Fantasy Tips 2: Halloween in the NBA
It is Halloween season indeed as the NBA is off to a bizarre start–fan favorite, “unbeatable” teams are losing games, and a lot of players are suddenly getting hurt. Who is taking advantage of this chaos?
The Fantasy Tips series gathers key NBA fixtures within the week and projects stat-leaders, plays scenarios, and suggests optimal fantasy picks.
Match 1: The Atlanta Hawks vs the Miami Heat (Thursday, 7:00AM)
The Heat’s Giannis experiment is taking a long while to get some momentum. As of this writing, the Heat still haven’t won any game and have lost 4 straight games to start the season. Experts are saying that it’s probably the subpar shooting performances that is causing them trouble, but fans are apprehensive that Giannis and Bam are not a good fit. It is too early to tell though, and the Atlanta Hawks will give them a tough challenge. Atlanta lost back to back games against the Houston Rockets, but they have beaten Orlando and Charlotte.
Suggested Laki Play lineup:
Captain: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Vice Captain: Bam Adebayo
Key picks: Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis Jr., Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum
Match 2: The New York Knicks vs the Detroit Pistons (Wednesday, 8:00AM)
The defending champs have lost three straight to start the season (they also lost 3 out of the 4 preseason games), and it’s not looking good at all. They have lost against the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics, and the Philadelphia 76ers–all eastern conference rivals. They will now face an unbeaten Detroit squad led by star Cade Cunningham. The Pistons are counting on Jalen Duren and John Collins, both dynamic bigs, to exploit New York’s small line-up. Can the Knicks finally win one?
Suggested Laki Play lineup:
Captain: Cade Cunningham
Vice Captain: Jalen Brunson
Key picks: Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Duncan Robinson, John Collins
Match 3: The Milwaukee Bucks vs the Houston Rockets (Thursday, 8:00AM)
It is Kevin Durant’s 20th season, yet he is still as potent a scorer as ever. The Houston Rockets have never lost yet, and they are expected to beat the Bucks who are in a rebuild mode. The combination of height and youth is just too much–Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr, are all mismatches for the Milwaukee defense. Fred VanVleet’s return is also an x-factor–his playmaking and passing (7 assists per game) makes the Rockets offense much more smoother.
Suggested Laki Play lineup:
Captain: Alperen Sengun
Vice Captain: Kevin Durant
Key picks: Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Match 4: The Dallas Mavericks vs the Oklahoma City Thunder (Thursday, 9:30AM)
Cooper Flagg has not skipped a beat after coming back from a shoulder injury sustained during their match against the Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 26 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and an astounding 3.7 steals per game. He has been a match-up nightmare to opposing defenses (slower bigs, smaller guards). On the other side, the Thunder have been unfortunate to say the least–they have lost key players Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace to bad, season-ending injuries. Chet Holmgren is also questionable due to a knee sprain (bigs and knees are not a good combination). Despite that, OKC is still undefeated, and this match against Coop and Uncle Drew should be exciting.
Suggested Laki Play lineup:
Captain: Cooper Flagg
Vice Captain: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Key picks: Kyrie Irving, Ajay Mitchell, P.J. Washington, Chet Holmgren, Kenrich Williams
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