Fantasy Basketball: Who's hot, who's not and strong Thursday DFS play

Identifying who's hot, who's not, and a DFS target for Thursday

The NBA is dialing things down for Thursday's main slate. Wednesday's 10-game main slate will be followed by a four-game selection, and quite a few big names won't be taking part in it because of injuries and rest. The stars were out and about on Wednesday, though, and we'll go over who's hot and who's not before dishing out one of our favorite NBA DFS plays for Thursday.

Who's hot 

Jokic was Wednesday's top scorer and tallied 43 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists against the Washington Wizards. He's scored more than 30 points in four of his previous five games and seems likely to close out the year on a high note. The two-time MVP is averaging 30.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game in December. The Denver Nuggets will have to lean on his consistency while Michael Porter Jr. is out indefinitely. 

Lillard's still running hot. The Portland Trail Blazers point guard scored 37 points to go along with five rebounds and eight assists against the San Antonio Spurs. He's scored at least 36 points in four consecutive games. Lillard's averaged 34.4 points, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds per game since returning from injury. He's made 52.9 percent of his field goals and converted 50.7 percent of his 3-pointers while attempting 13.8 triples per game in December.

Sabonis notched his second game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds on Wednesday. The Sacramento Kings center scored 21 points and snared 20 boards against the Toronto Raptors. He's now scored more than 20 points and recorded a double-double in four of his previous five games. Sabonis is averaging 19.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game in December.

Who's not

Smith has shown sparks for the Indiana Pacers this season but has largely been a disappointment. The former Phoenix Suns forward is averaging less than 18 minutes per game this month and scored fewer than five points in three of his previous four outings. He provides rebounds and blocks sparingly but mainly but depends on significant frontcourt injuries for big-time production. There's no reason for Fantasy managers to start him regularly moving forward, as he might've lost his real-life starting spot for the foreseeable future. 

Thursday DFS play

Green's success from the weekend has carried over into Week 9. The Houston Rockets guard scored 30 points in an upset win over the Milwaukee Bucks before scoring 26 points against the Suns on Tuesday. While the Miami Heat are usually a tough matchup for scorers, they could be without Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry on Thursday. Those absences will deplete Miami's perimeter and interior defense against one of the most explosive downhill guards in the league. Green's scored at least 26 points in six of his last 10 games, and Miami should struggle to contain him with Tyler Herro and a random fill-in in the backcourt. 

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.