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Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have been pushing the pace in 2019, ranking 10th in the NBA in pace thus far. The Charlotte Hornets have been slowing it down a bit, ranking 16th in the league in pace. Golden State also ranks 10th in the NBA in offensive rating, while Charlotte ranks 27th in defensive rating. The Warriors are +3.5 point underdogs in a game set at 224 points, but they still feature an implied team total of 110.3 points tonight.
D’Angelo Russell boasts a usage rating north of 30%. He’s the clear focal point of the Golden State offense with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson injured. Last night, he scored 30 points with 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 block (48.75 DK points) in 33 minutes. He also shot only 9-24 from the field and 3-11 from beyond the arc in that game. Russell will see 20+ shot attempts once again tonight. He comes with more upside than he has flashed early this season.
Damion Lee saw 25 minutes last night, and he’s expected to find similar minutes in this game. In that game, he scored 16 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal (26 DK points). He also played 28 minutes a few games ago, scoring 23 points with 11 rebounds and 2 assists (42.25 DK points). Lee has proven that he can find success in somewhat of limited minutes. Golden State is in need of scoring, though, and Lee should continue to find minutes in this game. He is expected to be one of the highest owned players on this slate, as he’s far too cheap tonight.
Eric Paschall is the third option tonight. Draymond Green is unlikely to play tonight, while Kevon Looney has been ruled out. Paschall is averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists (19.3 DK points) in 26.3 minutes per game. He played 38 minutes a few games ago, scoring 20 points with 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal (29.75 DK points). Paschall has the ability to contribute in multiple categories, and Charlotte has struggled against opposing bigs throughout the 2019 season.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Charlotte Hornets
The pace of this game has already been outlined above. The Charlotte Hornets only rank 18th in the NBA in offensive rating through 5 games. With that being said, the Golden State Warriors rank last by a wide margin in defensive rating. The Hornets are -3.5 point favorites in a game set at 224 points, giving them an implied team total of 113.8 points.
Terry Rozier enters this game with a team-high 24.4% usage rating. Through 5 games, he’s averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 steals (31.7 DK points) in 29.5 minutes per game. He’s coming off of his best game of the season, scoring 46.75 DK points in 35 minutes. He’ll be the leader of the offense once again, and should strive against the worst defense in the NBA.
Devonte’ Graham has quietly been enjoying an outstanding season. He’s averaging 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists (32.9 DK points) in 29 minutes per game. Graham has scored 30+ DK points in 4 of his 5 games, while flashing 40+ DK point upside. Similarly to Rozier, this is a matchup that Graham can take advantage of. He’s far too cheap on DraftKings tonight, but is seemingly going overlooked in this game.
Cody Zeller has seemingly taken the next step for Charlotte. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists (39.0 DK points) in 31.2 minutes per game this season. Zeller has double-doubled in each of his 4 games, as well. He was at his best against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 52 DK points in that game. He’s another mispriced Hornets player, specifically on DraftKings, where Zeller gets the double-double bonus.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Isaiah Thomas
Thomas has only played in two games this season. He is averaging 16.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists (32.4 DK points) in only 21.6 minutes per game. He played 24 minutes in his last game, scoring 36.5 DK points. Most importantly, Thomas enters this game with an elite 30.8% usage rating. He’s expected to play around 25 minutes tonight, and he’ll continue to be a major part of the Washington offense.
Thomas gets a matchup against the Minnesota Wolves, who rank fifth in the NBA in pace this season. They also rank 10th in the league in defensive rating, but will be without Karl-Anthony Towns tonight. Thomas’ limited minutes could keep his ownership low, but he makes an outstanding salary relief option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Davis Bertans
Bertans is averaging 16.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists (24.8 DK points) in 28.6 minutes per game through 4 contests. He has been heating up recently, scoring 30.75 and 31.5 DK points in his last 2 games. DraftKings has been adjusting his price tag, but he’s still surprisingly low, although he doesn’t boast a great usage rating.
Bertans gets a matchup against the Minnesota Wolves, who were outlined above. He has been playing well enough to be one of the highest owned salary relief options on the slate. Golden State features plenty of value plays, though, and Bertans could go a bit overlooked.
Follow Justin Bales on Twitter (@BalesSJustin)
