Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (1/31)! In this article, I’ll outline my favorite cash game and GPP options at each of the positions. I’ll utilize our Projections Portal when making decisions about what types of leagues specific players are best suited for. You can get all of my Core Plays along with our Cheat Sheets, projections, and Premium Discord channels with our Premium NBA Package.
| Guards | Forwards |
Centers | Game Stacks |
| J. Giddey | D. Sabonis | A. Drummond | GS/HOU |
| C. Martin | T. Harris | B. Adebayo | MEM/PHI |
| S. Curry | M. Morris | K. Looney | LAC/IND |
| G. Trent | E. Gordon | J. Nurkic | POR/OKC |
| C. McCollum | J. Brown | R. Holmes | TOR/ATL |
*If you don’t already play 3 max entry contests daily, try using the teams provided in the stacks above to maximize upside and correlation in your NBA lineups.
Guards
Cash
Josh Giddey’s performed extremely well in limited games without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season. He’s averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in those contests. Giddey also gets an elite matchup against the Portland Blazers, and he’s a triple-double threat tonight. Caleb Martin is far too cheap with Jimmy Butler out. He should see close to 30 minutes tonight, and he’s well under $4k. Martin’s consistently found success when given the minutes, and he’s one of the easiest plays on tonight’s slate. If you’re looking to spend up a bit here, CJ McCollum is still far too cheap. He’s been performing well, and he gets a great matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. This game has a surprisingly close spread, so we don’t need to worry too much about a blowout tonight. You can also consider Seth Curry, Tyler Herro, Anfernee Simons, and Tre Mann here.
GPP
Gary Trent is one of my favorite options in GPPs on this slate. He’s caught fire, scoring 30+ real points in each of his last three games. He’s been better on the road, and Trent gets an elite matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta’s one of the worst teams in the NBA against scoring guards, and Trent comes with tremendous upside. Stephen Curry is another interesting option. He gets a matchup against the Houston Rockets, who have struggled as much as anyone defensively. Curry will do anything he wants on the court tonight, but the blowout potential and others finding success make him somewhat of a risky option. Fred VanVleet is another interesting option, as he comes with plenty of potential in a solid matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. On the other side, Trae Young comes with tremendous upside. Gabe Vincent, Tyrese Maxey, and Ja Morant are all guards that can be considered in GPPs tonight as well.
Forward
Cash
I’ll continue to take a stand on Domantas Sabonis with Myles Turner out. He’s been elite without Turner in the lineup, and he comes with true triple-double potential. Furthermore, Sabonis will spend plenty of time at center, and the Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the worst teams in the NBA against centers in recent games. Sabonis is still under $10k, and he’s an elite option. Tobias Harris will see a bigger role in the offense with Joel Embiid out tonight. He isn’t overly expensive at this point, but he comes with tremendous upside, as Embiid’s been the entire focal point of the offense in recent weeks. Harris can be considered in all leagues. Lu Dort is another interesting option with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out. He’s a solid option at a weak position, as he should see a larger offensive role. I don’t love the forward positions tonight, but Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and Pascal Siakam are all interesting options tonight.
GPP
Marcus Morris is an extremely interesting option tonight. He gets a plus matchup against a weak Indiana Pacers defense as they continue to deal with injuries. They’ve also struggled against power forwards throughout the season, and Morris comes with plenty of scoring potential as one of the top options for the Los Angeles Clippers. Jaylen Brown gets a plus matchup against the Miami Heat, who’ve struggled against scoring shooting guards this season. The Heat will also be without Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler, adding value to Brown’s scoring potential. He does come with risk in the Boston Celtics offense, though. Eric Gordon is extremely scoring dependent, and he gets a tough matchup against the Golden State Warriors. With that being said, he’s extremely cheap, comes with plenty of upside, and is getting around 30 minutes or so each night. He’ll come with quite a bit of risk because of the matchup, but he’ll also barely see any ownership. Desmond Bane, Al Horford, Kevin Love, and Jonathan Kuminga can be considered here as well.
Center
Cash
You’re starting your cash games with Andre Drummond tonight. Joel Embiid’s already been ruled out, and Drummond is a dominant per-minute player. He’s likely to see around 30 minutes tonight, and he’s arguably the best option on the slate tonight. Bam Adebayo is another interesting option that will see a bigger role because of a player being out. Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry will both sit tonight, leaving Adebayo to play a massive role in the offense. In cash games, it’s a great idea to pair these two in the center and utility slots. Jusuf Nurkic and Richaun Holmes are both solid options on this slate as well. Nurkic gets an elite matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who’ve struggled against centers throughout the season. Holmes is simply too cheap for his role. He’s finally playing bigger minutes again, and he’s a great salary relief option with Drummond if you need it tonight.
GPP
I have the four centers listed above significantly higher than anyone else tonight (that I didn’t mention at a different position). Kevon Looney is the only other option I’m truly considering at the moment. He isn’t a massive part of the offense, but he does come with some upside because of his rebounding potential. Looney gets an elite matchup against the Houston Rockets, and he makes a boom or bust option for his price tag.
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