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
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets rank 25th and 10th in the NBA in pace, respectively. Oklahoma City also ranks 18th in the league in offensive rating, while Brooklyn ranks 14th in defensive rating. The Thunder are -1.5 point favorites in a game set at 215 points, giving them an implied team total of 108.3 points.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul has quietly been performing well for Oklahoma City. He’s averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists (37.6 DK points) in 33.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Paul has scored 35+ DK points in 6 of his last 7 games, including a pair of games with 50+ DK points. He’ll be locked into 30+ minutes tonight, and he’s averaging 1.13 DK points per minute on the season. Paul quietly boasts triple-double potential, adding to his upside each night. Paul is one of a few Thunder players that is mispriced on the slate tonight.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is another player that is far too cheap for his recent production. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 22.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 steals (39.8 DK points) in 36.1 minutes per game. While Gilgeous-Alexander has struggled a bit in his last 2 games, he posted 40+ DK points in 3 consecutive games prior to that. He’s a player that quietly comes with 50+ DK point upside, and his price tag fails to represent that. Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second on the team with a 24.7% usage rating. He’ll be locked into minutes in the mid- to high-30s tonight, making him a must start in an Oklahoma City stack tonight.
Steven Adams
The final mispriced player is Steven Adams. He’s averaging 13.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steal (35.9 DK points) in 30.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has played 30+ minutes in each of his last 3 games, scoring 49.25, 41.0, and 31.25 DK points in those contests. Brooklyn has struggled at times against centers this season, and Adams is an elite double-double threat. His ability to produce in each of the five categories makes him an outstanding option in this matchup tonight.
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Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers currently rank 22nd and 23rd in the NBA in pace this season. Detroit ranks 16th in the league in offensive rating, while Cleveland ranks 29th in defensive rating. The Pistons are -3.5 point favorites in a game set at 219.5 points, and they boast an implied team total of 111.5 points tonight.
Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is averaging 21.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals (33.3 DK points) in 27.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s coming off of a 43.25 DK point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tonight, Rose gets a significantly better matchup against Cleveland, who has struggled against guards this season. He isn’t locked into major minutes, but he should see more than enough scoring opportunities tonight.
Sekou Doumbouya
Sekou Doumbouya has seen an uptick in minutes recently. Over his last 3 games, he’s averaging 33.0 minutes per game. He’s also averaging 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steal (28.8 DK points) per game in that time. Doumbouya has also scored as high as 40 DK points in a game. He boasts double-double potential, and should continue to see plenty of minutes with Markieff Morris injured.
Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond continues to play at a high level for Detroit. He’s averaging 14.4 points, 15.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.8 blocks, and 2.6 steals (47.5 DK points) in 33.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Drummond has scored 45+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games, while flashing 60+ DK point upside. Cleveland doesn’t boast the talent to stop Drummond in the paint, and he comes with 20/20 potential in this matchup.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Reggie Bullock
Reggie Bullock has only played in three games this season. He’s averaging 9.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals (16.9 DK points) in 19.4 minutes per game. Bullock saw 25 minutes in his last game, scoring 18.25 DK points. He doesn’t boast an elite usage rating, but he’s a solid shooter, which adds to his upside on a nightly basis.
Bullock gets a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, who currently rank 16th in the NBA in pace and fourth in defensive rating. Bullock is expected to see minutes in the mid-20s with Marcus Morris out. He could feature some ownership on this slate, and he’s cheap enough to be considered in all leagues, although he’s best suited for tournaments.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza is averaging 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steal (18.4 DK points) in 25.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has played 32 minutes in each of his last 2 games, though. In those games, Ariza has scored 16.75 and 36 DK points. He isn’t a huge part of the offense, but can score efficiently enough with peripheral stats that offer him tremendous upside.
Ariza gets a great matchup against the Phoenix Suns. They rank ninth in the NBA in pace and 19th in defensive rating. Ariza is expected to find minutes in the low-30s once again tonight. He makes an elite option for his current price tag, and can be used in all leagues on this slate.
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