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
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns rank 19th and ninth in the NBA in pace, respectively. Dallas also leads the league in offensive rating, while Phoenix ranks only 19th in the NBA in defensive rating. The Mavericks are -6.5 point favorites in a game set at 227.5 points, and they boast an implied team total of 117 points tonight.
Luka Doncic
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out tonight, Luka Doncic becomes the best player on the slate. He’s averaging 30.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.0 steal (55.8 DK points) in 34.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. While those numbers don’t match his price tag, Doncic scored 60+ DK points in 2 of those 5 games. He also boasts tremendous upside, as he needed 37.3 minutes to score 73.25 DK points against Phoenix in their only matchup this season. Doncic is a must start in a Dallas stack tonight.
Delon Wright
Delon Wright is far too cheap on this slate. He’s only averaging 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists (22.5 DK points) in 22.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has seen 27+ minutes in each of his last 3 games, though. In those games, he posted 38.5, 27.5, and 24.5 DK points. Wright is expected to see minutes in the high-20s or low-30s once again tonight, adding to his floor and ceiling. In his only matchup against Phoenix, he averaged a healthy 1.24 DK points per minute, although he saw limited minutes in that game.
Seth Curry
Seth Curry is another Dallas guard that is a bit underpriced on this slate. He’s averaging 13.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists (22.7 DK points) in 27.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 23+ DK points in 4 of his last 6 games. Over that span, he flashed 35 DK point upside, as well. Curry has seen 30+ minutes in each of his last 2 games, and he’s expected to find similar minutes tonight. Phoenix has struggled against guards throughout the 2019 season, and Curry is another cheap option that easily allows you to fit Doncic’s price tag on this slate.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards currently rank first and fourth in the NBA in pace this season. Milwaukee also ranks third in the league in offensive rating, while Washington ranks last in defensive rating. The Bucks are -16 point favorites in a game set at 244.5 points, giving them the highest implied team total on the slate at a ridiculous 130.3 points.
Donte DiVincenzo
Donte DiVincenzo is averaging 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals (24.0 DK points) in 24.0 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 21+ DK points in 9 of his last 10 games. Over that span, he has flashed 30+ DK point upside, and he’ll gain value from the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight.
Khris Middleton
Khris Middleton is another player that will benefit from Antetokounmpo sitting out tonight. Over the last 10 days, Middleton is averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.0 steal (36.8 DK points) in 31.2 minutes per game. He has scored 38+ DK points in 3 of his last 4 games, and boasts 50+ DK point upside. Middleton will benefit from the pace and lack of defense in this game, as he’ll take on a larger role in the offense. He’s too cheap without Antetokounmpo in the lineup, and Middleton can be used in all leagues.
Ersan Ilyasova
Ersan Ilyasova is another player that will see a larger role in the rotation and offense with Antetokounmpo out. In three games without Antetokounmpo, Ilyasova is averaging 17.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 25.7 minutes per game. He’s expected to find minutes in the mid-20s again tonight, and could end up being one of the highest owned players on this slate. Milwaukee is a second “Chalk Stack” with the announcement of Antetokounmpo being ruled out.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank 24th in the NBA in pace, while the New Orleans Pelicans rank sixth in the league in the same category. Cleveland also ranks only 23rd in the NBA in offensive rating, while New Orleans ranks 25th in defensive rating. The Cavaliers are +8.5 point underdogs in a game set at 232.5 points, but they own an implied team total of 112 points tonight.
Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton has caught fire recently. He’s averaging 23.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists (35.7 DK points) in 35.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 30+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 games, while flashing 40+ DK point upside. Sexton relies heavily on scoring, and he will benefit greatly from this particular matchup.
Dante Exum
Darius Garland has been ruled out tonight, thrusting Dante Exum into bigger minutes. Through 14 games with Cleveland, Exum is averaging 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on a per-36 minute basis. He’s expected to play minutes in the high-20s tonight, and he makes an outstanding option for a near minimum price tag.
Kevin Love
Kevin Love is the final piece of the puzzle. He’s averaging 20.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists (36.7 DK points) in 31.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Love is a player that has recently flashed 40+ DK point upside, as well. He has been at his best in Cleveland, and he’ll benefit from the extra opportunities in this game. Love isn’t safe, but he comes with more than enough upside to be used in tournaments tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges has seen plenty of ups and downs throughout the season. He’s averaging 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 steals (23.5 DK points) in 32.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Bridges has also scored 20+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games. Over that span, he flashed 40+ DK point upside against the Boston Celtics.
Bridges gets a decent matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, who rank 19th in the NBA in pace and 16th in defensive rating. Bridges is expected to find 30+ minutes again tonight. He’s a cheap option, who comes with solid consistency and upside. He can be considered in all leagues tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Cody Zeller
Cody Zeller is only averaging 6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal (17.6 DK points) in 21.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He is averaging a healthy 1.05 DK points per minute on the season, though. Zeller has also played 20+ minutes in each of his last 5 games. While he hasn’t been overly consistent over that span, he did flash 35 DK point upside against the Phoenix Suns.
Zeller gets a matchup against the New York Knicks. They currently rank 22nd in the NBA in pace and 24th in defensive rating. Zeller is expected to see 20-25 minutes once again tonight. He isn’t safe enough to be used in cash games on this slate, but he makes a solid salary relief option in tournaments.
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DFS Karma is partnered with DraftKings. We are also avid fans and users. As such, we 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. 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.
