutes, there’s going to be a lot of work to do. Payton has had some big games this year, bolstered particularly by his assist numbers, but he does stuff the stat sheet with boards and steals at times as well. With an incoming usage bump, he should offer good return at a reasonable price even against a staunch Raptors team.
Clint Capela – C – $14,170
Capela has been starting to find his groove again, particularly on the boards where he picked up 15 in his last game against the Raptors. Now on their home court, the Rockets play another potential finals preview facing off with Philadelphia. The 76ers currently find themselves without Joel Embiid, and the Rockets without Kenneth Faried, both shape as good news for Capela from a fantasy perspective where Philadelphia will struggle to find a body that can match Capela’s size, and with the Rockets leaning on him to pick up some of Faried’s minutes.
Otto Porter Jr – SF/PF – $12,320
Since escaping the circus that is the Wizards, OPJ has been flourishing with the Bulls. Porter has put up 15 points or more in eight of his last ten games, with multiple 30 point games in that stretch. He has also been a strong contributor on the boards at times, including two double-doubles in his last seven he scored over 30 points and double digit boards. He will face a strong fight for those boards against the Pistons, but he comes at a great price for a player averaging 18 points in his last ten.
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