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
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks rank 19th and fourth in the NBA in pace, respectively. Philadelphia only ranks 20th in the league in offensive rating, while Atlanta ranks 28th in defensive rating. The 76ers are -6.5 point favorites in a game set at 228 points, and they boast an implied team total of 117.3 points tonight.
Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has been playing at a high level recently. He’s averaging 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 3.0 steals (54.3 DK points) in 37.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 40+ DK points in 8 of his last 9 games, including an 84 DK point performance against the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons loses a bit of value with Joel Embiid back in the lineup, but his price tag dropped from recent games. He’s expected to play minutes in the high-30s tonight, and he makes an outstanding option in this game.
Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris will benefit from Al Horford missing this game due to injury. Over the last 10 days, Harris is averaging 20.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 block (35.4 DK points) in 37.2 minutes per game. He has scored 40+ DK points in 2 of his last 3 games, as well. Harris recently flashed elite upside, scoring 56.5 DK points against the Brooklyn Nets. He struggled in his only matchup against Atlanta this season, but struggled from the field in that game. Harris will see minutes in the high-30s tonight, and he comes with a reasonable price tag on this slate.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is the final piece of this stack. He’s another player that will benefit from the injury to Horford. Embiid returned in Philadelphia’s last game, scoring 39.5 DK points in only 26 minutes. He’s expected to see a few extra minutes without Horford in the lineup tonight. In their only matchup this season, Embiid posted 36 points with 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 3 steals (66.75 DK points) in 32.4 minutes against Atlanta. Embiid’s price tag is down a bit from his last game, although he’s likely to find more minutes. He comes with a bit of risk, but is a must start in a Philadelphia stack.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors currently rank 17th and 12th in the NBA in pace this season. Boston also ranks sixth in the league in offensive rating, while Golden State ranks only 23rd in defensive rating. The Celtics are -13.5 point favorites in a game set at 223 points, and they possess the second highest implied team total on the slate at 118.3 points.
Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker is averaging 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.0 steal (42.9 DK points) in 33.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 54.25 and 60.5 DK points in 2 of his last 3 games. Walker also posted nearly 40 DK points in his only matchup against the Golden State Warriors this season. He’ll see minutes in the high-30s tonight, making him an elite option in this matchup.
Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward has been a bit of a boom or bust option for Boston this season. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists (37.0 DK points) in 34.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Hayward has also scored 44.75 and 49.5 DK points in 2 of his last 3 games. He saw 37+ minutes in each of those games, and he’s expected to find similar minutes tonight. Hayward is a dominant scorer, and makes an elite option on this slate.
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum played only 26 and 29 minutes in his last 2 games, but he was able to post 44.75 and 42.25 DK points in those games. He also recently posted 50 and 63.5 DK points in recent games. Tatum is expected to return to big minutes once again tonight. He’s a versatile player, who can contribute in multiple categories. He’s surprisingly cheap on this slate, and can be considered in all leagues tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley has seen plenty of ups and downs this season. He’s averaging 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.8 steals (16.1 DK points) in 21.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Beasley has scored 20+ DK points in 3 of his last 10 games. He also flashed elite upside only a few games ago, scoring 42 DK points against the Golden State Warriors.
Beasley gets a matchup against the Utah Jazz, who rank 18th in the NBA in pace and ninth in defensive rating this season. Beasley is expected to see 20-25 minutes tonight with Jamal Murray out. He isn’t nearly safe enough for cash games, but he makes a solid tournament option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Marquese Chriss
Marquese Chriss has caught fire over the last 10 days. Over that span, he’s averaging 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists (24.3 DK points) in 22.5 minutes per game. Chriss has scored 20+ DK points in each of those games. He also played 31 minutes in his last game, and boasts significantly more upside than he has displayed recently.
Chriss gets a matchup against the Boston Celtics tonight. They rank 17th in the NBA in pace and fourth in defensive rating. While this isn’t an elite matchup, Chriss is expected to find minutes in the mid-20s tonight. He’s far too cheap on this slate, and is a safe option, who comes with tremendous upside, as well.
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