Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player to watch in tonight’s matchups.
Thursday’s six-game slate brings plenty of star power to the table. Let’s dig into some of the top options to target on Yahoo, as well as a few players to possibly avoid.
Guards
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC at CHA ($48): Gilgeous-Alexander continues to put up crazy numbers, scoring 72.0 and 61.2 Yahoo points, respectively, the last two games. He has a career high 33.3% usage rate and that number isn’t going to decline anytime soon. Add in this matchup against a Hornets team that has the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league and he is someone to consider building your entire entry around.
Quentin Grimes, NYK at SAS ($15): The Knicks were shorthanded against the Mavericks on Tuesday with Jalen Brunson (hip) out and RJ Barrett going down early with a finger injury. Grimes stepped up to provide 33 points, six rebounds, four assists and seven three-pointers over 48 minutes. Brunson is listed as questionable for this game, but Barrett has already been ruled out. That should leave Grimes with added shot attempts against a Spurs team with the worst defensive rating in the league.
Guard to Avoid
Desmond Bane, MEM at TOR ($25): Bane has not looked like himself since returning from a toe injury. Over three games, he shot a combined 10-for-38 from the field, including 2-for-19 from behind the arc. Last season, he shot 46.1% from the field and 43.6% from deep. Until he gets his legs under him, it might be best to keep him out of your lineup.
Forwards
Julius Randle, NYK at SAS ($38): Randle also provided a monster stat line against the Mavericks, finishing with 29 points, 18 rebounds and four assists over 45 minutes. Over his last 11 games, he has averaged 27.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. His floor is extremely high for this favorable matchup.
Jalen Williams, OKC at CHA ($16): Williams is starting to play more, logging at least 30 minutes in each of the last eight games. While his numbers don’t jump off the page, he scored at least 26.4 Yahoo points four times, including 39.3 Yahoo points against the Spurs on Tuesday. With this expected to be a fast paced game against a struggling defensive team, Williams has the potential to provide value.
Forward to Avoid
Gordon Hayward, CHA vs. OKC ($19): Playing time hasn’t been an issue for Hayward since he has averaged 34 minutes over seven games since returning from injury. However, he scored 27.1 Yahoo points or fewer in six of those games. His usage rate is down to 20.3%, and it should continue to leave him with limited upside.
Centers
Christian Wood, DAL vs. HOU ($29): Wood is riding high heading into this matchup against his former team. He has logged an average of 34 minutes over the last eight games, and he hasn’t disappointed in his expanded role, providing 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks during that span. With no reinforcements coming for the Mavericks, expect Wood to continue to log additional minutes.
Mike Muscala, OKC at CHA ($11): Oklahoma City’s Aleksej Pokusevski (leg) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) are both out, which could afford added playing time to Muscala. He logged 21 minutes against the Spurs on Tuesday, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds. For those looking to take a chance on a lower-priced center in tournament play, Muscala is worth considering.
Center to Avoid
Jakob Poeltl, SAS vs. NYK ($22): Poeltl has not played more than 26 minutes in any of his six games since returning from injury. His limited playing time contributed to him scoring 20.5 Yahoo points or fewer five times. Until he starts to play more on a consistent basis, he’s risky at this salary.
