Welcome to Bales’ Stacks and Hidden Gems! Below I will discuss my NBA favorite plays for tonight’s slate!
Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards and New York Knicks rank second and 25th in the NBA in pace, respectively. Washignton also ranks fourth in the league in offensive rating, while New York ranks only 26th in defensive rating. The Wizards are +3.5 point underdogs in a game set at 227 points tonight. They boast an implied team total of 111.8 points.
Isaiah Thomas has been suspended for this game, leaving Ish Smith to log big minutes at point guard tonight. Over the last 10 days, Smith is averaging 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals (24.2 DK points) in 26.4 minutes per game. He’s also averaging 0.86 DK points per minute on the season. Smith could see a larger role in the offense, as Washington is dealing with a plethora of injuries. He’s expected to play 30-35 minutes tonight, making him a safe salary relief option with upside.
Bradley Beal will take over the majority of the offensive duties. He’s averaging 31.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 steals (55.6 DK points) in 37.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 55+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games, including a 60 DK point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. With Davis Bertans injured, Beal is one of few offensive options that can take over the game for Washington. He quietly comes with triple-double potential, as he’ll be handling the ball throughout this game, as well. Beal could see upwards of 40 minutes tonight, and New York doesn’t boast anyone that can slow him down defensively in this game.
Troy Brown has seen limited in 2019. He is averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 steal (24.3 DK points) in 27.3 minutes per game over the last 10 games. He’s also averaging 0.9 DK points per minute this season. Brown has quietly posted 25+ DK points in 5 of his last 7 games, including a 39.25 DK point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. Brown will see 30+ minutes tonight, as the Wizards will be forced to run a small lineup with Rui Hachimura, Thomas Bryant, and Moritz Wagner all out tonight.
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Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Portland Blazers
The Portland Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans currently rank 11th and seventh in the NBA in pace. Portland also ranks 10th in the league in offensive rating this season, while New Orleans ranks 27th in defensive rating. The Blazers are -6 point favorites in a game set at 230 points, giving them the highest implied team total on the slate at 118 points.
Damian Lillard has found quite a bit of success recently. He’s averaging 27.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 8.4 assists (46.3 DK points) in 37.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Lillard has scored 45+ DK points in each of his last 3 games, while flashing 60+ DK point upside over that span. Lillard has been at his best in Portland, where he’s averaging 1.34 DK points per minute this season. He’ll see minutes in the high-30s tonight, making him an outstanding option on this slate.
C.J. McCollum has scored 40+ DK points in each of his last 4 games, including a pair of games with 50+ DK points. He’s averaging 26.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals (41.3 DK points) in 37.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. McCollum is locked into big minutes, and he’s arguably the most mispriced player on the slate.
Hassan Whiteside is averaging 17.0 points, 17.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 4.2 blocks (50.0 DK points) in 33.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He boasts 60+ DK point upside, especially in a fast paced matchup against a weak defense. Whiteside is also far too cheap tonight, and Portland is a second “chalk stack” on this slate tonight.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors rank 16th in the NBA in pace, while the Minnesota Wolves rank fourth in the same category. Golden State only rank 30th in the league in offensive rating, but Minnesota ranks 21st in defensive rating. The Warriors are +1.5 point underdogs in a game set at 221 points, and they own an implied team total of 109.8 points on this slate tonight.
D’Angelo Russell isn’t overly consistent, but he comes with as much upside as any player for Golden State. He has scored 40+ DK points in each of his last 2 games, while recently scoring 50.75 DK points against the New York Knicks. In his only matchup against Minnesota this season, Russell scored 82.75 DK points. He’s a bit too cheap for his upside in this particular matchup.
Alec Burks has also caught fire recently. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals (32.4 DK points) in 28.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He boasts 40+ DK point upside for an absurdly low price tag. Burks also found success against Minnesota, scoring 34.25 DK points against them earlier this season. He’s expected to see around 30 minutes tonight, making him an outstanding option for his current price tag.
Damion Lee is another Golden State player that is a bit too cheap on this slate. He’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists (26.6 DK points) in 29.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has played 25+ minutes in each of his last 4 games, flashing 30+ DK point upside over that span. Lee isn’t an overly consistent option, but he comes with tremendous scoring potential. He should find success in this matchup, as well, adding to the upside of this stack.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Kevin Huerter
Kevin Huerter has been locked into big minutes recently. He’s averaging 33.3 minutes per game over his last 3 games. He’s also averaging 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.7 steals (30.1 DK points) in those contests. On the season, Huerter is averaging 0.86 DK points per minute, and it’s clear he’s back to full health.
Huerter gets a plus matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rank 26th in the NBA in pace and 29th in defensive rating. Huerter is expected to find minutes in the mid-30s again tonight, but his price tag is still a bit low. He may be best suited for tournaments because of the other value options on this slate, but he’s far from the worst cash game option tonight, as well.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Admiral Schofield
Admiral Schofield hasn’t played a big role in the Washington Wizards rotation this season. He’s averaging 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 steals on a per-36 minute basis this season. Schofield is averaging only 0.64 DK points per minute this season. With that being said, he will see a significantly larger role in the offense tonight, as Washington is dealing with a plethora of injuries.
Schofield gets a matchup against the New York Knicks. This matchup has already been outlined above. Most importantly for Schofield, Davis Bertans, Rui Hachimura, Moritz Wagner, and Thomas Bryant have already been ruled out. Schofield has flashed upside when given the time, and he’s a solid option for a low price tag on this slate.
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DFS Karma is partnered with DraftKings and are also avid fans and users and 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 and 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.
