Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (12/6)! 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 |
| D. Smith Jr. | J. Giddey | D. Ayton | ORL/GS |
| I. Smith | J. Grant | M. Turner | PHI/CHA |
| A. Dosunmu | A. Gordon | D. Dedmon | ATL/MIN |
| C. Martin | F. Wagner | J. Embiid | DEN/CHI |
| C. Anthony | P. George | P. Washington | LAC/POR |
*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
There are a couple of clear cash game options at point guard tonight. Dennis Smith Jr. played 37 minutes in the Portland Blazers last game, scoring 41.5 DK points. He’ll find similar minutes with Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons out tonight. Smith gets a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, who’ve struggled against the point guard, and Smith’s always performed well on a per-minute basis. Ish Smith is another elite option. The Charlotte Hornets are missing several key players, forcing Smith into 30+ minutes. He scored 37.25 DK points in 32 minutes in his last game, and he’s still priced under $3.5k. Smith’s arguably the easiest play on this slate, even in a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Chris Paul, Tyus Jones, and Stephen Curry are interesting options for varying price tags, although they’re clearly behind both Smiths at this point.
Shooting guard isn’t as cut-and-dry as point guard tonight. CJ McCollum is locked into big minutes for the Portland Blazers without Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons healthy. He’s taking on a massive offensive role, and he’s historically found success without Lillard in the lineup. I’m not concerned with the matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, and McCollum is an elite option in all leagues tonight. If you need a bit of salary relief here, Cameron Payne can be considered. He’s seeing slightly bigger minutes with Devin Booker injured, scoring 19 and 31.5 DK points in his last 2 games. Payne’s still an extremely cheap option, and he boasts tremendous upside, as he’s consistently found tremendous success in limited minutes on the season. Lu Dort, De’Anthony Melton, and Cade Cunningham are other interesting options for this position.
GPP
Cole Anthony boasts tremendous upside as he continues his breakout for the Orlando Magic. He’s scored 38+ DK points in 7 of his last 9 games, including a pair of games with 50+ DK points. He gets a plus matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who’ve struggled against point guards at times this season. Malcolm Brogdon’s seen mixed results in recent games, but he comes with triple-double potential most nights. He gets a good matchup against the Washington Wizards, who he posted 55.5 DK points in their only matchup this season. Brogdon is likely to go overlooked for his price tag tonight, making him an outstanding tournament option. Jordan Poole, Kyle Lowry, and Saben Lee can also be considered in tournaments tonight.
Ayo Dosunmu is one of the more interesting options tonight. He hasn’t been overly dominant this season, although the rookie comes with plenty of upside. Coby White’s been ruled out tonight while Alex Caruso is doubtful to play. Dosunmu is expected to see big minutes, and he’s still entirely too cheap. He’s a player that I’d consider in cash games, but he’s listed as a GPP option for the time being because of the other elite salary relief options on this slate. Cody Martin posted 37.5 DK points in 32 minutes in his last game. He’s expected to find similar minutes tonight, as the Charlotte Hornets will continue to be without players. Martin can contribute in several categories, and he’s still priced under $4k. He’s an elite option in all leagues, but similar to Dosunmu, he may be better suited for GPPs unless he starts gaining some steam later in the day. Others to consider in GPPs tonight include Caris LeVert, Tyler Herro, Anthony Edwards, and Chris Duarte.
Forward
Cash
Paul George is one of my favorite options on the entire slate, and he’s a great play at small forward tonight. He gets a matchup against the Portland Blazers, who he’s averaging nearly 50 DK points per game against this season. The spread is only 3.5 points, meaning we should see a competitive game throughout. George comes with tremendous upside, and he boasts elite scoring potential in this matchup. Josh Giddey is another interesting option here. I do believe he can be considered for his price tag, although I bump him down a bit with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returning. Still, Giddey can contribute in multiple categories, making him a relatively safe option most nights. I’d be willing to consider Miles Bridges, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Norman Powell here, as it isn’t my favorite position overall, specifically for cash games.
At power forward, you’re looking at Jerami Grant. He’s scored 47.5 and 52.5 DK points in 2 of his last 3 games, and he gets a great matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who’ve struggled against forwards throughout the season. Grant continues to be a focal point of the Detroit Pistons offense, and he’s an elite option on this slate. If he’s starting, Giannis Antetokounmpo makes a great play. He’s enjoying an elite season, and his price tag is down a bit because of his recent injury. If he’s out, Bobby Portis will make a viable option, although the matchup against a big Cleveland Cavaliers defense is a bit worrisome for both players. I’d be willing to consider Domantas Sabonis here in a matchup against the Washington Wizards, although I don’t love spending $10k for him in cash games.
GPP
In tournaments, I’m heavily looking at Franz Wagner. He’s been the definition of consistent with upside outside of his recent games against the Milwaukee Bucks. Wagner is 100% cash playable, but he’s going completely overlooked on this large of a slate. If he’s going to come with low ownership, he’s a player I want a piece of in GPPs. Saddiq Bey is another interesting option. He hasn’t been aggressive while on the floor, but as I mentioned above, the Oklahoma City Thunder have struggled against forwards this season. I don’t expect Lu Dort to guard Bey, and he’s a player that comes with plenty of upside tonight. Other solid GPP options include Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Landry Shamet, Gordon Hayward, and Dillon Brooks.
I like both forwards for the Denver Nuggets tonight. Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon get a great matchup against an injured Chicago Bulls rotation that has struggled against forwards throughout the season. Gordon has a bigger role in the offense, though, and he’s the preferred option. With that being said, both can be considered for their price tags. Tobias Harris is another great option if he’s starting. He isn’t going to come cheap, but he gets a great matchup against a small, injured, Charlotte Hornets rotation. Harris comes with tremendous scoring potential, especially in this matchup, making him an outstanding GPP option. John Collins, Evan Mobley, DeMar DeRozan, Cameron Johnson, and Derrick Jones Jr. can be used here as well.
Center
Cash
There are a few interesting options at center tonight with two standing above the rest for the time being. Deandre Ayton is taking on a larger offensive role with Devin Booker injured. He’s averaging 40.9 DK points per game over his last 3 games, and Ayton gets a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, who’ve struggled against scoring centers in 2021. Myles Turner is another option who’s too cheap on this slate. He’s scored 29+ DK points in 6 of his last 7 games, flashing 40 DK point upside. Turner gets a matchup against the Washington Wizards, who’ve struggled against bigs throughout the season. He’s an elite option for his price tag on this slate. Nikola Jokic, Jakob Poeltl, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are all interesting options here as well.
GPP
Joel Embiid is one of my favorite tournament options on this slate. He gets an elite matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, who’ve struggled against centers throughout the season and have no size for the game tonight. Embiid boasts as much upside as anyone on this slate, although there is some concern of a blowout in this game. On the other side, PJ Washington is playing extended minutes, and he’s consistently found success. My only hesitation on him is the matchup against Embiid, as he’s undersized and Embiid is one of the top defensive centers in the NBA. Dewayne Dedmon’s another interesting option, as he isn’t locked into as big of minutes as many expected. Still, he comes with more than enough upside to exceed value, even in somewhat of limited minutes. Dedmon also gets a great matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. Isaiah Stewart, Jusuf Nurkic, and Karl-Anthony Towns are all solid tournament plays on this slate.
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