FanNation fantasy basketball picks for Wednesday, April 15
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.
Tuesday’s overachievers
Guard: George Hill, Pacers, +15.8
Hill nearly recorded a triple-double in Tuesday’s double overtime win over the Wizards. He made 11 of his 25 shots and finished with 24 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and a block. In his last 17 games, Hill has averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds as the Pacers have almost locked up a playoff spot. Entering the final day of the regular season, Indiana has a one-game lead over Brooklyn for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Forward: P.J. Tucker, Suns, +9.8
The Suns continued their second-half slide on Tuesday with a season-ending loss to the Clippers. Tucker had a strong game, however, piling up 17 points, nine rebounds, one steal and one block while making six of his 10 shots. It was a disappointing season for the Suns, who blew up a potential playoff team at the trade deadline.
Center: Roy Hibbert, Pacers, +6.9
Hibbert didn’t have a great game on Tuesday, but he was still the best center in Basketball Throwdown. He made just three of his 10 shots en route to six points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal. Assuming they take care of business in Wednesday’s regular season finale, the Pacers will play the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs and will need Hibbert to play well to make it a competitive series.
Today’s picks
Guard: Russell Westbrook, Thunder at Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
Westbrook will look to carry the Thunder into the playoffs with a win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday, but will also need the Pelicans to lose to the Spurs. The winning part should come easily as the Timberwolves are riding an 11-game losing streak. Westbrook has averaged 45.0 points in his last two games and should clinch the scoring title unless James Harden really goes off in the Rockets’ last game.
Forward: Anthony Davis, Pelicans vs. Spurs, 8 p.m. ET
Davis is the biggest obstacle standing in Westbrook’s path to the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, the Spurs are likely to play their top guys as they battle for positioning in the extremely competitive Western Conference. Davis averages just 17.5 shots per game, but the Pelicans would be wise to get him at least 25 shots tonight.
Center: Andre Drummond, Pistons at Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
Drummond gets to face the undermanned Knicks in the final game of his third season. He has beaten his projection in six straight games while averaging 15.5 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks on 56.6% shooting from the field. With Greg Monroe hitting free agency and the uncertain futures of several other players, the Pistons figure to be a very different team next season, but Drummond is undoubtedly Stan Van Gundy’s cornerstone.
