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NBA DFS: Paul George leads Tuesday Picks

mike barner
·4 min read

The NBA play-in tournament tips off Tuesday with one game from each conference.

In the East, the Nets will host the Cavaliers. The winner is awarded the seventh seed, while the loser would have to play the winner of the other play-in game. In the West, a Clippers team that is much healthier than they have been for most of the season, will take on the Timberwolves. The winner locks in the seventh seed and a matchup against the Grizzlies, while the loser has to play the winner of the Pelicans and Spurs game.

Let's discuss some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.

GUARDS

Paul George, LAC at MIN ($40): After he missed three months with an elbow injury, the Clippers took a cautious approach with George's return. He received a couple of rest days, and only averaged 31 minutes across the five games that he did play in after rejoining the team. Still, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals over that five-game stretch. He'll likely play all of the minutes that he can handle in this game, making him a great option against a Timberwolves team that has played at the fastest pace in the league.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George dribbles during the first half of an NBA basketball game
Consider building your NBA DFS lineups around Paul George on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Seth Curry, BKN vs. CLE ($18): The Nets held Curry (ankle) out of their regular season finale as a precaution. He's expected to play in this game, providing the Nets with a key secondary scoring option behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. His numbers don't exactly jump off the page, but he's scored at least 20.0 Yahoo points in four of his last six games, which should at least put him on your radar for this limited slate.

Guard to Avoid

Reggie Jackson, LAC at MIN ($23): The Clippers likely wouldn't have made the play-in tournament without Jackson. He stepped up with George and Kawhi Leonard (knee) out, averaging 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and a career-high 2.2 three-pointers per game. However, with George and Norman Powell back in the fold, and likely to log a lot of minutes in this important game, Jackson could see a decline in usage rate.

FORWARDS

Kevin Durant, BKN vs. CLE ($54): It's been a bumpy ride for the Nets, but their hopes of winning a championship are still alive. With Durant and Irving healthy, they can compete with any team. Durant averaged 40 minutes over the Nets' last 10 games, providing 31.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. With similar playing time likely coming here, the sky is the limit for his production.

Kevin Love, CLE at BKN ($18): The good news for the Cavaliers is that Evan Mobley has returned from injury. However, Jarrett Allen (finger) is still unable to play, which means they will need to continue to rely on Love for additional production. When these two teams met last week, Love fell one rebound shy of a double-double during his 21 minutes. He can go off on any given night given his three-point shooting prowess, so he could be worth the risk at his reasonable salary.

Forward to Avoid

Robert Covington, LAC at MIN ($21): What a strange end to the regular season for Covington. In one game when the Clippers rested most of their key players, he exploded for 43 points and 11 three-pointers. He appeared in four more games after that, scoring a total of 36 points to go along with eight three-pointers. When everyone is healthy, Covington doesn't have much more than a limited role with the Clippers' second unit.

CENTERS

Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN vs. LAC ($39): Towns finished the regular season on a high note, scoring at least 48.7 Yahoo points in three of his last four games. He presents a tough matchup for a Clippers team that has allowed the eighth-most rebounds per game in the league. If you're looking to spend a significant portion of your budget on the center position, look no further than Towns.

Isaiah Hartenstein, LAC at MIN ($17): With some exciting top-tier guards and forwards available, it might not be a bad idea to allocate a smaller portion of your budget to the center spot. For those who decide to take that route, Hartenstein is an interesting option. He stepped up his play down the stretch, scoring at least 26.8 Yahoo points in eight of his final 10 games.

Center to Avoid

LaMarcus Aldridge, BKN vs. CLE ($13): There's not much to see here with Aldridge. He's healthy, but he's only played in two of the Nets' last 17 games. In those two games, he logged 17 and six minutes, respectively. Don't expect his role to change anytime soon with Andre Drummond and Nicolas Claxton clearly ahead of him on the depth chart.