.jpg)
Play DraftEasy - Promo Code: Alarm for $50 FREE game plus IMMEDIATE deposit match up to $100 (NO DRIP)
When it comes to DFS, I like having a lot of options, so I was thrilled to see DraftEasy is offering four distinct slates for Friday’s contests. I like being able to scour the matchups and pick out multiple slates that I like. Of course, playing multiple slates didn’t help me last week, as I completely underestimated Philadelphia’s offense. Brandin Cooks’s injury didn’t help, either.
Now that we turn our full attention to the NBA, I have chosen two of the four NBA slates for my picks. These picks are the ones I am actually playing in my own entries. Each player is listed along with his opponent, with my pick highlighted.
Main 1: Friday February 9th
Match-up 1: Blake Griffin (LAC) vs. Lou Williams (@DET)
I find it extremely interesting Williams hasn’t topped 22 points since Blake was traded. Williams is capable of scoring 20 and ruining this pick, but Griffin is averaging 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists since the trade while Williams is averaging 19.5, 2.5 and 6.3. Blake appears to have a clear advantage before you even take into considering the revenge game aspect.
Match-up 2: Khris Middleton (@MIA) vs. Will Barton (@HOU)
In the three games since Jabari Parker returned, Khris Middleton is averaging 15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He might bounce back a little bit in this game, but he is unlikely to be the same player with Parker soaking up shot attempts. Will Barton had 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in his only game against the Rockets this season, and he is coming off three days’ rest.
Match-up 3: Jamal Murray (@HOU) vs. Nikola Mirotic (@PHI)
Mirotic had a double-double in his first game with the Pelicans, and if he does that again, Murray will probably have to score 30 points—which he has done just once in his last seven games—to keep up. Of course, Mirotic had just five points, three rebounds and two assists in his second game as a Pelican, while Murray has had at least 14 points and three rebounds in nine consecutive games. Murray’s ceiling is just as high as Mirotic’s, and Murray has a much higher floor. This is an easy choice.
Match-up 4: Goran Dragic (MIL) vs. Jrue Holiday (@PHI)
With Dwayne Wade returning Friday, Dragic could see his shot attempts and even his assists fall. Dragic has been all-or-nothing of late anyway, scoring 13 points or fewer in four of his last eight games. Holiday is a pretty safe bet to have more assists than Dragic, and if Wade effects Dragic even a little bit, that should be enough for Holiday to come out on top.
Match-up 5: Dario Saric (NOP) vs. Gary Harris (@HOU)
Harris is a better scorer than Saric, but not that much better. Not enough to make up for Saric’s rebounding advantage. Saric has three double-doubles in his last nine games, and if he gets another, it is game over, man.
Early One Only: Friday February 9th
Match-up 1: Bledsoe has at least 23 points, four rebounds and six assists in each of his last two games. Even so, he is averaging 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists over the last two weeks. Gary Harris is averaging 21.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists over that same span. Bledsoe is going to come back down to Earth sooner or later, and Harris is much safer.
Match-up 2: Dennis Schroder (CLE) vs. Tobias Harris (@DET)
None of Cleveland’s new acquisitions are expected to play Friday, which leaves an awful defensive team incredibly thin. Jose Calderon will likely start at point guard, and he won’t really have a backup. Dennis Schroder should have a field day. Tobias Harris is interesting if you buy into the “revenge game” narrative, but I can’t see how he competes with Schroder.
Match-up 3: Al Horford (IND) vs. Ish Smith (LAC)
If you look at their numbers over the last two weeks, it isn’t particularly close. Their points and steals are similar, but Horford is pretty close in assists and has a big advantage in blocks, rebounds and three pointers. Since Blake Griffin has joined the team, Smith has scored 12, 25, seven and 15 points. Horford is a steady player, and if he records his 14th double-double of the season, he should win this match-up easily.
Match-up 4: Hassan Whiteside (MIL) vs. Danilo Gallinari (@DET)
Gallinari is averaging 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in three games since returning from his hip injury. Gallinari is free to play power forward with Blake Griffin gone, and while he may not average 26 points per game the rest of the way, he should be better than his season averages of 15.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside has had at least 16 points and 14 rebounds in each of his last two games, and he had 27 and 14 against Milwaukee last month. That being said, he has been remarkably inconsistent this season, and I don’t trust him to get a third consecutive double-double. Out of all of the match-ups I’m picking today, this one has the potential to make me look the silliest if Whiteside has another huge game.
Match-up 5: Robert Covington (NOP) vs. Dewayne Dedmon (CLE)
Dedmon’s matchup isn’t quite as good as Dennis Schroder’s, because Tristan Thompson is a better defender and he actually has a healthy backup in Ante Zizic. Even so, this is a great spot for every Hawk, and Dedmon could easily put up a double-double even if he only plays 20 minutes. Robert Covington has been awfully quiet of late, and I’m not particularly worried about that changing Friday.
Play DraftEasy - Promo Code: Alarm for $50 FREE game plus IMMEDIATE deposit match up to $100 (NO DRIP)