NBA DFS: CJ McCollum should score plenty Friday night

The weeks leading into and out of the NBA All-Star break are tough to handicap. However, there are some players and trends that should continue from the first half. The teams on the second leg of back-to-backs on Friday night are Minnesota, Phoenix and Oklahoma City. I’m staying away from those teams, yet will use one of those back-to-backs in my favor.

$41 TOR C Pascal Siakam at CHA

There are two things that are consistent in this game. First, it’s the versatility of Pascal Siakam, who leads the Raptors in scoring and rebounding. Second, it's the Hornets being bottom 10 in points and rebounds allowed. All that leads me to a Siakam double-double. He’s averaging 22.6 points and 10.4 rebounds against defenses bottom 10 in points and rebounds allowed. In the last 10 games against Charlotte, big men are averaging 19.2 points and 13.5 rebounds. I predict a 20-plus-point game with around 11 rebounds for Siakam on Friday night.

$32 NO PG CJ McCollum at PHO

The New Orleans Pelicans have only had CJ McCollum for five games, yet he’s been racking up points. McCollum is averaging 28.4 points, 6 rebounds and 5.4 assists since joining the Pelicans. I usually don’t take players or points props against a top-10 defense like Phoenix's, but this is a good spot with the Suns on the second leg of a back-to-back. McCollum has been in this spot before against Phoenix. In the third game of the season, the Suns were on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers when McCollum went off for 28 points. The Suns defenders will likely shift their focus to Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram, leaving Devin Booker to cover McCollum. It’s a bad matchup for the Suns and a good one for McCollum. He’s worth the $32 play.

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$21 ORL SF Franz Wagner vs. HOU

The Houston Rockets have been the worst defensive team in the NBA for a majority of the season, and they just keep getting worse. Overall this year, the Rockets have allowed 118.1 points per game. In the last 10, that average has gone up to 125.2 points per game. Small forwards have had the most success in the last 10 against the Rockets, averaging 21.8 points. Magic small forward Franz Wagner has also been successful against bottom-10 defenses, averaging 17.3 points in those spots. In a bad game between two bad teams, I can see Wagner putting up solid numbers for a $21 value play.