FanNation fantasy basketball picks for Monday, March 30

Fantasy basketball picks for Monday, March 30, including Zach LaVine, Nerlens Noel and DeMarcus Cousins.

Ready to show your friends you know more about the NBA than they do? FanNation’s Basketball Throwdown fantasy basketball game is your best option. You pick a guard, forward and center who you think will exceed their fantasy projections. The scoring system takes into account points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and turnovers. The team that out-performs its projections by the largest amount wins, so picking a lineup of Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Joakim Noah is no sure-fire path to victory. You can also bet anywhere from $1 to $500 on each night's matchup or play for free.

I'll give you my picks each day and a recap of yesterday's top performers so you can get bragging rights over your friends.

Sign up for tonight's Basketball Throwdown here.

Monday’s overachievers

Guard: Dwyane Wade, Heat, +21.2

Wade had one of his best games of the season to lead the Heat to a key road victory over the Pistons on Sunday. He made 14 of his 27 shots en route to 40 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. Wade is averaging a season best 25.2 points this month, his highest average for a full month since March 2011. The Heat are the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and have a two-game lead over the Celtics and Pacers.

Forward: Marcus Morris, Suns, +15.3

Since moving into the starting lineup earlier this month, Morris has played well for the Suns. In Sunday’s loss to the Thunder, Morris finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a block. He has beaten his projection in five straight games, averaging 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals. The Morris brothers have proven to be an effective frontcourt tandem for the Suns.

Center: Andre Drummond, Pistons, +23.8

Drummond had a huge game against the Heat, but it wasn’t enough as the Pistons had their four-game winning streak snapped. He made 14 of his 17 shots and piled up 32 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Drummond has played well in his last four games, averaging 21.8 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Today’s picks

Guard: Zach LaVine, Timberwolves vs. Jazz, 8 p.m. ET

LaVine has experienced an up and down rookie season, but he has been trending up lately. In his last nine games, he has averaged 16.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 50.0% on three-pointers. The Slam Dunk Champion has the athleticism to be a good player and his hot shooting is a good sign for his future.

Forward: Nerlens Noel, 76ers vs. Lakers, 7 p.m. ET

Noel is finishing up the best month of his rookie season with a matchup against the lowly Lakers on Monday. During March, he has averaged 14.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.1 blocks while shooting 51.1% from the field. Noel is already able to control the game on defense and his offense has been improving, as seen by his 30-point game against the Clippers last week.

Center: DeMarcus Cousins, Kings at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET

Cousins has reached the 70-point mark in Basketball Throwdown twice in his last three games and will relish a matchup against Marc Gasol on Monday. In his last three games, he has averaged 32.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals on 47.3% shooting.