This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA has a five-game schedule on Thursday, busier than the usual three games that accompany most Thursdays. The Thunder at the Warrior shapes up as the obvious marquee game of the night, pitting Russell Westbrook against Kevin Durant for the first time as adversaries in a fantasy-friendly showdown. We'll also see arguably the two best second-year players in the NBA (apologies to Knicks fans) going head-to-head in the Nuggets/Timberwolves game, and what looks like a defenseless track meet in the Pacers/Bucks game. Should be a fun night.
Guards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. IND ($9,700): This might seem like an obvious place for Westbrook in a revenge game, but: a) he's on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough match-up with Chris Paul b) he's priced so much higher than everyone else that unless he scores 75 points, there are others who could be better buys. Antetokounmpo is one of those players, with explosive potential against a Pacers defense that has been getting torched through the first week of the season.
Elfrid Payton, ORL vs. SAC ($6,200): Payton has been solid every game, is coming off of his first double-double of the season, and faces a beatable Kings defense at home.
Kris Dunn, MIN vs. DEN ($4,900): Dunn is starting in place of the injured Ricky Rubio. In his first NBA start on Tuesday he responded with 10 points, six assists, five steals and four boards in 29 minutes. The Nuggets don't have the
The NBA has a five-game schedule on Thursday, busier than the usual three games that accompany most Thursdays. The Thunder at the Warrior shapes up as the obvious marquee game of the night, pitting Russell Westbrook against Kevin Durant for the first time as adversaries in a fantasy-friendly showdown. We'll also see arguably the two best second-year players in the NBA (apologies to Knicks fans) going head-to-head in the Nuggets/Timberwolves game, and what looks like a defenseless track meet in the Pacers/Bucks game. Should be a fun night.
Guards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. IND ($9,700): This might seem like an obvious place for Westbrook in a revenge game, but: a) he's on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough match-up with Chris Paul b) he's priced so much higher than everyone else that unless he scores 75 points, there are others who could be better buys. Antetokounmpo is one of those players, with explosive potential against a Pacers defense that has been getting torched through the first week of the season.
Elfrid Payton, ORL vs. SAC ($6,200): Payton has been solid every game, is coming off of his first double-double of the season, and faces a beatable Kings defense at home.
Kris Dunn, MIN vs. DEN ($4,900): Dunn is starting in place of the injured Ricky Rubio. In his first NBA start on Tuesday he responded with 10 points, six assists, five steals and four boards in 29 minutes. The Nuggets don't have the best ball-handling backcourt, so Dunn's aggressive defense could be effective on Thursday.
Forwards
Kevin Durant, GS vs. OKC ($9,700): Durant has thus far been the clear-cut number one option for Golden State, even over Stephen Curry, and he is facing his former team for the first time. Unlike Westbrook, his price isn't prohibitive and he has a good chance to meet or exceed the lofty averages.
Gorgui Dieng, MIN vs. DEN ($6,500): Dieng has been consistently strong in all three games this season, posting two double-doubles and upping his scoring and defensive numbers. The Timberwolves are facing a Nuggets team that also prefers to play two legit big men in Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic, so Dieng should be in a matchup conducive to his playing style.
Amir Johnson, BOS at CLE ($4,000): The Celtics' frontcourt is riddled with injuries right now, as Al Horford dealing is with a concussion while Jae Crowder sprained his ankle on Wednesday. Johnson stepped up in the absence of Horford on Wednesday night, scoring 23 points with six boards, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots against the Bulls. If he can replicate any part of that on Thursday with Horford out again, he'll far outshine his price tag.
Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN vs. DEN ($8,600): Towns has been consistently solid, but not yet special this season. That could change on Thursday, as Towns faces an opponent against which he performed well last season. In four games against the Nuggets, he averaged 18.5 points, 10.8 boards, and 2.8 blocks. He's going to eventually start putting together Towns-like numbers, and Thursday could be the day.
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN at MIN ($5,600): Nurkic has been outstanding this season, averaging 16 points, 12 boards, 2.3 blocks and 1.7 assists through the first three games.
