Thursday’s NBA Sleeper Picks Player Predictions: Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen, Paolo Banchero (2/8)

Welcome to Sleeper Picks. Sleeper’s newest offering promised plenty of entertainment and action, and they delivered. We will break down our top three picks for tonight’s NBA action. Sleeper is quickly becoming one of the most popular season-long fantasy platforms, and they are expanding into other areas based on demand. Each week in this space, we’ll talk about some strategy for the new platform while providing our favorite NBA more/less picks.

NBA Sleeper Picks Player Predictions (2/8)

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): 0.5 double doubles

Jokic continues his incredible run, and with Joel Embiid injured, he is now the favorite for yet another MVP award. Jokic is a nightly triple double threat, so having a yes or no double double play, even at a low multiplier, is an extremely high probability proposition. Yes, the multiplier is low enough that it is better paired with other high probability plays or promo lines but as echoed here multiple times before, there is always a place for low multipliers in environments where you are required to make multiple predictions. The Joker has recorded a double double in 42 of his 49 games played this season and in 11 of his last 12. Jokic is not as consistent as someone like Domantas Sabonis in the rebounding department and instead sees his average buoyed by monster outings, so off nights like he had on Sunday are going to happen every now and then. There is risk here, but at an 85 percent hit rate against a Los Angeles Lakers team he’s already dropped a triple double on this season, he remains an excellent More play. Jab the More on Jokic for Thursday night basketball.

Pick: More

Lauri Markkanen (F – UTA): 1.5 steals + blocks

Markkanen continues to get enough swipes to keep this on the board at 1.5, making this one of our favorite plays whenever the Jazz hit the court. Markkanen has failed to hit two StOcks in 16 of his last 19, but with at least one steal in six of his last seven, we can expect 1.5 to be the total at least until the all-star break. Speaking of all-star, Lauri has played well enough to garner consideration this year with numbers of 23.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Markkanen has had unusual success against the Suns this season, recording at least one block each of the three games against them this season, and, as a result, hitting two or more StOcks in each. Still, this play is (and has been) more about probability and recent form than it is about head-to-head or opponent data. Light up the Less on Lauri once again for a jam packed Thursday night.

Pick: Less

Paolo Banchero (F – ORL): 5.5 assists

I considered the More on Jarrett Allen points with Evan Mobley likely to sit on the second half of a back-to-back, especially with Banchero assists rising from 4.5 to 5.5. However, Banchero has been hot enough as a facilitator to ride with until he cools down. Paolo has recorded six or more assists in seven straight games. He has topped 5.5 assists in nine of his last 10 and 11 of his last 14. Paolo is averaging 6.7 assists in February and averaged 5.7 in January. Banchero handed out seven assists against the San Antonio Spurs just four games ago. Bump the More on Banchero for Thursday night.

Pick: More

Writers note: The lines are constantly changing on Sleeper (and sometimes expiring), so there is a high probability that one or all of the numbers may no longer be the same when you open your app. There are excellent values when they are first posted, with the only catch being that they are not all released at the same time. Vigilance could provide a solid return on investment this season, literally.