Six games are on the NBA schedule for Thursday, and with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers all in action FanDuel players have some high-caliber teams from which to fill out their rosters. Cleveland hosts the Clippers in a game matching teams in need of a boost after tough losses Tuesday night. Cleveland jumped out to a solid lead on Milwaukee, only to take their foot off the gas and have Giannis Antetokounmpo storm back to win by 17 points. Head coach Tyronn Lue benched his starters during that loss, and star forward LeBron James ($9,700) didn't have the level of influence on the game we've come to expect from him.
While Cleveland's marquee players should be motivated by their benching, motivation shouldn't be an issue for Doc Rivers' Clippers either. They've lost three straight games on the road, the most recent being a double overtime loss to the Nets with forward Blake Griffin ($9,000) being rested by Rivers (who was ejected in overtime). Griffin will be back, but the matchup with Kevin Love ($8,300) won't be an easy one for either player. Lastly, Golden State hosts Houston with some highly productive fantasy options being involved including Houston's James Harden ($11,300) and Golden State's Kevin Durant ($10,400).
Here are our FanDuel matchup picks for Thursday's games, working within the rules of a nine-player roster and a $60,000 salary cap. Some stats courtesy of Basketball Reference. (Getty)
PG: Kemba Walker, Charlotte
Opponent: vs. Dallas
Price: $8,000
Walker's averaging 24.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Hornets, and from a FanDuel standpoint he's tallying 38.6 points per game. Thursday's matchup with the Mavericks sets up as a good one for Walker. Starter Deron Williams isn't a defensive stalwart, and neither is backup Jonathan Gibson. The key for Walker when it comes to his fantasy points will be producing in areas other than points. Over the last four games Walker's averaging 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, and he's surpassed the 40-point mark (FanDuel) just once during that stretch. (Getty)
PG: Andrew Harrison, Memphis
Opponent: vs. Orlando
Price: $3,900
NOTE: George Hill, who was originally in this spot, has been ruled out for Utah's game against Miami. With that being the case Harrison is worth considering given the fact that Mike Conley's out for at least six weeks with a back injury. Against Toronto Wednesday night, Harrison accounted for 33.4 FanDuel points, and he's up against a starting point guard in Elfrid Payton who's dealing with an ankle injury. (Getty)
SG: Klay Thompson, Golden State
Opponent: vs. Houston
Price: $6,100
Houston now having guard Patrick Beverley in their lineup will impact Stephen Curry more than anyone, with Trevor Ariza likely to get the assignment of defending Kevin Durant. So how will Houston account for what Klay Thompson brings to the table offensively? They could leave Beverley on Thompson, thus asking James Harden to defend Curry. Or, they could attempt to use Harden on Thompson and simply say to the Warriors that neither Curry nor Durant will be the ones to beat them. Easier said than done, but expect Thompson to get more than his share of scoring chances. (Getty)
SG: Sean Kilpatrick, Brooklyn
Opponent: vs. Milwaukee
Price: $5,700
While some will point out the fact that Kilpatrick needed 34 shot attempts to score his 38 points in a win over the Clippers Tuesday, it's important to also note that he was more efficient offensively and in the two overtime periods. Milwaukee's a tough matchup because of their length and athleticism so putting up numbers won't be so easy for Kilpatrick. But given the price tag and Brooklyn's need for scoring, he should be able to provide solid value to FanDuel players. (Getty)
SF: LeBron James, Cleveland
Opponent: vs. L.A. Clippers
Price: $9,700
As noted in the first slide things went poorly for the Cavaliers in Milwaukee Tuesday night, with the starters watching a good portion of the game from the bench as a result of their efforts. That should have James and the rest of the Cavaliers anxious to make a statement against another of the NBA's best teams Thursday night. With regards to James' numbers against Milwaukee, he turned the ball over seven times and scored just 25.8 FanDuel points. Don't expect a repeat of that performance against the Clippers. (Getty)
SF: Gordon Hayward, Utah
Opponent: vs. Miami
Price: $7,600
Hayward's scored 20 points or more in ten of the 13 games he's played in this season, including his current streak of five straight games. During the current streak he's scored no less than 33.5 FanDuel points in any of those games, and with head coach Quin Snyder consistently putting Hayward in positions where he can either attack the defense for his own looks or to get the ball to his teammates there's a good chance that the run continues Thursday night. (Getty)
PF: Serge Ibaka, Orlando
Opponent: at Memphis
Price: $6,300
Since finishing with five points, four rebounds and three blocks in Orlando's home loss to the Suns November 23, Ibaka's rebounded with three quality performances. Ibaka's accounted for 31.7 FanDuel points or more in each of those games, averaging 18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and one steal per contest. With the Grizzlies being a bit shorthanded in the front court, with Zach Randolph on bereavement leave, this could be a matchup where Ibaka can have a greater impact on the outcome and thus produce a solid FanDuel stat line. (Getty)
PF: JaMychal Green, Memphis
Opponent: vs. Orlando
Price: $4,400
Houston's Ryan Anderson is also available at this price, but he's going up against one of the NBA's best defenders in Draymond Green. Also, JaMychal Green has shown more in recent games outside of the points department, which is why he's tallied 25.7 FanDuel points or more in three of the last five games (Note: for the season, Anderson's been the better scorer without much difference in rebounding, per Basketball Reference). And with Zach Randolph (bereavement leave) still away from the team, there will be even more minutes for the Grizzlies' starting power forward. Wednesday night against the Raptors Green was responsible for 34.5 FanDuel points, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, five steals, one assist, one block and one turnover. (Getty)
C: Clint Capela, Houston
Opponent: at Golden State
Price: $5,900
Averaging 27.2 FanDuel points per game for the season, Capela was on a streak of nine straight games above that mark before posting a total of 20.2 points in Houston's loss in Utah Tuesday night. With averages of 12.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, Capela's a safe bet at this point to provide production at a good price in the center position. Golden State has received better play in the middle after a slow start, but Capela should still be productive against Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for December 1