With the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets in a six-team battle for the Western Conference’s third seed, every game matters from here on out. Right now, Denver holds the No. 3 spot, but it’s just half a game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, 1.5 games ahead of the Warriors in fifth, and 2.5 games up on the LA Clippers in eighth, so a lot can change in a hurry, especially during games between two of the teams stuck in the morass.
Unfortunately for Golden State, which made a statement with a 123-116 win over Los Angeles last night, the team’s two most important players are both banged up. Stephen Curry ($9,400), who recorded 37 points (50.75 FPTS) last night, fell on his injured pelvis and is questionable, and Jimmy Butler ($8,400) is also questionable with a forearm issue. Curry’s backup, Gary Payton II ($3,400) is iffy as well with a thumb injury.
With a three-game late slate, finding value options for the NBA $70K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (Night) is critical, and if either Curry or Butler misses the game, there might be some good ones. Jonathan Kuminga ($5,300) would almost certainly step into the starting lineup if Butler is unable to go, while Buddy Hield ($3,600) might have some value in Curry’s stead.
PF Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets, $5,300
Kuminga is relatively expensive for a guy who’s only averaged 21.9 minutes per game since returning from the ankle sprain that cost him more than two months of game time, but he’s been worth it, as a relatively consistent contributor who’s capable of making an impact both with his shooting and rebounding. He’s scored between 15 and 18 points (21.5 and 37.75 FPTS) in each of the past five games that he hasn’t gotten injured in, so you kind of know what you’re getting with him.
Plus, unlike Hield, Kuminga is a player capable of averaging 27.0 points over a four-game span, as he did between December 23 and 28. He still has some star upside, although perhaps not as much as the Warriors hoped when they selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, and he certainly has the usage rate to match. He’s been so productive on a per-minute basis this season because he’s recorded a 27.3% usage rate, the 29th-highest among 256 players with at least 1,000 total minutes this season. I also think Butler’s marginally more likely than Curry to ultimately miss the game, given that he left the bench briefly after his injury while Curry stayed in the contest.
If he does start, Kuminga might have big numbers against a struggling Denver defense that has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards. This season, the Nuggets have played at the league’s sixth-fastest pace and had the 11th-worst defensive rating, so opponents have stuffed the stat sheet against them. Kuminga might spend a lot of time being guarded by Michael Porter Jr. ($7,000), and the less said about his defense, the better.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $70K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (Night)
