FanDuel NBA: Best Buys For Nov. 3
Election Day will be the third consecutive seven-game slate for FanDuel NBA games; remarkably, only one of the 14 teams (Memphis) will have been in action the previous night, but they have a short trip from Oakland to face the Kings in Sacramento.
The Atlanta Hawks travel to Miami to face the Heat on NBA-TV and the 3-0 Detroit Pistons host the 0-3 Indiana Pacers (whose records are equally surprising at this stage) in another divisional game. NBA-TV’s nightcap has the Denver Nuggets versus L.A. Lakers at the Staples Center, where plenty of good seats are still available.
The latter game probably is of greater interest to fantasy enthusiasts than to fans of the sport itself.
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Less common matchups are also on the docket, as the Dallas Mavericks play host to the undefeated Toronto Raptors and the winless Orlando Magic are at home against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are also 0-3.
The latter teams are probably better than their records for different reasons, but one of them will be 0-4 after that meeting and their fan base will officially be in panic mode the next day.
Statistical Insights
Last season Detroit and Indiana split their four games, and the Pistons won the average scoring battle by a miniscule 0.8, so that’s about as even as it gets.
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Reigning Eastern Conference player of the week Andre Drummond averaged 16.3 points and 13.3 boards per game against the Pacers in 2014-15, but that should probably be considered his floor this season with the teams’ respective new looks.
The highest Vegas totals on the board belong to the Nuggets-Lakers game (209.5) and the interconference tilt between the Raptors and the Mavericks (206). The Lakers are in a state of disarray so the safer bets to contribute to that anticipated scorefest should come from the visiting team.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks and Raptors are more evenly matched, as Toronto’s undefeated record may be tested in Big D. The Mavs swept the Raptors last season, as both Kyle Lowry (35.1 FG%) and DeMar DeRozan (9.0 PPG) were held in check in the two-game set. But Dallas has a new starting backcourt this year, and they will be tested by the Raptors’ (normally) dynamic duo.
Before you write off the Chicago Bulls-Charlotte Hornets game as a mismatch, the teams actually split their four-game series last season. While Derrick Rose missed both of the Bulls’ losses to Charlotte in 2014-15, the Hornets did manage a win at the United Center in which the Bulls had most of the remaining key players in uniform that night.
Injury Notes
Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague has a sore finger, but no significant damage to his hand, so he probably will be in the lineup vs. the Heat but the situation bears watching as the team is being careful with backcourt mate Kyle Korver’s surgically repaired ankle.
Reserve guard Dennis Schroder would receive an uptick in value if he gets bumped to the starting lineup in either player’s stead.
The Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins will miss the game against Memphis for sure and at least one more, according to the team. Rookie Willie Cauley-Stein and former Denver Nugget Kosta Koufos will have a tough task ahead of them against the Grizzlies’ front line.
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