Welcome to Bales’ Stacks and Hidden Gems for DraftKings! Below, I will discuss my NBA favorite plays for tonight’s slate!
Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Minnesota Wolves
The Minnesota Wolves and Golden State Warriors rank fourth and 15th in the NBA in pace, respectively. Minnesota only ranks 23rd in the league in offensive rating, while Golden State ranks only 24th in defensive rating. The Wolves are -3 point favorites in a game set at 213 points, and they possess an implied team total of 108 points tonight.
Minnesota is dealing with a plethora of injuries, and this stack assumes Jeff Teague, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns are out. Shabazz Napier has played 31 and 34 minutes in his last 2 games. He’s averaging 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.0 steal (40.1 DK points) per game in those contests. He was also able to score 37+ DK points in each of those games. Napier is expected to see 30+ minutes tonight, while boasting a usage rating around 25%. He’s expected to be one of the highest owned players on the slate, and it’s nearly impossible to avoid him in cash games.
Jarrett Culver is averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 block, and 2.0 steals (35.9 DK points) in 35.5 minutes per game over his last 2 games. He has also scored 30+ DK points in each of those games. Culver saw a total of 35 shot attempts, 13 three-point attempts, and 5 free throw attempts in those games. He’s one of the biggest parts of the offense, and should continue to see plenty of opportunities to score. His ability to contribute in each of the five categories makes him an elite option for his current price tag, though.
Robert Covington is the final cash game option. He’s averaging 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals (29.2 DK points) in 31.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Covington has scored 29+ DK points in each of his last 4 games, as well. Similarly to Culver, Covington is a player that relies on his versatility, making him an outstanding option for his matchup. He’s averaging 1.23 DK points per minute against Golden State this season, and should see 30+ minutes tonight.
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Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets currently rank 16th and ninth in the NBA in pace this season. Dallas leads the league in offensive rating, though, while Brookyln ranks fourth in defensive rating in 2019. The Mavericks are -7.5 point favorites in a game set at 222 points tonight. They boast one of the highest implied team totals on this slate at 114.8 points.
Jalen Brunson drew the start for Tim Hardaway Jr. in his last game, and he’s expected to once again tonight. On the season, Brunson is averaging 0.99 DK points per minute. He’s expected to play 20-25 minutes tonight. Brunson is a player that has flashed tremendous ability to when given the minutes, making him an elite salary relief option tonight.
Luka Doncic is expected to see a usage rating nearing 40% with Kristaps Porzingis out tonight. The former is averaging 27.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.5 steals (56.6 DK points) in 33.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has flashed elite upside, scoring 62 and 78 DK points in 2 of his last 3 games. Doncic is a triple-double threat each night, and he’s a must start in a Dallas stack tonight.
Delon Wright is averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 steals (26.4 DK points) in only 22.0 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s averaging 1.01 DK points per minute on the season, and he has flashed tremendous upside in limited minutes in recent games. Wright is expected to see minutes in the mid- to high-20s tonight, as he saw 26 minutes in his last game. He adds plenty of cheap upside to this stack.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings rank last in the NBA in pace, while the Memphis Grizzlies rank fifth in the league in the same category. Sacramento only ranks 21st in the NBA in offensive rating, but Memphis ranks only 25th in defensive rating. The Kings are -4.5 point favorites in a game set at 224.5 points, giving them one of the higher implied team totals on this slate at 114.5 points.
De’Aaron Fox has played 30+ minutes in 8 of his last 10 games. He’s averaging 39.0 DK points per game in those contests. Fox also flashed 50+ DK point upside over that span. He’s a focal point of the offense, and will find 30+ minutes tonight. He needed only 29.5 minutes to score 37.25 DK points in his only matchup against Memphis this season. Fox is a bit underpriced because of a recent injury, and he’s an elite tournament option on this slate.
Buddy Hield is the other focal point of the offense. His price tag has dropped because of a recent cold streak, but he’s averaging 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists (37.8 DK points) in 36.7 minutes per game over his last 3 games. He was able to score 34+ DK points in each of those games, as well. Hield is expected to find minutes in the high-30s once again tonight, and he’ll see plenty of opportunities to score against one of the leagues worst defenses.
There are a few options that can be considered here, but Richaun Holmes is the play. He’s averaging 17.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals (37.3 DK points) in 34.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 30+ DK points in 6 of his last 7 games, while flashing near 60 DK point upside. Holmes only saw 29 minutes in his only matchup against Memphis this season, scoring 41 DK points. He’s expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight, and he’s continue to be an elite per minute option in DFS.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
T.J. McConnell
T.J. McConnell has been playing well in a limited role recently. He’s averaging 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists (20.7 DK points) in 21.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. McConnell double-doubled in his last game, scoring 31.5 DK points in 27 minutes. He’s averaging a healthy 1.05 DK points per minute on the season, as well.
McConnell gets a tough matchup against the Denver Nuggets. They currently rank 29th in the NBA in pace and ninth in defensive rating. With that being said, McConnell is expected to find minutes in the mid-20s with Malcolm Brogdon out tonight. He boasts 35 DK point upside, and is likely to go overlooked with the other salary relief options on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Naz Reid
Naz Reid saw an uptick in minutes due to injury over his last two games. Over that span, he’s averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.0 block (20.8 DK points) in 19.0 minutes per game. Most importantly, Reid is averaging 13.0 shot attempts, 8.5 three-point attempts, and 1.0 free throw attempt in those minutes. He boasts a usage rating over 20%, and will continue to see shots while on the court.
Reid gets a plus matchup against the Golden Warriors, which has already been outlined above. Reid is expected to see minutes in the high-teens or low-20s if Karl-Anthony Towns and Noah Vonleh are out. While he won’t see a ton of time on the court, Reid is taking plenty of shots, and comes with tremendous upside for a low price tag.
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DFS Karma is partnered with DraftKings and are also avid fans and users and may sometimes play on our personal accounts in the games that we offer advice on. Although we have expressed our personal view on games and strategies, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and we may deploy different players and strategies than what we recommended in this article. We are not employees of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
