Awesemo.com Presents: $1,000,000 Perfect Line Bonus + $7,500GTD – Best Life
Players: Nikola Jokic, Kyle Lowry & LeBron James
Stats: Points, rebound & assists
When you sign up for PlayLine, please support Awesemo.com by using the promo code “Awesemo” and the following link: playline.com/r/Awesemo. You’ll receive a $5 bonus when you sign up and an additional $20 bonus with your first deposit. The more people we refer, the more free sponsored PlayLine content we’ll be able to offer. Please see the PlayLine website for the terms and conditions regarding their bonus.
Today, we’ll be projecting the expected points, rebounds and assists for three players, Nikola Jokic, Kyle Lowry & LeBron James, in the “Awesemo.com Presents: $1,000,000 Perfect Line Bonus + $7,500GTD – Best Life ($2,500 to 1st!)“ PlayLine contest.
Your PlayLine predictions are scored according to the chart below. It’s really simple. The closer your PlayLine is to the athlete’s actual performance, the more points you get. The more points you get, the better your chances of winning!
You will receive PlayLine points each time the featured athlete registers a stat that you predicted will occur. Once the athlete’s actual stat total in a particular category goes over your prediction, you will no longer receive additional per stat PlayLine points.
Nikola Jokic
PTS 17.0 | REB 10.0 | AST: 7.7
Nikola Jokic has posted some funky stat-lines of late, but that’s something that has become the norm for him during his 4-year NBA career. He hasn’t scored more than eight points in each of his last three outings and had a game against the Utah Jazz where he dished out a career-high 16 assists – a crazy number for a center. Jokic is a guy that can do it all, and someone who can produce across the board even when it’s not his night scoring wise.
Tonight, he squares off against a well-renowned veteran center in Marc Gasol, who will present a tough matchup. The Grizzlies have always been a sturdy defensive unit, and that hasn’t changed even with their coaching and personnel turnover in recent seasons; Gasol is a big reason for that defensive stability. Jokic could be in for another low-scoring game tonight, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be productive in other areas.
Memphis come into the contest with the seventh best defensive rating in the league, whilst the Nuggets sit at second. Both teams rank in the bottom five in pace, so it’s going to be a slow-paced game with emphasis placed on the defense. Prepare yourself for another unusual stat-line from Jokic, as it’s simply shaping up to be one of those games.
Predicted stat-line: 10 PTS, 13 REB, 8 AST
Kyle Lowry
PTS 17.9 | REB 4.5 | AST: 11.5
The Toronto Raptors don’t look like slowing down anytime soon, coming into tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a 10-1 record and looking for more. Kyle Lowry has taken on a new role this season, and so far, it’s working wonders for the team. He’s currently averaging 11.5 assists per game, which is easily a career-high at this rate (previous career-high was 7.4 assists per game in 2013-14) and is seemingly a great fit next to Kawhi Leonard.
Their opponent, the Kings, come into the game with a 6-4 record and have been a pleasant surprise to this point. They’re ranked first in pace and second in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. However, they sit 21st in defensive rating and allow a whopping 119.3 points per game (26th). The Kings and Lowry’s counterpart, De’Aaron Fox, will not be easy to contain offensively, but there is an opportunity for Lowry to up his production tonight.
He’s managed at least 10 assists in nine straight games, and that should continue tonight, but his scoring tends to fluctuate game-to-game and could go either way. The Raptors are -8.0 favorites with a line of 232.0, so they should get the job done and will score a lot of points in the process.
Predicted stat-line: 21 PTS, 5 REB, 11 AST
LeBron James
PTS 26.8 | REB 7.6 | AST: 7.7
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have stumbled out of the gate to begin the season, but they’ll be facing a team tonight who has also experienced some turbulence early on – the Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron struggled in his most recent game against the Raptors, going for just 18 points, two rebounds and six assists. It was easily his least productive game of the season, and he’ll be looking to bounce back against a Wolves team that ranks 29th in defensive rating and allows 117.7 points per game.
The Lakers come in as -5.5 favorites and have a great opportunity to right the ship against a potentially Jimmy Butler-less Wolves. Whether Butler plays or not could impact LeBron’s potential performance, so it does make it a little more difficult to predict, but either way he should return to form no matter who guards him. The Wolves have lost three straight and are reeling with the uncertainty of their future, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for LeBron to really cash in. The Lakers need a productive LeBron James in order to get the victory tonight, and it’s likely they get exactly that.
Predicted stat-line: 33 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST