NBA Picks for Wednesday

G-1 Sundiata Gaines/MarShon Brooks: With Deron Williams out again tonight, Gaines takes over for the second straight game at point guard.  Monday night, Gaines had 22 fantasy points in 33 minutes of action while Brooks had 33 fantasy points that included 24 points in 37 minutes of action.  With plenty of shots to go around now that Williams is out again, we expect 20+ from Gaines and 28+ from Brooks against the Knicks who gave up 110 points last night to the Celtics.

G-2 Brandon Knight: Knight has quietly scored at least 20 points in 3 of his last 4 games and is averaging 32.25 fantasy points over that 4 game span.  2 weeks ago he had a poor game against Atlanta, but Knight has been red hot so we hope for this streak to continue.

G-3 Klay Thompson/Nate Robinson: With David Lee out for the rest of the season, Thompson and Robinson have benefited greatly from the extra shot opportunities.  Thompson is averaging 38 fantasy points over the last 3 games which include 25.7 PPG, and Robinson is averaging 35 fantasy points over the last 2 games while coming off the bench.  Clearly the offense is running through either Thompson or Robinson.  Although they are both becoming a little pricey, they are still a for sure 2.0 since there are no other scorers on Golden State.  Expect 28+ from each tonight.

Other Guards to consider: Greivis Vasquez, Gordon Hayward, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Andre Iguodala, Devin Ebanks (20 fantasy points last night at under 5K), Tony Parker (only 12.4K)

F-1 Patrick Patterson: Both Camby and Dalembert are iffy for tonight.  With that being said, Patterson would be next in line to start for the Rockets.  Valued at 6.5K on draftstreet, he is definitely a low risk that has huge potential for tonight.  Monday night he was just short of a double-double.  Keep an eye on Camby and Dalembert’s status throughout the day.

F-2 Jason Smith: Kaman has been ruled out for the season giving the starting nod to Smith.  On Sunday against the Grizzlies, Smith had 30 fantasy points and a double-double.  The Hornets play the Grizz again tonight; we expect 25+ in 35 minutes of action.

F-3 Ivan Johnson: Zaza Pachulia could be out for the rest of the season, and Horford is still not healthy enough to suit up, so the Hawks have no choice but to play Ivan in big minutes.  With Zaza being out in the last 2 games, Ivan has put up 25, and 33 fantasy points respectively.  Monday night he had a career high with 21 points and chipped in 8 boards in 27 minutes of action.  Look for 25+ tonight against the Pistons.

Other Forwards to consider: Dorrell Wright, J.J. Hickson, DeMarre Carroll (5K), Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James (Wade and Bosh out), Luke Babbitt.

C-1 Al Jefferson: Maybe Jefferson will hope the Jazz play 3 OTs again tonight so he can have 60 fantasy points.  All kidding aside, the Jazz play a depleted Trail Blazer team tonight that is without Aldridge, and could possibly be without Batum and Przybilla tonight.  There is no way Hickson can come close to matching up well against Jefferson, so we expect 45+ from “Big Al” tonight.

C-2 Andrew Bynum/Pau Gasol: The Lakers are playing one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA tonight (Warriors), and both Bynum and Gasol have no choice but to step up their game with Kobe still likely out.  Even though they are both very expensive, the game should turn into a high scoring affair with Bynum and Gasol each putting up 40+ fantasy points.  Bynum is averaging 43 fantasy points over his last 4 games while Gasol is averaging 40 fantasy points over the last 6 games.  In addition, last time the Lakers played the Warriors, Gasol had 26 points and 11 rebounds.

C-3 Greg Monroe: Monroe has not been very consistent this season, but if you don’t want to play an expensive center, then Monroe is your guy.  He has had a double-double in 3 of his last 4 games, and is averaging 37 fantasy points over that span.

Other Centers to consider: DeMarcus Cousins (25 points, 11 rebounds last time against SA), Marcin Gortat

OSFs Lineup:

F: Patrick Patterson

F: J.J. Hickson

G: Devin Ebanks

G: Klay Thompson

C: Al Jefferson

C: Pau Gasol

U: LeBron James

U: DeMarre Carroll

Total: $99,827

Value player for each team:                                    Snake Draft:

Hawks: Ivan Johnson                                           1. LeBron James

Celtics: Avery Bradley                                         2. Carmelo Anthony

Bobcats: Byron Mullens                                       3. Kevin Durant

Bulls: Kyle Korver                                               4. Al Jefferson

Cavs: Donald Sloan                                              5. Andrew Bynum

Mavs: Vince Carter                                               6. Pau Gasol

Nuggets: Arron Afflalo                                         7. Chris Paul

Pistons: Brandon Knight                                       8. Rajon Rondo

Warriors: Dorrell Wright                                       9. Blake Griffin

Rockets: Patrick Patterson                                    10. Josh Smith

Clippers: Randy Foye

Lakers: Devin Ebanks

Grizzlies: Rudy Gay

Heat: Mike Miller

Bucks: Beno Udrih

Nets: MarShon Brooks

Hornets: Jason Smith

Knicks: J.R. Smith

Thunder: Serge Ibaka

Magic: Ryan Anderson

76er’s: Andre Iguodala

Suns: Shannon Brown

Trail Blazers: J.J. Hickson

Spurs: Tony Parker

Raptors: DeMar DeRozan

Jazz: DeMarre Carroll

Wizards: Kevin Seraphin