Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (11/4)! 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 |
| C. Cunningham | J. Giddey | B. Adebayo | HOU/PHX |
| C. Paul | M. Thybulle | D. Ayton | UTA/ATL |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | M. Bridges | J. Embiid | OKC/LAL |
| T. Maxey | D. Bazley | R. Williams | BOS/MIA |
| T. Herro | J. Butler | A. Sengun | PHI/DET |
*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
Point guard starts with Chris Paul tonight. He’s scored 40+ DK points in 4 of his 6 games, including a pair of games with 50+ DK points. He hasn’t been scoring well either, suggesting his true ceiling is significantly higher. Paul gets an elite matchup against the Houston Rockets tonight, and a key here is that his points total on Vegas is set at 16.5 with juice on the over. He eclipsed that total only once this season, scoring 53.75 DK points in that game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets a great matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, who’ve struggled at the rim this season. He posted 47.25 DK points against the Lakers a few games ago, and he’ll continue to be the focal point of the Oklahoma City Thunder offense. SGA’s listed as a “Safe GPP” option because he isn’t projecting for a ton of ownership, but I feel comfortable using him in cash if you’ve already inserted Paul into your lineup. If you need to save salary here, Shake Milton is an interesting option.
Once again, we have another slate where Cade Cunningham is priced entirely too cheap. He’s struggled through 2 games as a rookie, scoring less than 15 DK points in each game. With that being said, Cunningham played 29 minutes in his last game, shooting only 2-14 from the field. We know he boasts elite talent, and he’s a lock in most leagues for his $4k price tag. Tyler Herro’s a player with an elite ceiling, as he’s gotten back to form early this season. He’s scored 30+ DK points in 6 of his 7 games, including a trio of games with 40+ DK points. Herro is a dominant scorer, and he gets an elite matchup against the Boston Celtics, who’ve struggled against scoring shooting guards this season.
GPP
It seems as if Tyrese Maxey could garner some ownership tonight because of his price tag and minutes. I slightly prefer him in GPPs because of the inherent risk in his offensive role. Maxey has the ability to score, but he’s behind multiple players as the scoring option. Mike Conley’s coming off of a massive game against the Sacramento Kings, and he gets an interesting matchup against the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Conley boasts upside after flashing surprising scoring potential in each of his last 2 games. Kevin Porter Jr. is another scoring option with plenty of upside on this slate. The Phoenix Suns aren’t as good of a defense in years past, and Porter’s played 36 and 40 minutes in his last 2 games. He’s quietly an outstanding option with a surprisingly low price tag for this slate.
Jalen Green is in an extremely interesting spot tonight. He’s taken 8+ three-point attempts in 4 of his last 5 games, and he gets a matchup against the Phoenix Suns, who feature one of the worst three-point defenses in the NBA. Green isn’t safe, but he’s already flashed the ability to break a slate if his shot is falling. Donovan Mitchell gets a solid matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, and he’s coming off of a near-60 DK point performance against the Sacramento Kings. Mitchell’s questionable tonight, although he played through the injury in his last game. I’d expect him to play, and he’ll go overlooked on this type of a slate. Devin Booker, Seth Curry, Lu Dort, and Bogdan Bogdanovic can also be considered here.
Forward
Cash
Arguably the highest owned player on this slate will be Josh Giddey. He’s playing at a high level for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he boasts tremendous upside for his price tag. Giddey recently scored 38 DK points against the Los Angeles Lakers, and he gets a matchup against them once again tonight. Matisse Thybulle saw 38 minutes with Tobias Harris out in the Philadelphia 76ers last game. He scored 25.5 DK points, and he’s still priced under $4k tonight. He’s essentially a free square on this slate.
Power forward continues to be a position where no one is locked and loaded for cash games. Saddiq Bey is still relatively cheap, and he boasts a sizeable role in the Detroit Pistons offense. I’m not overly concerned about the matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers at this point, and Bey is one of the top power forward options in cash games. Georges Niang’s played 30+ minutes in each of his last 2 games, scoring 27.25 and 37.75 DK points. He’s still far too cheap for that type of role, and he’s a great salary relief option on this slate.
GPP
Mikal Bridges’ seen mixed results for the Phoenix Suns this season. He gets a great matchup against the Houston Rockets, who’ve struggled defensively. Bridges comes with plenty of upside for his current price tag. Jimmy Butler’s scored 47+ DK points in each of his last 5 games, including a trio of games with 50+ DK points. He gets a matchup against the Boston Celtics, who’ve been one of the worst defenses in the NBA this season. Butler’s an elite option on this slate. Jae’Sean Tate, LeBron James, Duncan Robinson, and DeAndre Hunter can be considered on this slate.
Darius Bazley makes an interesting option against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. He posted 41 DK points against them in their last game, and he’s a great option once again tonight. Jerami Grant is an interesting option against his former team. He’s a bit cheap at this point for his potential and role in the Detroit Pistons offense. He can be considered in GPPs tonight. Jae Crowder, Anthony Davis, and John Collins all come with more than enough upside to be considered in GPPs tonight.
Center
Cash
There are 3 options I’m considering in cash games at center tonight. Bam Adebayo’s enjoying an elite season yet his price tag hasn’t moved much. He’s scored 44.25 and 57.75 DK points in his last 2 games, and Miami’s struggled at times against bigs this season. Adebayo’s far too cheap for only a 5 game slate. Deandre Ayton’s questionable tonight, although I expect him to play. If that’s the case, he gets an elite matchup against the Houston Rockets, who’ve struggled against bigs. Ayton started off slow, but he posted 40 and 53.75 DK points in 24 and 34 minutes over his last 2 games. He’s another player that’s underpriced tonight. Finally, Joel Embiid can be considered in cash games tonight. He’s taken on a massive role without Ben Simmons or Tobias Harris in the lineup. The offense will run through Embiid, and he’s still reasonably priced at this point.
GPP
Alperen Sengun is an interesting option, as he’s starting to get more minutes for the Houston Rockets. He’s looked outstanding on a per-minute basis this season, and he got up to 26 minutes in his last game. He’s a high-risk, high-reward option for a low price tag on this slate. Robert Williams gets a terrible matchup, which will keep his ownership low, but he comes with tremendous upside on any given night because of his steal and block potential. Rudy Gobert, Christian Wood, and Anthony Davis can be used here, as well.
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