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
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz and Portland Blazers rank 20th and 11th in the NBA in pace, respectively. Utah also ranks seventh in the league in offensive rating, while Portland ranks 26th in defensive rating. The Jazz are -6.5 point favorites in a game set at 227.5 points, giving them an implied team total of 117 points.
Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is coming off of a terrible game against the Denver Nuggets. Still, he’s averaging 23.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals (39.0 DK points) in 32.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Excluding his last game, Mitchell scored 35+ DK points in 6 of his last 7 games, including a 62.5 DK point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans. Mitchell is expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight. He posted 49.75 DK points in 38.3 minutes in his only matchup against Portland this season, and is far too cheap on this slate.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Bojan Bogdanvoic is another underpriced option for Utah tonight. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 21.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists (32.0 DK points) in 33.3 minutes per game. He has scored 29+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 games. He has been consistently hitting that threshmark longer than 10 games, though. Bogdanovic also boasts 40+ DK point upside on a nightly basis. He’ll find minutes in the mid-30s tonight, adding to his upside, as well. Simply put, Bogdanovic is too cheap for cash games, making him an outstanding option in this stack.
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert is the final Utah player to consider. He has also caught fire recently. He’s averaging 18.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 2.6 blocks (45.8 DK points) in 34.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 40+ DK points in 9 of his last 10 games, while flashing 60 DK point upside over that span. Gobert is a player that has the potential to contribute in each of the five categories, while boasting 20/20 potential. He’ll find minutes in the mid- to high-30s tonight, and he’s another Jazz player that is a bit cheap for his recent production.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks currently rank 19th and third in the NBA in pace this season. Dallas also leads the league in offensive rating, while Atlanta ranks only 28th in defensive rating. The Mavericks are -5.5 point favorites in a game set at 237 points, and they possess the highest implied team total on the slate at 121.3 points.
J.J. Barea
J.J. Barea has been playing a larger role in the offense with Luka Doncic hurt. That will be the case again tonight, and his role could increase with Kristaps Porzingis out. In his last 2 games, Barea has scored 29.75 and 27.5 DK points in only 21 and 23 minutes. Overall, Barea is averaging 1.17 DK points per minute this season. He’s expected to play 20-25 minutes tonight, making him a solid option on this slate.
Delon Wright
Delon Wright has seen plenty of ups and downs this season. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists (20.0 DK points) in only 23.1 minutes per game. He recently played 27+ minutes in 3 consecutive games, scoring 38.5, 27.5, and 24.5 DK points in those games. Wright is expected to play minutes in the 20s tonight, and he could see a larger role in the offense because of injuries. He’s strictly a GPP option at the moment, though.
Dorian Finney-Smith
Dorian Finney-Smith is an interesting option tonight. He’s averaging 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists (21.9 DK points) in 30.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s coming off of a 29 DK point performance. Finney-Smith quietly boasts double-double potential, and there will be extra rebounding opportunities with Doncic and Porzingis injured. He’s a solid salary relief option on this slate.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets rank ninth in the NBA in pace, while Washington ranks fifth in the league in the same category. Brooklyn also ranks 22nd in the NBA in offensive rating, while Washington ranks last in defensive rating. The Nets are currently +1 point underdogs in a game set at 241.5 points, but they still boast one of the higher implied team totals on the slate at 120.3 points.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving isn’t a safe option, but he comes with elite upside. He’s averaging 34.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals (52.1 DK points) in 34.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 65 and 71.25 DK points in 2 of his last 3 games, as well. Irving relies heavily on scoring, making this an ideal matchup because of the pace and lack of defense. He’ll see 30+ minutes tonight, and makes an elite tournament option.
Taurean Prince
Taurean Prince is averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals (29.2 DK points) in 27.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s a versatile player that is at his best in fast paced games. Prince isn’t likely to see massive minutes, but he boasts 40+ DK point upside, even in minutes in the high-20s.
DeAndre Jordan
Jarrett Allen is the safer option at center, but DeAndre Jordan makes an outstanding salary relief option in tournaments. He’s averaging a healthy 1.22 DK points per minute on the season. Jordan has also scored 20+ DK points in 7 of his last 10 games. He has also flashed elite upside throughout the season. Jordan is expected to see around 20 minutes tonight, and Washington is known to struggle against bigs.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Garrett Temple
Garrett Temple has seen mixed results throughout the 2019 season. He’s averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists (18.4 DK points) in 24.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Temple is a cheap option, who has scored 19+ DK points in 6 of his last 10 games. He also flashed 25+ DK point upside over that span.
Temple gets a great matchup against the Washington Wizards, which has already been outlined above. He’s expected to play roughly 25 minutes in this game. Temple isn’t safe enough to be used in cash games, but he’s cheap enough to be used in tournaments, as he’ll benefit from the pace and lack of defense in this game.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Marquese Chriss
I’m going back to the well with Marquese Chriss. He’s averaging 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal (23.2 DK points) in 23.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Chriss has scored 20+ DK points in each of his last 5 games. He hasn’t flashed a ton of upside recently, but he boasts 35+ DK point upside when given the minutes.
Chriss gets a plus matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They rank 24th in the NBA in pace and 29th in defensive rating this season. Chriss is expected to find minutes in the mid-20s once again tonight. He has been playing well enough to be considered in all leagues tonight.
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