There are two NBA games on Thursday’s slate. The Indiana Pacers host the Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Finals rematch at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Golden State Warriors welcome the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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On DraftKings Sportsbook, OKC is a 7.5-point favorite over IND on the road with the total at 229.5. DEN is a 1.5-point favorite over GSW on the road with the total at 233.5.
This article was written on Wednesday night. Any changes will be updated.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ($6,400): The matchup is a lopsided one, as the Thunder are one of the best defenses in the league. But Nembhard is intimately familiar with their speed and ferocity from the NBA Finals last year. With Tyrese Haliburton out, Nembhard will likely garner more usage and offensive responsibility this season. He did put up over 40+ FPTS five times last season, with one of those during the playoffs. I’d like to save salary to save room for Nikola Jokic, so the floor/ceiling/price combo of Nembhard is intriguing.
Other Options: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,500), Stephen Curry ($9,000), Jamal Murray ($7,000)
Value
Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers ($3,800): Mitchell was great off the bench on Tuesday, contributing 16 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a block in 15 minutes. There’s a chance he sees more playing time in this one, as Alex Caruso is in the concussion protocol while Cason Wallace is dealing with a knee issue.
Other Options: Bennedict Mathurin ($6,000), Christian Braun ($5,300), Bruce Brown ($4,000)
Forward
Stud
Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ($8,200): I could copy and paste the Nembhard section above and just insert Siakam’s name — but I’m a professional, so I will reiterate. Siakam has experience against the Thunder defense from the NBA Finals and put up at least 50 FPTS twice against OKC. With Haliburton out, Siakam should garner more usage.
Other Options: Chet Holmgren ($7,500), Jimmy Butler ($7,400)
Value
Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers ($4,200): Wiggins played 21 minutes on Tuesday and produced 10 points, one rebound, and an assist. Wiggins doesn’t do much outside of scoring, but when he gets hot, he can light up the scoreboard. Last season, Wiggins put up over 40 FPTS seven times, with three over 50 FPTS and a high of 66.5 FPTS. He likely won’t get the playing time to access a ceiling game again, but there is a chance he sees more minutes in this one due to the injuries that Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace are dealing with.
Other Options: Bennedict Mathurin ($6,000), Jonathan Kuminga ($5,800), Aaron Nesmith ($5,600), Christian Braun ($5,300), Ousmane Dieng ($3,100) if Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace are out
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors ($11,500): Jokic is the gold standard for fantasy, possessing the best floor/ceiling combo in the game. Victor Wembanyama has the potential to surpass Jokic at some point, but he needs quite a few more games to match the consistency. Jokic laughably put up at least 70 FPTS 31 times last season, with six of those over 90 FPTS and a high of 100.2 FPTS.
Other Options: Chet Holmgren ($7,500)
Value
Al Horford, Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets ($4,700): Horford only played 20 minutes on Tuesday, finishing with 12.2 FPTS. I think he gets close to 30 mpg in this one to match up with Jokic. And minutes are half the battle. Last season, Horford averaged 0.82 FPTS per minute. Steve Kerr already announced that Horford will have a rest day on Friday, so he might as well empty the tank.
Other Options: Isaiah Jackson ($5,500), Jonas Valanciunas ($4,600)
