FanNation fantasy basketball picks for Wednesday, March 11
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: Rodney Stuckey, Pacers, +33.7
Stuckey had a huge night off the bench to lead the Pacers to their sixth straight win. He made 13 of his 19 shots and finished with 34 points, seven assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block as Indiana beat Orlando, 118-86. Stuckey is playing on a one-year contract with the Pacers and has been an absolute steal this season. During the Pacers’ winning streak, he has averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Forward: Amir Johnson, Raptors, +18.3
While the Raptors’ slide continued with a loss to the Spurs on Tuesday, Johnson had his first double-double since mid-January. He had 16 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and one block as Toronto lost for the ninth time in its last 10 games. The Raptors have dropped to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and will need more consistent play from Johnson to snap out of their prolonged funk.
Center: Rudy Gobert, Jazz, +18.3
Gobert and frontcourt mate Derrick Favors combined to dominate the lowly Knicks on Tuesday. While Favors finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, Gobert also played a huge role in Utah's win. He made four of his eight shots en route to 10 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, three steals and one assist. Since moving into the starting lineup after the Enes Kanter trade, Gobert has averaged 9.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while shooting 54.7 percent from the field.
Today's picks
Guard: Victor Oladipo, Magic at Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
Oladipo has beaten his projection in five straight games and should be able to continue his strong play on Wednesday against the Bucks. Although Orlando has won just two of its last five, Oladipo has shown star potential, averaging 25.2 points, 5.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 55.6 percent on three pointers.
Forward: Brandon Bass, Celtics vs. Grizzlies, 7:30 p.m. ET
Bass has been a major reason why the Celtics are still hanging around the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Since he moved into the starting lineup in late January, he has averaged 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds as the Celtics have gone 13-10. More recently, he has beaten his projection in four of his last five games while averaging 27 fantasy points. The Grizzlies have a talented frontcourt, but Bass should see enough playing time to beat his projection once again regardless.
Center: Brook Lopez, Nets at Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET
Lopez has alternated between sensational and mediocre all season, but Wednesday's matchup against the Heat will allow him to put up big numbers. He is averaging 15.5 points and 6.7 rebounds this season and has beaten his projection in four of his last five games. With Heat center Hassan Whiteside serving a one-game suspension, Lopez will be able to control the paint in Miami.
