Damian Lillard took over Thursday's main NBA slate. He led all scorers on the night and nearly capped off the night's action with a game-winning 3-pointer, but the opposition responded with a triple of their own. Need to know what else you might've missed before Friday's 10-game slate? We have who's hot and find you a strong DFS play for the weekend here.
Who's hot
Lillard hasn't wasted any time getting back up to speed in his first two games back from injury. He scored 21 points over the weekend on Sunday before exploding for 40 points and 12 assists against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. The Portland Trail Blazers guard appears ready to handle his usual workload despite his long layoff and should be regarded as an elite point guard option whenever he's healthy.
Jokic has now finished one rebound or assist short of a triple-double in five of his previous six games. Only Lillard was more productive on Monday when Jokic amassed 33 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Jamal Murray is firing on all cylinders again, but Michael Porter Jr. (heel) has no timetable for a return. The two-time MVP will need to continue picking up the slack during the wing's absence.
The Miami Heat have had key players in and out of their lineup recently, but Adebayo has been a staple. He notched his second straight double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Adebayo's averaging 23.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists through three December appearances. Jimmy Butler is still the top dog, but Miami's lack of frontcourt depth should keep Adebayo productive.
Friday DFS play
VanVleet has been far from good lately but rebounded from a poor stretch by scoring 25 points with four rebounds and seven assists against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The Toronto Raptors guard will face an Orlando Magic point guard rotation that features Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony. Fultz has played just five games this season, and Toronto will sparingly use Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn. VanVleet's outlook is strong against a squad that won't have key perimeter defenders Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris.
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.
