Thursday's main NBA slate only consisted of two games. The Orlando Magic edged out the Golden State Warriors 130-129 shortly before the Denver Nuggets topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-110. The stars thrived in an exciting night of basketball. and Stephen Curry topped the Fantasy leaderboard once again with his highest point total yet. We'll recap the best stat lines, talk about a dud, and preview a DFS play for Friday here.
Who's hot
The Golden State Warriors unexpectedly lost to the Orlando Magic on Thursday, but Curry exploded for a season-high 39 points on 22 shots. He made eight of his 15 attempts from beyond the arc and tallied nine assists as well. The Warriors have struggled to win games as of late, but Curry has consistently played like a first-round fantasy basketball talent and it appears like he'll need to carry the team's offense.
The reigning MVP was hesitant to shoot during his team's latest matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder but finished the night with a triple-double after getting more aggressive in the second half. The Denver Nuggets big man tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds, and a season-high 14 assists. While he's still an elite fantasy asset, it appears like he's comfortable deferring more often to the talent around him.
SGA tallied at least 34 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals for a third straight game on Thursday. He scored 37 points on 17 shots and is shooting a ridiculous 54.5 percent from the field. His ability to get any mid-range shot he wants has made him a nightmare for opposing defenses and only three players have totaled more steals than him ahead of Friday's slate. Whether he can play more than 60 games for the first time since 2019 remains to be seen, though.
Who's not
Jordan Poole's November hasn't been pretty. The Warriors' sixth man has averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds on 31.8 percent shooting through two games this month. Curry's carrying most of the scoring load and Klay Thompson's minutes are on the rise. Poole needs to figure out how to fit into the rotation again and cut down on his turnovers, as the Dubs won't lean on his offense nearly as much with Thompson healthy again.
Friday DFS Target
Maxey's efficiency has been at an all-time high since James Harden joined the Philadelphia 76ers, but now the Beard is set to miss a month with a foot injury. That means Maxey's set to take on a lot more on-ball responsibility moving forward. Maxey's averaging a career-high 24.2 points per game this year despite taking the fourth-most field goals (13.3) per game on his team. That number is about to go way up, though. The third-year guard averaged 23.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in the three assists in the three games he played without Harden following his move from the Brooklyn Nets last season. Joel Embiid (illness) is questionable for Friday's matchup against the New York Knicks, and Maxey's averaged 34.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game without the big man.
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.
