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
Portland Blazers
The Portland Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans rank 12th and third in the NBA in pace, respectively. Portland also ranks 10th in the league in offensive rating, while New Orleans ranks 23rd in defensive rating. The Blazers are +3 point underdogs in a game set at 240 points, and they boast the second highest implied team total on the slate tonight at 118.5 points.
Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard has been playing at an elite level for quite some time. He’s averaging 36.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.0 steal (61.0 DK points) in 37.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s also averaging 68.3 DK points per game over his last 10 games. Lillard has scored 55+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 contests, including a 92 DK point performance against the Golden State Warriors. He’ll be locked into minutes in the high-30s tonight, and makes an elite option on this slate.
C.J. McCollum
C.J. McCollum has been far from a consistent option recently. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists (30.5 DK points) in 36.1 minutes per game. McCollum has been wildly inconsistent, but he has scored 34+ DK points in 6 of his last 10 games. He is also averaging a healthy 37.3 DK points in 36.5 minutes per game against New Orleans this season. McCollum is expected to find minutes in the high-30s tonight. He can be used in cash games in this stack, but is best suited for tournaments if he’s used by himself.
Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Whiteside continues to play at an elite level this season. He’s averaging 16.6 points, 15.8 rebounds, 3.4 blocks, and 1.0 steals (46.6 DK points) in 32.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 39+ DK points in 7 of his last 9 games, while flashing 60+ DK point upside. Whiteside is expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight. He’s surprisingly cheap for a five game slate, and he should be one of the highest owned players on this slate.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
New Orleans Pelicans
The pace of this game has already been outlined above, as it’ll be the fastest paced game of the slate. The New Orleans Pelicans currently rank 16th in the NBA in pace, while the Portland Blazers rank 26th in the league in defensive rating. The Pelicans are -3 point favorites in a game set at 240 points, and they possess the highest implied team total on the slate at 121.5 points.
Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball has found plenty of success recently. He’s averaging 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals (38.5 DK points) in 36.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Ball has scored 35+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games, while flashing 50 DK point upside. He needed only 17.6 minutes to score 25.3 DK points in his only matchup against Portland this season. Ball could find minutes in the mid- to high-30s tonight, making him an outstanding option on the slate.
JJ Redick
It looks as if Brandon Ingram will sit out tonight, allowing JJ Redick to play bigger minutes. He saw 28 minutes in his last game, scoring 39.5 DK points. Redick has also scored 20+ DK points in 7 of his last 8 games. He’s a player that relies heavily on scoring, making him an outstanding option in a fast paced game with little defense. Redick also comes with a low price tag because of his recent scoreless game against the Houston Rockets, and he makes an outstanding tournament option if Ingram is ruled out.
Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson is averaging 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steal (35.4 DK points) in 29.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has been an efficient option, but has yet to flash his true upside in the NBA. Williamson has scored 35+ DK points in 3 of his last 4 games, only being limited by minutes. He’ll find full minutes tonight, especially in Ingram is out, making him an outstanding option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Lonnie Walker
Lonnie Walker has seen an inconsistent role in the San Antonio Spurs rotation this season. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists (13.0 DK points) in 19.0 minutes per game. Walker saw 27 minutes in his last game with DeMar DeRozan injured. He scored 19.25 DK points in that contest, although he comes with significantly more upside than that.
Walker gets a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who rank 22nd in the NBA in pace and ninth in defensive rating. While it isn’t a great matchup, Walker is likely to see minutes in the high-20s tonight with DeRozan doubtful. Once the latter is ruled out, Walker is an option that can be considered in all leagues for the minimum price tag.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Luke Kornet
Luke Kornet is a boom or bust option for the Chicago Bulls. He’s averaging 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists (22.1 DK points) in 24.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Kornet has played 28+ minutes in 2 of his last 4 games, scoring 32 and 31 DK points in those contests. On the season, he’s averaging 0.82 DK points per minute, while flashing upside when given the minutes.
Kornet gets a great matchup against the Washington Wizards. They rank sixth in the NBA in pace, while also ranking last in the league in defensive rating. Kornet is expected to see around 25 minutes tonight. He found success in his only matchup against Washington this season, and makes an outstanding tournament option on this slate.
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