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 (3/27)
Donovan Mitchell (G – CLE): 3.5 assists (alt line)
The Cavaliers got back on track after four straight losses to play-in teams, but there should be some level of concern after falling to opponents who have struggled all season. The Cavs have taken their losses in bunches, with the four game skid and a three game losing streak accounting for half of their losses on the season. The schedule is easy enough from here on out, but Donovan Mitchell needs to help ensure the Cavs are playing some of their best basketball of the season heading into the postseason. Donovan, for his part, has been struggling in the month of March, managing just 20.3 points on .333 shooting over nine games. However, after taking time off to deal with a groin injury, Donovan should be rearing to go against the San Antonio Spurs. Mitchell has dished out four or more assists in 11 of his last 13 and 21 of his last 25 games overall. Dap the More on Donovan for Thursday night’s NBA action.
Pick: More
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G – OKC): 24.5 points (alt line)
The Thunder were the first team to hit 60 wins this season, and with 10 games left, a 65 win season seems all but certain. The massive lead they have in the competitive West should net Shai his first MVP award, but Nikola Jokic, having perhaps his best regular season of all time, has made the conversation interesting. SGA’s incredible play this season has been well documented, but his development as a go-to scorer who extended his range has been truly remarkable. Shai has scored 25 or more points in 13 straight and in 35 of his last 37 games overall. He dropped 35, 32, and 41 points on Memphis in his three games against them this season. Slap the More on SGA for Thursday night basketball.
Pick: More
Paolo Banchero (F – ORL): 24.5 points (alt line)
Orlando is batting for seventh place in the East, and the incredible scoring outburst by Paolo Banchero in the month of March may help them net an easier road out of the play-in. Banchero has poured in 30.2 points per game in March and has done so on .502 shooting, a massive improvement from his .427 field goal percentage prior to the all-star break. Paolo offers value on his full line of 29.5, but the suggestion here is to roll with probability and tap the 24.5 (or the 19.5 if you are more risk averse). Paolo has scored 30 or more points in six of his last seven games and 25 or more in 10 of his last 11. Push the More on Paolo for Thursday night at Sleeper Picks.
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.
