Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers
Total: 230.5
MIL -5
Milwaukee
I have minimal interest in the Bucks stars, specifically Giannis Antetokounmpo . He's not really playing north of 30 minutes these days and I know he can fill it up quickly, but he's very expensive and I'm not sure he'll hit value. He's OK considering it's a slate with only six teams and not many options. If Khris Middleton sits, Eric Bledsoe is an elite play. If Middleton returns to action, he's solid as he's averaged 38.1 FP/game against PHI this year.
Brook Lopez should have an easier time without Joel Embiid patrolling the middle as well. He's averaged 17.5 actual points against PHI across two meetings this year to boot. Pat Connaughton has been playing 30-plus minutes on a nightly basis and looks very good in doing so, scoring 30-plus FP in three-of-four games. Sterling Brown is going to be very popular here, especially if Middleton sits. I'm not quite sure how big his role will be if he plays, but he's played 20-plus minutes in four straight games. I'm not sure Milwaukee's plan is to get George Hill ready for the postseason, but he's also taken on a big role off of the bench lately playing 29 and 30 minutes while scoring 29 & 30 FP.
Philadelphia
I wonder how many 76ers regulars play tonight on the second night of a back-to-back. My thing about the 76ers is that they have already clinched a playoff birth. They have the three seed all sewn up. If like the likes of Ben Simmons , Jimmy Butler , Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick play, they're all viable options. I'm just wondering if they do indeed play, if they're going to be limited or not. Either way, Jonah Bolden is where my interest lies with Joel Embiid out. In only 24 minutes last night Bolden recorded a double-double and notched 36 FP for the second time in three games. Nobody else is really on my radar unles we here news on Philly's starters.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Sacramento Kings
Total: 229
SAC -9.5
Cleveland
I don't expect Kevin Love to suit up here and it would make our lives much easier if he didn't. Love soaks up a lot, let me rephrase, almost all of the Cleveland usage so with him out, more options are in play. Collin Sexton continues to score and score and score some more as he's scored 20-plus actual points in 12-of-13 games. SAC doesn't defend point-guards well either, so lock Sexton in and move on. It's almost a miracle to see Jordan Clarkson play over 30 minutes in a game, so hopefully we can get that again tonight. He's done so in five-of-seven games and he makes for an excellent GPP dart tonight on a three-game slate simply because of his ability to score.
I mainly want Kevin Love to sit so we can load up on Larry Nance Jr. Nance is a FP/min monster and fills up a box score like not many people can. Just to give you a little taste on what he's capable of, he's had double-figure rebounds in three straight, he has at least one steal in seven straight and has four or more assists in four-of-five games. Plus, he can score the ball a little bit too.
I love attacking Kings centers and although he's seemingly still limited in terms of minutes,Tristan Thompson has played 26 minutes in a recent game and at his current price tag, he could SMASH against this team if he were given that amount of run again. Cedi Osman is OK, but I'm not getting excited over him either.
Sacramento
The first time the Kings and Cavs met, it was the De'Aaron Fox show. Fox scored 30 actual and dished out 12 assists in just 29 minutes. He's an elite play against the team ranking 28th accoridng to DvP vs. PG's. The entire Kings back-court interests me, including Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic . We know Hield can fill it up QUICK if he sees a couple of shots go in. Bogdanovic is interesting because one game he'll approach 30 minutes and the next he'll play around 20. It makes him a tournament only play but good thing we have a three-game slate on our hands!
The Nemanja Bjelica expierence should be over now that the Kings are officially eliminated from the postseason but he actually does have a decent price tag if you want to go there. I'd rather play Marvin Bagley who is as advertised when simply given the time on the floor. He's coming off back-to-back 33-plus FP outings including one double-double.
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers
Total: 228
GSW -13
Golden State
Knowing that this is the first leg of a back-to-back, I assume somebody rests for Golden State. That said, DeMarcus Cousins is expected to play tonight and sit Friday's game. It's just not exciting playing the Warriors. If this game becomes a blowout early, there is no shot we see any starter play north of 25 minutes. If I had to rank the Warriors in terms of interest; Stephen Curry , DeMarcus Cousins , Kevin Durant , Klay Thompson , Draymond Green . I honestly almost have more interest in guys like Kevon Looney , Quinn Cook and Jonas Jerebko as they could play a big role in a blowout.
Los Angeles
I don't think we should expect to see Kyle Kuzma here which means it's going to be quite the interesting lineup the Lakers throw out there. Against the Thunder, they started Rajon Rondo , Kentavious Caldwell-Pope , Lance Stephenson , Moritz Wagner and JaVale McGee . All five starters saw 25-plus minutes. The only other two Lakers players that played a significant role were Alex Caruso (29 minutes) and Reggie Bullock (30 minutes).
I really like Mo Wagner as a player and think the Lakers will let him play these final few games. Between he and Alex Caruso , they're my favorite Lakers on the slate. We know Stephenson's ability to fill up a box score and put on a show as well, so I could get behind some shares of "Born Ready".