FanDuel NBA Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup For December 12
Paul George capped his best stretch of the season with 15 fourth-quarter points, part of a 37-point outing, to solidify his status as an elite small forward in FanDuel NBA play.
Any concerns stemming from the ankle injury that sidelined Indiana Pacers forward Paul George seven times in a 10-game stretch are gone.
Over the past five games, George is averaging 24.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game. The figures are enough to generate 40.3 points in FanDuel NBA tournament play during the stretch.
On the second night of a back-to-back set, Geroge was at his best, even after Indiana started the game horribly.
Portland scored 44 points in the opening quarter Saturday night, the most the Pacers have surrendered in a single period all year.
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All the slow start did was set up George’s heroics in the final period.
The Pacers erased an eight-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter as George switched from punishing the opposition from the perimeter to inside of the 3-point arc.
After connecting a season-high five times from 3-point range in the the first three quarters, George sank five mid-range jumpers and a put-back dunk to complete the impressive comeback.
When the final buzzer sounded, George had poured in 37 points, his personal best for the 2016-17 season, along with five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The three-steal performance was his third in the past six games and raised his season average to 2.0 per game, his highest during his seven-year career.
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The fourth-quarter heroics from George are nothing new, as he has become one of the most consistent crunch-time scorers in the league.
Even though he missed nearly 30 percent of the season, George has scored 45 points in crunch time, tied with San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard for the 11th-most in the NBA.
When the game is on the line, George has been even more efficient, shooting 58.6 percent from the field in crunch time. The shooting percentage is 14.3 higher than his average for the year, both figures are the highest among any of the top-15 crunch-time scorers in the NBA.
His consistency has translated into FanDuel NBA success, as he has scored 30 or more fantasy points in each of the past 10 games.
Until George cools down, he is playing well enough to be a building block for any FanDuel NBA lineup.