Wednesday, February 10th, 2016, is the last full slate of games before the NBA takes a break for the All Star Game on Sunday. As the players get ready to take some time off and push for the end of the season, having your daily fantasy picks at the ready is a good idea, especially if you want to win some cash from your daily fantasy basketball leagues. There are a handful of good games scheduled for this night, and the fact that there are many games scheduled means that there will be a large number of players to choose from as you draft your team. For some people, this can be overwhelming, but by looking at top players first, and team matchups second, you can formulate a great strategy and give yourself a better chance of winning some cash. Games like the Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves, and Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns all hold valuable fantasy potential, and starting with value as your primary decision making tool will help you free up extra salary for more talent as you go deeper into your lineup.
Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics
The Clippers and the Celtics have similar records, and although the Clippers are slightly favored over the Celtics, this is going to be a good game with the potential for a lot of scoring. Blake Griffin leads the Clippers in points scored, averaging 23.2 points per game, but will not be playing this one because of an injury. However, that paves the way for point guard Chris Paul to shine in this game. Paul is a great player by any standards, but with Griffin out of the way, Paul will have many more opportunities. He’s averaging 19.0 points per game, and has 9.3 assists per game. There’s potential for him to top both of these numbers this game. You may also want to consider Paul Pierce. Pierce is well past his prime, but because of his past with the Celtics, he will be likely to have an extra effort in this game. Pierce isn’t the greatest forward in the game, but he will be of a higher value for this particular game than he normally would.
On the Celtics side of things, Isaiah Thomas is the top choice. He’s putting up 21.4 point per game, and has 6.6 assists. Thomas is a strong point guard, and although his stats seem better than Paul’s, this is one game where Paul has the edge thanks to his stronger team. Still, either player could excel on your fantasy roster, depending on the salary that you are willing to pay and what the rest of your team looks like.
Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves
The Raptors are a surprisingly strong team this season, and the T-Wolves are not. However, Andrew Wiggins could prove to have some fantasy value in this one. He has 20.8 points per game, but thanks to the strength of the Raptors, that number could go down. Still, as far as the GF slot goes, Wiggins is a strong choice, regardless of having lower stats against Toronto. Just make sure you don’t spend too much on him because his value will be slightly lowered.
On Toronto, DeMar DeRozan is the top scorer with 23.3 points per game. Kyle Lowry is another top choice here, and probably undervalued in most leagues. He has 21.0 points per game, but his steals number at 2.3 is high enough to indicate that he’s going to have a ton of fantasy potential against a weak team.
Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
The Warriors are the best team in the NBA, and Stephen Curry is the leading player right now. He’s putting up 29.8 points per game. The only downside to him is that he’s expensive. Thanks to the fact that the Warriors are favorites for this game, you may also want to consider Draymond Green for this one. Green isn’t the greatest scorer, but his other stats are high enough to make him quite valuable to your fantasy roster. Klay Thompson at GF could be another pick, depending on what your league is asking for him as far as salary goes.
