NBA $15,000 SATURDAY: TIPS & SELECTIONS
NBA Saturday serves up another big slate with 22 teams in action, but just two contests between teams with winning records, all out west.
The Lakers play the second leg of their back to back home stand hosting Dallas, while the Nuggets visit the Blazers in the biggest game of the day.
The Spurs and Rockets, bizarrely both with losing records, will try to take one step towards rectifying that, while rookie Trae Young will get a real taste of the NBA as he tries to contain Russell Westbrook.
With $15,000 up for grabs in the Saturday jackpot tournament, we take a look at some players you simply must have in your selections.
Mike Muscala – PF/C – $6,410
Muscala found some form in his last outing against New York with his minutes boosted back up to 25 he rewarded Philly with a ten point, eight board outing, with two triples and chipping in a block. He’s shown he can do this before, he’s had bigger scoring nights, and is regularly make multiple triples in a game. The 76ers now play host to the Wizards who, albeit improving, should still serve up plenty of point scoring chances for Philly and potential garbage time minutes for Muscala to pad his stats while the bigger names rest up.
Paul George – SF/PF – $16,940
Had a somewhat quiet night by his standards in his last outing, so a little bounce back factor in play for PG who gets the juiciest match up in the league, the worst defense in the NBA, on his home court. Not only are the Hawks conceding the most points in the league, they’re also conceding the most triples, which is great news for George who averages the fourth most threes per game at 3.2. He remains a nightly double double threat averaging nine boards a game over his last ten outings, to go along with his regular 20+ points, multiple dimes, multiple steals and multiple threes. It’s easy to see George have a scorching outing in this one.
Steven Adams – C – $12,230
The Big Kiwi also had a quiet game last time out, putting up single digits for the first time in ten games. Given his consistency at the offensive end this year, however, there’s little hesitation to cast that off as a blip on the radar and expect him to keep putting up points, particularly against Atlanta. Everyone on the Thunder is going to want touches against this offense, but Adams remains the clear biggest threat up front on the team, and the Hawks are incredibly thin when it comes to big men so expect to see Adams feasting on Westbrook stat padding passes all night.
Blake Griffin – PF/C – $17,370
Griffin has been a dominant force this year for Detroit offensively, averaging 25 a night, good for 10th in the league, that average has been bolstered by multiple 30+ point outings, including a 30 point effort in his last game against the Knicks. Leading the Pistons usage at close to 30%, he’s also averaging 2.5 triples over his last six games. The Bulls have really struggled to defend bigs this seasons, particularly at the four spot. With the Pistons running the twin tower combo with Andre Drummond who demands huge attention of his own, this should be one of the easier match ups for Blake this season.
D.J. Augustin – PG – $8,640
Orlando have been something of a surprise package this year, and Augustin has been a big contributor to that, regularly putting up a healthy amount of points, assists, and a regular source of triples. He isn’t prone to explosive numbers, but a visit to Phoenix may be just the ticket for that with the Suns struggling throughout the year to hold down the point guard position. A small bump in production lifts Augustin into a double double player, and a welcoming Suns defense should provide Augustin that little uptick.
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