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 (12/20)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G – OKC): 24.5 points (alt line)
SGA continues to impress for the Thunder, averaging an MVP-level 30.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game on .513 shooting. SGA has been filling it up for the Thunder, scoring 25 or more points in 17 of his last 18 games. He should continue to roll tonight against a Miami Heat team, relinquishing 22.51 points per game to the point guard position. Miami is actually one of the better teams in the league at limiting points against from the point guard position, but 22.51 is, of course, the average they allow. SGA is far enough removed from average that an extra three points should not be an issue to hit the alt line number. Slap the More on SGA for Friday night basketball.
Pick: More
Donovan Mitchell (G – CLE): 3.5 assists (alt line)
Mitchell has been getting it done as a playmaker recently, dishing out five or more assists in eight of his last nine games. For context, this is something Mitchell did just once in his 12 games before that. The 3.5 is overkill, but the full total has climbed from 4.5 to 5.5, making the alt line a necessary evil as Donovan has hit six assists just once in his last three games. Dap the More on Donovan for Friday night’s action.
Pick: More
Tyrese Maxey (G – PHI): 19.5 points (alt line)
Tyrese Maxey exploded his last time out, dropping a 40 burger on the Charlotte Hornets. He gets them again tonight, making him an easy More play. The question is, do we tap the full line of 25.5 or the 19.5? Maxey has cleared the full number in just three of his last eight games but has hit 20 or more in six of them. He played Charlotte twice during that stretch, scoring 21 and 40 points. Mash the More on Maxey for Friday night at Sleeper Picks.
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.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.