Welcome to Sleeper Picks. Sleeper’s newest offering promised plenty of entertainment and action, and they delivered. We will break down our top three picks for tonight’s NBA action. Sleeper is quickly becoming one of the most popular season-long fantasy platforms, and they are expanding into other areas based on demand. Each week in this space, we’ll talk about some strategy for the new platform while providing our favorite NBA more/less picks.
NBA Sleeper Picks Player Predictions (5/24)
Jaden McDaniels (F – MIN): 9.5 points (alt line)
Jaden’s point total has risen to 12.5 for Game 2, and without knowing how the Celtics plan to adjust to address the McDaniels issue, we shouldn’t get overconfident. Jaden has scored 21 or more in three straight, draining three or more deep balls in each. He should continue to get clean looks due to playing with an elite floor general in Mike Conley as well as being on the same court as Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns. That said, he is not going to stay hot from three point land forever. Mitigate some risk and mash the More on this McDaniels alt line for Game 2.
Pick: More
Kyrie Irving (G – DAL): 5.5 1st quarter points
Kyrie has been a terrible first quarter play for most of his time in a Mavericks uniform but is a different player in Western Conference Finals playoff mode. Kyrie took it upon himself to be the tone-setter in Game 1, and while I expect him to get Luka going a little earlier in this one, he may be more score first to start the game tonight, as he once again uses his championship mettle and experience to calm the troops by carrying a bulk of the load early on. Kyrie scored 13 first quarter points in Game 1 and should easily eclipse six points in the first tonight. Tap the More on Kyrie for Game 2.
Pick: More
Luka Doncic (G/F – DAL): 24.5 points (alt line)
In a league where many observers often feel that teams with multiple superstars will have the most success, there is only of those teams left. Luka and Kyrie have a chance to show the world just what they were sleeping on now that they have received increased consistency from their frontcourt. P.J. Washington is no longer lighting it up from distance, but the threat of what he did against Oklahoma City has succeeded in providing more space for the Mavericks’ superstar playmakers. Luka is set at 28.5 for Game 2, which is fair given his success against the Timberwolves this season, but we will still opt to lower the total (and, as a result, the multiplier) in order to mitigate some risk. Luka scored 33 in Game 1 and dropped 39 and 34 in his two games against them during the regular season. Luka has scored 29 or more in three straight and in four of his last seven, but we could also look at is Doncic scoring 22 or fewer points in three of his last seven. Luka and Kyrie are going to have to do the heavy lifting in this series, and barring an atrocious night from the field, Kyrie should ensure Luka has at least 25 tonight. Light up the More on Luka for Game 2.
Pick: More
Writers note: The lines are constantly changing on Sleeper (and sometimes expiring), so there is a high probability that one or all of the numbers may no longer be the same when you open your app. There are excellent values when they are first posted, with the only catch being that they are not all released at the same time. Vigilance could provide a solid return on investment this season, literally.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.