Five Guys Expert NBA Top Daily Picks 3-18-14
Tonight’s five-game slate feels more like 2.5 games for our expert NBA top daily picks.
I’m already a little peeved at these occasional pseudo-Thursdays (as I’ve affectionately dubbed them), but tonight’s plight is compounded by the matchups we’re staring down. With three spreads of 9.5 points or more, an additional layer of variance is in play as the heightened blowout risk lends itself to volatility. There is a method for combating this madness though, as targeting players from the two games Vegas predicts to be close offers up extra insurance for our expert NBA top daily picks.
I talked about it extensively last week as well, and this is just your friendly neighborhood reminder to consider the usage rates of the players you select. I’ll expound upon this a little more below as we dig deep into our expert NBA top daily picks.
Five Guys Expert NBA Top Daily Picks
Damian Lillard $12,000 / Nicolas Batum $11,700 - I know I’m cheating here, but these two essentially count as one package-player that you MUST roster in the absence of LaMarcus Aldridge. The usage rates for both options spike way up, and even though this game is likely to get out of hand at some point they will be the primary components should that occur. It all boils down to the fact that this counts as the .5 of a game I joked about in the opening paragraph. These two underpriced studs are worthy of heavy consideration.
Isaiah Thomas $11,800 - Tonight’s home game for the Kings will be interesting to say the least, as the suddenly resurgent Washington Wizards are barreling full speed ahead towards a top-five playoff seed. Thomas already lit up the Wiz once this season, and with John Wall’s non-existent defense there’s no reason he can’t repeat that effort.
DeMar DeRozan $11,200 - DeRozan has been one of this season’s revelations, as rarely does a player’s game take such huge strides this far along in their careers. He’s proven now that his early-season antics were no fluke, continuing to post monster lines with regularity. This game stands to stay close, and the Raptors HAVE TO win in order to keep pace with the other rising stars in the Eastern Conference playoff race. That means we should be in for a full four quarters of DeMar goodness.
Dion Waiters $8,600 - The Cavaliers were already a low-scoring team before Kyrie Irving went down, and now they are precariously thin in the points department. Tonight’s game against Miami is shaping up to be am epic blowout, but there should be more than enough shots for Waiters as he attempts to carry the Cleveland offense on his back. I’m not saying the venture will prove successful, only that he’ll have a chance to crush value.
DeMarcus Cousins $13,700 - Even with LeBron James suiting up Cousins stands as my top overall play of the night. The Wizards lack a sturdy interior presence to bang with Boogie, as Marcin Gortat is more of a finesse center. With a close game likely I’ll gladly pay up for this slightly discounted price tag.