FanNation fantasy basketball picks for Monday, Nov. 24
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, +16.8
Chalmers has been a regular in this space to start the season and he makes another appearance as Dwyane Wade missed his sixth straight game with a hamstring injury. Chalmers led the Heat to a win over the Charlotte Hornets by piling up 20 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. Chalmers is averaging a career-high 14.6 points per game for the 8-6 Heat.
Forward: Marreese Speights, Warriors, +24.4
Speights has played well in limited minutes for the past week and continued his strong play on Sunday in extended minutes. After Andrew Bogut left the game with an orbital contusion, Speights dropped 28 points and added seven rebounds and two assists in a season-high 25 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Center: Marc Gasol, Grizzlies, +16.9
After scoring a career-high 32 points against the Celtics on Friday night, Gasol led the Grizzlies to a win over the Los Angeles Clippers at home. He racked up 30 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and one assist as the Grizzlies became the first team in the league to 12 wins.
Today's picks
Guard: Terrence Ross, Raptors vs. Suns, 7:30 p.m. ET
Ross hasn't made a significant leap in his third year, but a matchup with the Suns should give him plenty of scoring chances tonight. His numbers are nearly identical to last season and he hasn't scored 20 points in a game so far. While he likely won't equal his 51-point game from last year tonight, the uptempo Suns are not a strong defensive team. At the very least, Ross should see a boost in his stats from additional playing time if the game is close.
Forward: Trevor Ariza, Rockets vs. Knicks, 8:00 p.m. ET
In his return season to the Rockets, Ariza is putting up similar numbers to last season with the Washington Wizards. While the Knicks are an improved defensive team under first-year head coach Derek Fisher, Ariza will likely face off with a poor defender in Carmelo Anthony. With Dwight Howard's status for the game uncertain, Ariza should receive more touches on offense tonight.
Center: Nikola Vucevic, Magic at Cavaliers, 7:00 p.m. ET
While he doesn't receive much fanfare because he plays for the Magic, Vucevic is one of the best fantasy centers in the league. He has continued to improve each season and in his fourth season he is averaging 19.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Coming off a monster 33-point, 17-rebound game against the Miami Heat on Saturday, Vucevic should have another big night against the Cavaliers on Monday.
- Paul Palladino
