The NBA season rages on, and with it, the landscape of the League is really starting to take shape. The Heat continue to dominate, while the Knicks went on a mini-tear, winning 5 straight games and the Celtics have dropped a miserable 9 in a row. What else do these teams have in common? They all play this Friday night, giving you the chance to win your share of $10,000 in prize money on DraftStreet.com. For just $5, you can draft your daily fantasy basketball team and take a shot at the $2,000 first prize.
All you have to do is put together a team composed of 3 guards, 3 forwards, 1 center, and 1 utility player while staying under the $100,000 salary cap. The team whose players record the most fantasy points in Friday night’s games goes home with the big prize. Simple as that. Player salaries are determined by past performances and projected fantasy points, so be sure to keep an eye out for that sleeper pick you think is poised for a big game.
Here are some of the potential movers for Friday night’s games:
Stephen Curry (Warriors – G): $19,218
Expect some fireworks in Friday night’s showdown between Golden State and OKC. While the Warriors definitely seemed to run out of gas toward the end of their seven-game road trip, they’ll have time to recharge during their 12 day home stretch. Curry especially has looked rejuvenated at home, and he’ll come out firing against fellow contenders in OKC.
Kevin Durant (Thunder – F): $23,011
On the other side of that coin is the NBA’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant. While OKC’s offense looked borderline anemic in their two road losses against Utah and Denver, Durant has averaged 34.2 points in the 9 games since Russell Westbrook’s surgery. With the difficulty of the Thunder’s schedule picking up, expect Durant to rise to the occasion and continue his ridiculous production.
Brandon Jennings (Pistons – G): $13,881
Brandon Jennings has been a huge part of this Pistons offense this season, averaging just under 17 points and almost 9 assists. With Detroit taking on the sub-par Jazz at home, Jennings should have no trouble picking apart the Utah defense, especially if Gordon Hayward continues to struggle with his hip flexor injury.
LaMarcus Aldridge (Trail Blazers – F): $20,818
The best team in the Northwest division takes on the best team in the Southwest when the Trail Blazers meet the Spurs on Friday night. This will be the first time the teams play since the first week of the season and given that the game falls in a stretch where the Spurs are playing 13 out of 16 games at home, this could be a tough game for Portland to win. The Spurs have had the best point differential and No. 1 offense since Christmas, and have not seemed as affected defensively since losing Tiago Splitter as many expected. Still, expect LaMarcus Aldridge to put up the best individual performance of the night, as the Trail Blazers tend to lean on him in close games, as this game is bound to be competitive.
The Heat
LeBron James (Heat – F): $21,505
Dwayne Wade (Heat – G): $15,002
Chris Bosh (Heat – C): $13,337
With the Heat going up against the slumping Sixers, you’re going to want as many Heat players as you can afford this Friday. Not only is the Philly defense abysmal, but the Sixers usually get into fast-paced games that allow for a lot of possessions. This will come back to hurt them against the Heat. Expect all of Miami’s Big 3 to put up big numbers, most of all LeBron, who likes to pad his stats in mismatched contests.
Sign up at DraftStreet.com today to play for the $10,000 in prizes. All new players get up to $200 free with their first deposit. Now’s your chance to join the players who have shared in the $80,000,000 that have been won in daily fantasy sports since 2010.
There are 12 NBA games this Friday night and you can draft players from all 24 teams. Here are the games:
Bobcats vs. Magic Heat vs. 76ers
Clippers vs. Knicks Bulls vs. Wizards
Timberwolves vs. Raptors Lakers vs. Celtics
Jazz vs. Pistons Kings vs. Grizzlies
Trail Blazers vs. Spurs Cavaliers vs. Nuggets
Mavericks vs. Suns Warriors vs. Thunder
