FanNation fantasy basketball picks for Tuesday, Nov. 18
Ready to show your friends you know more about the NBA than they do? FanNation's Basketball Throwdown fantasy basketball game is your best option. You pick a guard, forward and center who you think will exceed their fantasy projections. The scoring system takes into account points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and turnovers. The team that surpasses their projections by the most wins, so picking a lineup of Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Joakim Noah is no sure-fire path to victory. You can also bet anywhere from $1 to $500 on each night's matchup or play for free.
I'll give you my picks each day and a recap of yesterday's top performers so you can get bragging rights over your friends.
Sign up for tonight's Basketball Throwdown here.
Last night's overachievers
Guard: Mario Chalmers, Heat, +12.1
With Dwyane Wade out of the lineup, Chalmers stepped up to lead the Heat past the Nets in Brooklyn. Chalmers shot 13 free throws and piled up 22 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Despite coming off the bench regularly for the first time in several years, Chalmers is averaging a career-high 13.5 points so far this season.
Forward: Markieff Morris, Suns, +24.9
After averaging just 8.5 points in his previous four games, Morris dropped a career-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals to blow past his projected stat line on Monday. His impressive performance helped carry the Suns to a 118-114 victory over the Celtics on the road.
Center: DeAndre Jordan, Clippers, +11.4
While the Bulls ultimately got the best of the Clippers on Monday, Jordan had a big night on the boards. He pulled down 17 rebounds and added 10 points and three blocks to be the best Basketball Throwdown center of the night. Bulls center Joakim Noah also had a great night (11 points, 16 rebounds, six assists), but had a higher projected total going into the game.
Today's picks
Guard: Kobe Bryant, Lakers at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Bryant is the safest best to surpass his projected stats tonight because the projection is almost comically low. Despite leading the league in scoring at 27.3 points per game, he is only slated to score a measly 18 points tonight. With the volume Bryant has been shooting the ball this season, he should blow past the projected stats just like on Sunday when he dropped 44 points in only 31 minutes against the Warriors.
Forward: Tyreke Evans, Pelicans at Kings, 10 p.m. ET
Evans has taken on a bigger playmaking role in his second season with the Pelicans and is averaging a career-high 7.2 assists per game. A matchup with his old team should bring out the best in him tonight. Evans scored better than 20 points per game last season against the Kings and this is likely a date he had circled all summer long.
Center: Al Horford, Hawks vs Lakers, 7:30 p.m. ET
With DeMarcus Cousins facing the formidable frontline of Anthony Davis and Omer Asik, Horford is the pick at center tonight. The Lakers are a mess defensively, allowing a league-worst 112.1 points per game. The Lakers big men are so weak that none of them are listed as centers in Basketball Throwdown. If Kobe can keep the Lakers in the game, Horford should get enough minutes to feast against the Los Angeles defense.
- Paul Palladino
