Friday night on the NBA hardwood we have a big 10-game slate to start off the holiday weekend. There is a pair of matchups with a Vegas total pushing over 230 points with the Hawks and Knicks squaring off at Madison Square Garden and the Pelicans facing the Lakers at the Staples Center to finish off the night. Those two games will be popular spots to find your high-priced stud but also offer some solid mid-range and maybe even a value option.
Meanwhile, the slate also had a lot of tight matchups according to Vegas with only one game featuring a favorite of more than five points. We could have an overtime game or two that could tilt the slate so don’t be shy about building some game stacks in GPPs. Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
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One Stud
LeBron James (SF/PF – LAL): $10,900 vs. NO
With question marks around Anthony Davis after bouncing in and out of his last game, give me the rock that is LeBron as my one stud of the night in the same game. The game has the highest Vegas total on the slate and with both teams clear of any back-to-backs they should be rested and ready to play big minutes. James is coming off a game with a monster line that included 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and gets a plus matchup against the Pelicans who have allowed increased production across the board to SFs this season.