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Last week’s FantasyAlarm Featured game was a lot of fun, even if we had three picks fall just short. The game might have gone differently if Karl-Anthony Towns hadn’t gotten ejected before halftime, but those are the breaks sometimes. We have another featured matchup between two potential playoff teams this week, and it should be just as much fun. The Clippers are struggling mightily defensively since the All-Star break, but Cleveland is still looking for consistent offense outside of LeBron James.  Add it all up, and you get a fantasy slate that should offer a unique challenge.

FantasyAlarm Featured Game

Match-up 1: Lou Williams vs. LeBron James

LeBron James is averaging a triple-double over the last month. Williams is a prolific scorer, but LeBron is averaging 6.6 more points per game over the last two weeks, and he has huge advantages in rebounds and assists. If LeBron has a poor night from the field and racks up a bunch of turnovers, Williams has a chance, but in this case, the obvious choice is probably the right one.

Match-up 2: DeAndre Jordan vs. Larry Nance Jr.

This might be the most interesting matchup of the slate. Larry Nance Jr. has double-doubles in each of the last two games with Tristan Thompson out, playing at least 32 minutes in each. For as good as Nance was in those games, he also allowed the opposing starting centers—Andre Drummond and Nikola Jokic—to shoot a combined 17-19 in those games. Jordan probably isn’t as good offensively as either of those centers, but he is probably better defensively. Jordan has at least 15 rebounds in each of his last four games, and if he runs that streak to five games, Nance is going to have an awfully hard time keeping up.

Match-up 3: Rodney Hood vs. Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers is not the most efficient player out there, which can be a problem in DraftEasy’s scoring. That being said, he has at least 10 field goal attempts in every game since he returned from a heel injury. Rodney Hood has at least nine field goal attempts in each of his last five games, and he has been just as inconsistent as Austin Rivers. With everything else being so close, this comes down to the team defenses. Cleveland ranks 13th in defensive efficiency since the All-Star Break, while the Clippers are 27th.

Match-up 4: Jordan Clarkson vs. Kyle Korver

Only the Pistons and Bulls have allowed more three point attempts than the Clippers since the All-Star Break. While both of these players are capable three-point shooters, this should benefit Korver more. Even so, I don’t know how you can trust a guy who played just seven minutes with zero points, zero assists, zero rebounds, zero steals and zero blocks less than a week ago. Jordan Clarkson has scored at least eight points in every game with the Cavs and is averaging 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists with Cleveland. Korver has scored double-digit points just twice in his last 10 games.

Match-up 5: George Hill vs. Milos Teodosic

George Hill has scored seven points or fewer in six of his 10 games since joining the Cavaliers. His only saving grace is he has at least three assists in five consecutive games and at least three rebounds in four of his last five. Milos Teodosic is known for his passing, and he has at least four assists in each of his last five games. Perhaps more surprising, he is averaging 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds over that span. Milos feels like the slightly better call here, but as with Rodney Hood, I am going to go with George Hill based on the matchup. None of the Clippers’ three point guards are strong defensively, and Hill should be able to take advantage of that.

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