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
Portland Blazers
The Portland Blazers and Golden State Warriors rank 11th and 13th in the NBA in pace, respectively. Portland also ranks 15th in the league in offensive rating, while Golden State ranks only 20th in defensive rating. The Blazers are -6.5 point favorites in a game set at 221 points, and they boast an implied team total of 113.8 points.
Damian Lillard
Portland is dealing with a plethora of injuries. The most important one is to C.J. McCollum, who has been ruled out tonight. Damian Lillard will be the focal point of the offense in this game. He’s averaging 28.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists (45.4 DK points) in 35.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. In his last two games without McCollum, Lillard posted 45.5 and 55.25 DK points. He has played Golden State twice this season, averaging 56.6 DK points per in those contests. He boasts elite upside for a surprisingly low price tag on this slate.
Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. was forced into big minutes in his last game because of the trade of Kent Bazemore. Trevor Ariza has been ruled out again tonight, leaving Trent to play 30+ minutes once again. On the season, he’s averaging 0.68 DK points per minute. Trent saw 36 minutes in his last game, though, scoring 30 points with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 3 steals (48.25 DK points). He’s an outstanding scorer, who could potentially be the third option in the offense. Trent shouldn’t be expected to score 45+ DK points again tonight, but he is near the minimum price on this slate. He could be the highest owned player tonight, and he’s a must start in cash games.
Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Whiteside hasn’t been overly consistent recently. Still, he’s averaging 13.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks (38.2 DK points) in 31.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Whiteside is a player that boasts 80 DK point upside, but he’s coming off of a 25.75 DK point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a significantly easier matchup, though, as Whiteside is averaging 45.5 DK points in 30.3 minutes per game against Golden State this season. Anfernee Simons can be considered over Whiteside in this stack tonight, as well.
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Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs currently rank ninth and 12th in the NBA in pace this season. Phoenix ranks 13th in the NBA in offensive rating, as well, while San Antonio ranks only 23rd in defensive rating. The Suns are -4.5 point favorites in a game set at 229.5 points, and they possess the highest implied team total on the slate at 117 points tonight.
Devin Booker
Devin Booker continues to play at an elite level for Phoenix. He’s averaging 28.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.8 steals (47.8 DK points) in 35.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 55.75 and 69 DK points in 2 of his last 3 games. Booker is the focal point of the Suns offense, and he boasts elite upside in this matchup.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Kelly Oubre Jr. has been a bit of a boom or bust option. He’s averaging 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals (37.6 DK points) in 37.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has recently scored as high as 58.25 DK points and as low as 18.25 DK points in games. Overall, he has scored 35+ DK points in 7 of their last 9 games, including 5 games with 45+ DK points. Oubre adds tremendous upside to this stack tonight.
Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton is a player that has caught fire recently. He’s averaging 20.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks (43.1 DK points) in 31.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 52.25 and 59.75 DK points in his last 2 games, as well. Ayton played 35+ minutes in each of those games, and he’s expected to find similar minutes tonight. He comes with 20/20 potential, and should find success against a team that has struggled against talented bigs. A Suns stack won’t come cheap, but they boast elite upside.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Joe Ingles
Joe Ingles continues to be one of the most underrated fantasy options on DraftKings. He has caught fire once again, averaging 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.2 steals (32.6 DK points) in 30.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Ingles has scored 30+ DK points in each of his last 4 games. He boasts 40+ DK point upside, as well.
Ingles gets a difficult matchup against the Indiana Pacers. They currently rank 25th in the NBA in pace and 10th in defensive rating. Still, Ingles is expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight. He has been a consistently safe option, who boasts upside. Ingles is far too cheap, and he can be used in all leagues on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Nassir Little
Nassir Little is only averaging 12.2 minutes per game through 33 games this season. He’s averaging 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds (8.6 DK points) in that time. Overall, Little is averaging 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on a per-36 minute basis throughout his rookie campaign. He saw 20 minutes in his last game, scoring 18.0 DK points, while contributing in each of the five categories.
Little gets an elite matchup against the Golden State Warriors, which has already been outlined above. With the Portland Blazers dealing with a few injuries, Little is likely to see 20 minutes once again tonight. He isn’t safe enough for cash games, but he comes with solid upside for his minimum price tag.
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