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 (5/8)
Pascal Siakam (F – IND): 14.5 points (alt line)
Siakam is listed at 20.5, which unfortunately lowers the multiplier on our 14.5 play vis a vis if it was listed at the 19.5, it probably should have been tagged at. Pascal has scored 17 or more in five of his seven playoff games but had two games under the alt number with bewildering 12 and 13 point outputs in Games 4 and 5 against Milwaukee. I am elated that Siakam has bought into the Pacers’ brand of team basketball, but if Tyrese Haliburton is taking only six shot attempts, Siakam should probably have 30+ points. Regardless, Siakam is a value at 14.5 and should be added to tickets where appropriate. Push the More on Pascal for Game 2.
Pick: More
Jalen Brunson (G – NYK): 39.5 points (alt line)
Brunson has been magnificent in these playoffs. He is brimming with confidence thanks to a team that believes in him enough to allow him to volume his way out of slumps and has the Knicks in pole position for a Conference Finals appearance. The total is listed at 37.5 for tonight but we will boost the total to 39.5 to increase our multiplier from 1.80x to 2.08x. Brunson has been on a 40 point binge, and with their opponent being Indiana, only a disastrous shooting night or a massive reduction in volume should be able to prevent Brunson from hitting 40 again. Brunson has scored 40 or more in four straight and has hit 39 or more in five straight. He has taken at least 26 shots and six trips to the line in every playoff game so far. He has been to the charity stripe nine times in six of his seven playoff games. Bump the More on Brunson for Game 2.
Pick: More
OG Anunoby (G/F – NYK): 5.5 rebounds (alt line)
OG has been crashing the boards lately, hauling in six or more rebounds in each of his past four and nine or more in three of those four. Tagged with a 7.5 rebound total, there is some value in the More, but the alt line looks much more appealing at 5.5. OG was quiet on the boards to start the postseason, grabbing just four boards in each of his first three. He has hauled in 14, 6, 9, and 9 in the four games since. Hit the More on OG 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.