FanNation fantasy basketball picks for Monday, April 13
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 out-performs its projections by the largest amount 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.
Sunday’s overachievers
Guard: C.J. Miles, Pacers, +29.5
Miles led the Pacers to a key victory over the Thunder to keep pace with the Nets for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While Russell Westbrook scored 54 points, Miles made nine of his 14 shots for 30 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal. On the season, Miles is averaging a career-high 13.1 points. The Pacers are tied with the Nets for the No. 8 seed with two games remaining.
Forward: Wilson Chandler, Nuggets, +19.8
The Nuggets won a shootout with the Kings on Sunday, and Chandler had a strong game on both sides of the ball. He finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while making eight of his 15 shots. Following three injury-plagued seasons, Chandler has missed just two games this season and averaged 13.6 points.
Center: Andre Drummond, Pistons, +12.8
Drummond led the Pistons to a 39-point win over the Hornets on Sunday. In just 32 minutes, he piled up 15 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Over his last 12 games, Drummond has averaged 17.4 points, 15.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 54.8% from the field.
Today’s picks
Guard: Zach LaVine, Timberwolves vs. Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
LaVine is coming off a career-high 37-point game against the Warriors on Saturday. In his last 13 games, he has averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 44.2% from the field and 36.7% on three-pointers. The Slam Dunk champion has emerged as a viable running mate for likely Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins for the Timberwolves.
Forward: Anthony Davis, Pelicans at Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
With two games remaining, Davis and the Pelicans are tied with the Thunder for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Pelicans control their own destiny. Davis has beaten his projection just once in his last five games, but the Timberwolves have no one to guard him in the post.
Center: Hassan Whiteside, Heat vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Heat need to win their last two games and get help from the Pacers and Nets to make the playoffs. They should have no problem with the Magic on Monday. Whiteside has beaten his projection in three of his last four games, averaging 15.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. While the Heat are not likely to capture the No. 8 seed, they did find a keeper this season in Whiteside.
