As is normally the case on Thursdays, the NBA schedule is a light one with just five games to be played. One of those five contests is New York continuing its west coast trip with a game against the Golden State Warriors. Steadily improving on the defensive end after a slow start to the season, Golden State is the best offensive team in the NBA with a host of weapons including guard Stephen Curry ($9,100) and forward Kevin Durant ($9,700).
What complicates things for the Knicks is the status of guard Derrick Rose, who left Tuesday's game in Phoenix with back spasms and is listed as a game-time decision for Thursday in Oakland. Without Rose, New York used Brandon Jennings with the first unit and rookie Ron Baker saw some minutes when Jennings needed a breather. Kristaps Porzingis fouling out and Carmelo Anthony struggling to make shots were bigger reasons why the Knicks lost in Phoenix (they couldn't guard Eric Bledsoe either), but Rose's absence was a factor as well. If he can't go Thursday could very well be a big night for Curry, as Rose is a greater scoring threat than either Jennings or Baker.
Here are our picks for Thursday's games, with a nine-man roster and a salary cap of $60,000. (Getty)
PG: Stephen Curry, Golden State
Opponent: vs. New York
Price: $9,100
As noted in the prior slide the Knicks could be without their starting point guard, Derrick Rose, as he's listed as a game-time decision after leaving Tuesday's game with back spasms. Even if Rose can play back issues can be especially tricky, and having to chase Curry around wouldn't help matters at all. Curry's averaging 40.2 FanDuel points per game on the season, and in Tuesday's win over the Pelicans he accounted for 30 points, seven assists and four rebounds. (Getty)
PG: Patty Mills, San Antonio
Opponent: at Phoenix
Price: $4,400
With this being the second game of a back-to-back for the Spurs, it's anyone's guess as to who all will be made available by Gregg Popovich. That being said it's likely that Mills, who's been one of the first players off the bench this season, will play and that sets him up for a solid night especially if starting point guard Tony Parker sits out. Mills accounted for just 13 FanDuel points in Tuesday's game against Boston, but he's averaging 19.8 points per game on the season. (Getty)
SG: C.J. McCollum, Portland
Opponent: at Denver
Price: $7,400
Since tallying just under 48 FanDuel points in Portland's game at Indiana on December 10, McCollum's accounted for 31.5 and 26.8 points in the last two contests. Denver's made some changes to its rotation, but the perimeter rotation is still a bit banged up. That could lead to either McCollum or Lillard (or both) having nights in which they score at least 30 points and put together a solid stat line for FanDuel purposes. McCollum scored 32.6 FanDuel points against the Nuggets on November 13, and against Denver in the season opener he tallied 49.5 FanDuel points. (Getty)
SG: Klay Thompson, Golden State
Opponent: vs. Portland
Price: $6,900
Thompson has posted FanDuel point totals of 34.5 points or more in each of the last three games, and with Portland being as bad as they've been defensively this season that streak could be extended to four Wednesday night. While Thompson is averaging only 15.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game in two meetings with the Blazers this season, Thompson has scored 21 points or more in seven of the Warriors' last 11 games. (Getty)
SF: Paul George, Indiana
Opponent: at New Orleans
Price: $8,300
George has racked up 30 FanDuel points or more in each of his last seven games, and given his skill set it isn't too much to expect more of the same in New Orleans. Against the Heat Tuesday night George accounted for 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists, making it six straight games with 21 points or more. New Orleans can use former Pacer Solomon Hill as their defensive matchup on George, but it's going to be tough for the Pelicans to fully shut down one of the NBA's best players. (Getty)
SF: Maurice Harkless, Portland
Opponent: at Denver
Price: $4,900
With Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum being the focal points offensively for the Blazers, players such as Harkless simply have to make the most of the opportunities they do get. In the case of Harkless he's averaging 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, by far the best numbers of his five-year NBA career. Harkless is shooting 49.2 percent from the field this season, and in Tuesday's win over Oklahoma City he accounted for 15 points, four rebounds and five steals. The chances of him posting a high FanDuel number are slim, but he's good enough within Portland's system to approach the mid-20's in FanDuel points. (Getty)
PF: Draymond Green, Golden State
Opponent: vs. New York
Price: $8,100
With the Knicks being ranked in the bottom five in both scoring defense (25th) and defensive rating (26th), this sets up as a game where the Warriors can put up a high point total. How that affects Green is his versatility as an offensive player, as in addition to averaging 11.0 points per game he leads the Warriors in both rebounding (8.4 rpg) and assists (7.0 apg). Add in the fact that he'll need to defend either Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis, and Green is definitely a player worth considering for Thursday's FanDuel lineup. (Getty)
PF: Taj Gibson, Chicago
Opponent: vs. Orlando
Price: $4,700
After missing last Tuesday's game against Dallas with an ankle injury, Gibson has played in each of the last two games. The productivity has been down, which makes this selection a roll of the dice, but against a team with the size of the Magic Gibson will factor into the Bulls rotation. If Gibson can duplicate his performance in Chicago's win over Orlando in November, as he finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, that would qualify as a very good night given the recent ankle injury. (Getty)
C: Tyson Chandler, Phoenix
Opponent: vs. Utah
Price: $5,400
Averaging 23.7 FanDuel points per game on the season, Chandler's surpassed that number in each of the last five games for the Suns. Utah's Rudy Gobert is a tough matchup given how good he is defensively, not to mention the athleticism factor, but Chandler remains a key piece for Earl Watson's team. Chandler's grabbed 15 or more rebounds in five straight games, and he corralled 11 boards in Phoenix's loss to the Jazz on New Year's Eve.
NOTE: Chandler has been declared out for tonight's game due to a stomach issue. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for December 15