Luka Doncic is still alternating with Nikola Jokic from the top of the NBA's nightly Fantasy leaderboard and put together yet another monstrous stat line on Thursday. His efforts helped the Dallas Mavericks edge out the Los Angeles Lakers in an overtime duel. There was a large gap between him and the rest of the studs in the main slate, we'll go over who's hot, who's not, and a DFS target for Friday here.
Who's hot
Doncic is now one triple-double behind Nikola Jokic on the season. The Mavericks star tallied his 10th of the year by totaling 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists against the Lakers. He's going strong after taking a game off on Sunday and is now averaging 49.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 10.0 assists on 52 percent shooting this week. The 2022-23 Fantasy points leader will wrap up the week with back-to-back matchups against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a bit of a roll and have won three of their previous four games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't letting up in his career year and helped secure his team's latest win by scoring 37 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. He also totaled eight rebounds and six assists in the contest. SGA's averaged 33.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in OKC's past three wins while shooting a ridiculous 58.9 percent from the field. Only Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have attempted more shots from the charity stripe than SGA so far this season.
The Portland Trail Blazers have lost five consecutive games, but Lillard is getting his numbers. He racked up a season-high 50 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers his last time out and has scored at least 30 points in three straight contests while converting 51.3 percent of his shots. Lillard has missed a hefty chunk of games already this season, but he and Stephen Curry are the only two top-15 Fantasy point guards who've played fewer than 30 games this season. Lillard's sure to climb closer to the top 10 if he can avoid more lengthy setbacks.
Who's not
I talked a little bit about why Fantasy managers should look to move Melton ahead of Tyrese Maxey's return, and the reserve guard's stats have surely dropped early in 2023. Melton's averaged 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game since Maxey returned to the hardwood. He's fallen below his season average in points and rebounds in three of his previous four games. While he could be worth holding in case Maxey or James Harden get hurt again, he's not giving Fantasy teams much value now.
DFS play
Nembhard's stats through 28 starts are modest, but Tyrese Haliburton won't play on Friday. That glaring absence will open the door for Nembhard to take over as the Indiana Pacers' primary playmaker. The rookie out of Gonzaga has started without Haliburton twice this season and averaged 23.5 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds on 39.3 minutes per contest. TJ McConnell will be in the mix as well, but Nembhard should carry the heavier workload.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
