Welcome to Bales’ Stacks and Hidden Gems for today’s NBA DFS slate for DraftKings! Below, I will discuss my favorite NBA DFS plays for tonight’s slate!
Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans rank 24th and seventh in the NBA in pace, respectively. Detroit also ranks 15th in the NBA in pace, while New Orleans ranks only 26th in defensive rating. The Pistons are -2 point favorites in a game set at 225.5 points, and they possess one of the highest implied team totals on the slate at 113.8 points.
Derrick Rose
Detroit continues to struggle with injuries, causing them to use a short rotation. Derrick Rose has been a major beneficiary of those injuries. He has caught fire recently, averaging 22.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists (34.6 DK points) in 29.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Rose has scored 39+ DK points in 3 of his last 4 games, though. He saw 19+ shot attempts in 3 of his last 4 games, and should be able to score at an efficient rate against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. Rose needed only 28.2 minutes to score 36.75 DK points in his only matchup against New Orleans, and he’s a bit too cheap on this slate tonight.
Christian Wood
Christian Wood saw limited minutes for a pair of games, causing his price tag to drop under $4K. He saw 26 minutes in his last game, scoring 17 points with 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal (47.5 DK points). Through 36 games, Wood is averaging 1.17 DK points per minute. While Wood has struggled at times when given bigger minutes, he may only need 15 minutes to hit value at his current price tag. He’s expected to find minutes in the 20s tonight, making him an outstanding salary relief option.
Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond is the final piece of this slate. He was ejected after only 19 minutes in his last game, scoring 19 DK points. Still, he’s averaging 16.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 steals (45.1 DK points) in 33.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Drummond had scored 60+ DK points in each of his 2 games prior to being ejected against the Chicago Bulls. He was able to post a 20/20 line, while contributing in each of the five categories in both of those games. Drummond should find plenty of success in this elite matchup tonight.
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Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Portland Blazers
The Portland Blazers and Charlotte Hornets currently rank 11th and 30th in the NBA in pace this season. Portland ranks 14th in the league in offensive rating, while Charlotte ranks only 27th in defensive rating in 2019. The Blazers are -9.5 point favorites in a game set at 215.5 points, and they boast an implied team total of 112.5 points tonight.
Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is surprisingly cheap on this slate. He’s averaging 27.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists (45.3 DK points) in 35.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He flashed 60+ DK point upside over that span, as well. Lillard has been at his best in Portland, where he’s averaging 1.30 DK point per minute through 18 games. He gets a solid matchup against Charlotte, and should find plenty of success in big minutes for Portland.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony is a boom or bust option for the Blazers. He’s averaging 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steal (27.8 DK points) in 32.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. With that being said, he has scored as high as 44.25 DK points and as low as 10.5 DK points in only his last 4 games. Overall, Anthony has scored 30+ DK points in 4 of his last 6 games. He is locked into 30+ minutes on a nightly basis, and he comes with elite tournament upside in this matchup.
Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Whiteside has been the top option for Portland. He’s averaging 18.3 points, 17.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 4.0 blocks (50.4 DK points) in 32.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Whiteside is averaging 8.1 more DK points per game at home in 2019, as well. He has scored 44+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 games, including multiple 60+ DK point performances. He’s an elite option in all leagues on this slate.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings rank only 27th in the NBA in pace, while the Orlando Magic rank 28th in the same category. Sacramento ranks 21st in the league in offense rating through 39 games. Orlando does rank fifth in defensive rating through 39 games, though. The Kings are -2 point favorites in a game set at 209.5 points, giving them an implied team total of 105.8 points tonight.
De’Aaron Fox
De’Aaron Fox has caught fire recently. He’s averaging 22.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 2.4 steals (45.3 DK points) in 33.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Fox has scored 55+ DK points in 2 of his last 5 games, as well. He’s averaging 1.26 DK points per minute through 11 home games this season. Fox has looked elite in 2020, and he’s far too cheap for tournaments on this slate.
Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield is expected to be locked into 30+ minutes tonight. He’s averaging 20.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists (35.1 DK points) in 33.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Hield isn’t overly consistent, but he boasts 50+ DK point upside. He’s a focal point of the offense, and makes an outstanding tournament option tonight.
Nemanja Bjelica
Richaun Holmes has been ruled out, while Marvin Bagley is questionable. That will lock Nemanja Bjelica into big minutes tonight. He played 40 and 38 minutes in his last 2 games, scoring 37.75 and 35.75 DK points in those contests. Bjelica is averaging 0.99 DK points per minute on the season, as well. He’ll make an outstanding option in tournaments regardless of Bagley’s status, but he may gain a bit of ownership if Bagley is forced to sit out once again tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Dwayne Bacon
Dwayne Bacon has seen an uptick in minutes with Nicolas Batum being removed from the rotation. The former is averaging 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists (18.9 DK points) in 24.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Bacon is coming off of a 34.75 DK point performance against the Phoenix Suns. He’s only averaging 0.73 DK points per game on the season, but he has flashed when given the minutes.
Bacon gets a matchup against the Portland Blazers tonight. They rank 11th in the NBA in pace and 24th in defensive rating. Bacon is expected to see minutes in the mid-20s tonight. He isn’t an overly consistent player, but he comes with tremendous upside for his price tag. Bacon is a solid tournament option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Cody Zeller
Cody Zeller has seen plenty of ups and downs throughout the 2019 season. He’s averaging 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists (21.4 DK points) in 20.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Zeller is coming off of a 34 DK point performance against the Phoenix Suns. His minutes have been inconsistent throughout the season, but he has scored 20+ DK points in 7 of his last 9 games.
Zeller gets a plus matchup against the Portland Blazers, which has already been outlined above. Zeller is only expected to see around 20 minutes tonight. With that being said, he has the potential to play 30 minutes on any given night. Zeller is another salary relief option who is best suited for tournaments tonight.
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