This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA brings five games to the table Thursday. The highlight of the evening figures to be a matchup between the Nuggets and Suns in Denver. It's not an ideal situation for the Suns, though, who will be playing the second game of a back-to-back after playing in Minnesota on Wednesday.
Two Eastern Conference teams who are destined for the playoffs will face off when the Raptors host the Cavaliers. The Raptors enter with injury issues with both Gary Trent Jr. (toe) and OG Anunoby (finger) listed as questionable.
Let's dig into all of the games and highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
CJ McCollum, NO vs. CHI ($38): Brandon Ingram (hamstring) is considered as doubtful for the Pelicans after missing each of the last eight games. With him out, they will continue to rely on McCollum for added production. He's played in six of the games that Ingram has missed, averaging 42.1 Yahoo points per game during that stretch. Expect him to continue to have a high floor.
Tyus Jones, MEM vs. IND ($10): Jo Morant (knee) has missed the last two games for the Grizzlies and his status is in doubt for this matchup. The Grizzlies should be able dispatch the Pacers without him, so they may decide to take a cautious approach and keep him out again. If they do, Jones is an excellent option at the minimum salary. He's started both of the last two games, scoring 30.1 and 32.0 Yahoo points, respectively.
Guard to Avoid
Caris LeVert, CLE at TOR ($20): LeVert went from being one of the leading scoring options on the Pacers to a Cavaliers team that has decided to deploy him off their bench. He's only averaged 24 minutes across five games since returning from injury, scoring 23.9 Yahoo points or fewer four times. There's just not enough upside to get excited about with him in this role.
FORWARDS
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. WAS ($57): The Bucks have already ruled out Khris Middleton (wrist), who will miss his second straight game. With him out Tuesday against the Bulls, Giannis posted 25 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a blowout win. Another lopsided score could be coming here, but Giannis could still thrive against a Wizards team that has the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league.
Pat Connaughton, MIL vs. WAS ($10): Rolling with Connaughton can could a long way to help softening the hit that Giannis will do to your budget. He doesn't have a high ceiling, but he should be aided by Middleton's absence. When he was out Tuesday, Connaughton scored 24.5 Yahoo points over 23 minutes.
Forward to Avoid
Kevin Love, CLE at TOR ($17): Love has the ability to go off on any given night, but he's not exactly a reliable source for production on a Cavaliers team that is the healthiest that they have been in a while. Their improved health situation has contributed to him scoring 23.6 Yahoo points or fewer in five of his last eight games. This is a limited slate, but there are still more appealing options in this salary range than Love.
CENTERS
Jonas Valanciunas, NO vs. CHI ($31): Valanciunas smoked the Hornets on Monday, scoring 60.1 Yahoo points in a narrow loss. He has registered five straight double-doubles, providing 23.0 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game during that stretch. Nikola Vucevic is certainly not known for his defensive prowess, so Valanciunas might be able to exploit this matchup and come away with another juicy stat line.
Brandon Clarke, MEM vs. IND ($17): Clarke isn't providing flashy numbers, but he's increased his production down the stretch. While he's averaged 23.5 Yahoo points per game for the season, he's scored at least 26.5 Yahoo points in five of his last six games. That included a matchup against these same Pacers in which he scored 28.9 Yahoo points in a blowout win.
Center to Avoid
Bobby Portis, MIL vs. WAS ($23): The return of Brook Lopez has taken its toll on Portis. He was moved to the bench against the Bulls on Tuesday, marking the first time he didn't start a game since December. In fact, it marked just the sixth time all season that he filled a reserve role. As good as he was when Lopez was sidelined, it looks like the time has come to fade Portis in DFS.
