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What you need to know about Thursday night’s NBA rankings
By Jim McCormick and Kyle Soppe
King Kuminga: Jonathan Kuminga (present in over 92% of leagues) is establishing itself as a pick throughout the fantasy regular season. Kuminga not only scored at least 16 points in three consecutive matches, but also displayed a variety of skills. Tuesday night against the Clippers, he had six career-high assists and in his last three games he has shot 20/31 from the field and 6/12 from the ground by 3. He has a 3PM record in all seven games after the All-Star break and has taken 23 of 28 free throws.
Warriors give up: Draymond Green and Gary Payton II was dropped from Golden State’s game against the Clippers. This signals a larger role for Jordan Poole (29% available), who has had at least four assists in three consecutive games and has won at least six pointers in five consecutive games. Kevon Looney is also a solid DFS bargain with a viable path to 25 DraftKings points in Green’s absence.
Artist steals: In a two-game alternative, identifying a few statisticians can give you an edge in head-to-head formats. With Danny Green excluded for tonight’s game against Brooklyn, defensive motives Matisse Thybulle will be busy as the main offensive spearhead of the team. Thybulle (93% availability) is leading the league in steal percentage and finds more utility when attacking thanks to James Harden. He can help people in roto and genre formats in addition to being of real value for defensive props.
Glue person: Bruce Brown (85% available) was one of the most added players in the past week. While a lot of things Brown doesn’t provide for fantasy fun, he’s turned out to be a more useful stats contributor on recent outings thanks to an increased steal rate and some good pass output. Like with Thybulle, Brown is an ideal plug-and-play for this limited Thursday.
Game of the night
Line: 76ers (-4.5)
Cash flow: 76ers (-200), Nets (+170)
Total: 234.5 points
Total expected BPI: 226 points
% BPI Winning: 76ers (72.1%)
Main players excluded: Ben Simmons, LaMarcus Aldridge, Danny Green
Remarkable: The Nets were 4-2 ATS against the 76ers in the Steve Nash era (they failed in seven of the eight meetings before Nash took over).
Best bet: Team Sixers Total over 119.5. Sixers straight forward 5-0 with James Harden In the lineup, the Sixers averaged 125.4 points in those five games. The Sixers have surpassed this team’s total in all five games Harden has played. On top of that, the Sixers’ offense is elite when Harden, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the floor with an offensive efficiency rating of 133.2 and a defensive efficiency rating of 103.3. I also like this pick especially due to the Nets’ lack of defense. Brooklyn’s defensive stat (120.4) has increased in the three games since Durant’s return. The Nets are allowing opponents to shoot 37.4% from three and 49.6% from the floor, while allowing an opponent 51.3 points in the three games Durant has played after the All-Star break. – Erin Dolan
Best Bets: 76ers and ML Bets (+212). The 76ers are leading 5-0 with Harden and Embid on the field. They have a top 3 offensive phase averaging 120 PPG. The Nets will have both KD and Kyrie, but defense is struggling – ranked 28th, allowing opponents to shoot 50% from the field and 37% from downtown. I hope Harden is out tonight in Philly with his old team, a match he can’t wait to get through! Harden, Embid and Maxey combined are one force – shoot 55% from the field and 42% from 3. – Anita Marks
Fantasy Streamer: Georges Niang. Danny Green will miss a week with a tear in his finger, putting Niang in the spotlight online tonight against the Nets. Niang (98.4% available) is averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per 40 minutes. In minutes, Green has averaged 22.3 this season. – Eric Moody
Line: Warrior (-2.5)
Cash flow: Warriors (-139), Nuggets (+117)
Total: 220.5 points
Total expected BPI: 226 points
% BPI Winning: Warrior (57.9%)
Main players excluded: Andre Iguodala, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr.
Doubt: Will Barton (fish’s eyes)
Remarkable: The results weren’t too late for the Warriors, but the total score was there. The difference is 9-2 in their past 11 games, a match that includes a 3-8 record both outright and ATS.
Fantasy Streamer: Austin Rivers (99.3% available) started the last two games for the Nuggets with Will Barton outside. In those two games, he averaged 10.5 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2.5 RPG, 2.0 3PG, and 1.5 SPG in 33.5 MPG and could be a quick, ready production source yes (in fantasy), cheap (in DFS) on a sparse night. – Snellings
Fantasy Streamer: Moses Moody (98.4% available). He started the last two games and is running more and more with Gary Payton II outside. While he won’t hit the volume he got on Monday when the four started off and he scored 30 points, he averaged 11.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2 .4 3PG at 24.3 MPG in eight starts this season. – Snellings
Best bet: Nikola Jokic triple (+120). Denver is the better team at the moment, and has been unstoppable since the All-Star break, placing in the top 7 both offensively and defensively. Jokic is still vying for the MVP award, and has a great chance to dominate the game against a Warriors defense that has no answer for him. Jokic has hit the brace three times in three of his last five games. – Point
Best bet: Warriors -2.5. Put 2 points with Warriors. Denver is promoted 5-7 in a row this season with three straight wins without a break over Toronto, Portland and Golden State on Monday. But Denver’s 131-124 win on Monday was absent Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins or Steph curry and the Warriors still almost had a nasty game. It was a tough comeback for the Nuggets, as they beat Kings 106-100 on the road last night and had to play at Golden State in less than 24 hours. The Warriors broke a five-game losing streak with a win over the Clippers on Tuesday. With the stars back on the roster and tired legs from Denver, Golden State will continue to roll tonight with a win and head to Denver. – Dolan
Analytics Edge
BPI .’s highest expected total
first.Philadelphia 76ers (116.2 points)
2. Denver Nuggets (114.1 points)
Lowest expected total of BPI
first. brooklyn network (109.6 points)
2. Golden Empire Warriors (111.8 points)
Highest probability to win by BPI (straight calculation)
first. Philadelphia 76ers (72.1%)
2. Denver Nuggets (57.9%)
