Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks will be playing in one of the fastest paced games of the slate. These two teams rank fourth and first in the NBA in pace, respectively. Los Angeles has struggled a bit offensively this season, ranking only 21st in the league in offensive rating. With that being said, Atlanta currently ranks 28th in the NBA in defensive rating. The Lakers are -5 point favorites in a game set at 237.5 points, giving them the highest implied total on the slate at 121.3 points.
Tyson Chandler and Mike Muscala are both questionable tonight, but neither is likely to play big minutes if they are active. Instead, JaVale McGee is expected to find big minutes once again. He has played 26 and 30 minutes in his last two games, scoring 43.75 and 28.5 DK points in those games. McGee has looked outstanding on a per minute basis this season, as he’s averaging a healthy 1.2 DK points per minute through 49 games. He saw 26.4 minutes in his only matchup against Atlanta this season, and he was able to score 28.25 DK points in that game. McGee could see minutes in the mid- to high-20s once again tonight, making him a near lock to hit value tonight. LeBron James still comes with a reasonable price tag, and he has been performing well recently. Over the last 10 days, James is averaging 21.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, and 1.3 steals (52.4 DK points) in 33.4 minutes per game. He hasn’t been the most consistent option recently, but he scored 72.5 DK points only two games ago. James will be locked into solid minutes, and Atlanta doesn’t feature anyone that can keep up with James defensively. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma both make sense to fill out this stack, but I’m siding with the latter in this situation. Kuzma has caught fire recently, scoring 46.25 and 38.75 DK points in his last two games. Those numbers have come mainly from his scoring, as he has scored 39 and 25 points in those games. This matchup is going to be fast paced and high scoring, which bodes well for the style of Kuzma. He has struggled quite a bit prior to his recent outbreak, but that has kept his price tag low. There are only five games tonight, meaning all stacks will come with some risk, but Los Angeles is relatively safe compared to the other options.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Atlanta Hawks
This game has been outlined above, and it’s expected to be the fastest paced game on the slate. The Atlanta Hawks only rank 24th in the NBA in offensive rating through 56 games, while the Los Angeles Lakers rank 13th in the league in defensive rating. With that being said, the Hawks are only +5 point underdogs in a game set at 237.5 points. They feature an implied total of 116.3 points tonight.
Trae Young will likely feature some ownership tonight, but he has looked outstanding recently. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 8.3 assists (39.0 DK points) in 30.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 29+ DK points in each of his last 10 games, including five games with 40+ DK points. He scored 46 DK points in his only matchup against Los Angeles this season, as well. Taurean Prince has featured plenty of ups and downs throughout the season, and he’s averaging 12.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steal (20.5 DK points) in 28.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has flashed plenty of upside recently, though, scoring 28.75 and 30.5 DK points in two of his last three games. He also dominated Los Angeles in their only matchup this season, scoring 37.25 DK points in 34.5 minutes. He’s expected to see minutes in the high-20s or low-30s tonight, and Prince is a way to get low ownership on Atlanta tonight. Kevin Huerter is another player that could see somewhat of lower ownership on this slate. He has been playing well recently, averaging 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists (26.6 DK points) in 31.0 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Huerter has scored 29+ DK points in five of his last 10 games, including a 40.5 DK point performance against the Boston Celtics. Huerter only played 11.4 minutes against Los Angeles earlier this season, but he’s expected to see minutes in the mid-30s tonight. He adds consistency and upside to this stack, as well.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Delon Wright
Wright was part of the Marc Gasol trade, and he has now found a role with the Memphis Grizzlies. He has played relatively well in limited minutes this season, averaging 6.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists (15.8 DK points) in 18.2 minutes per game. He only scored 12.75 DK points in his last game, but he played 23 minutes in that game.
Wright is expected to play similar minutes once again tonight, as this is his new role on Memphis’ teams. He gets a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, who have struggled at times against guards this season. In his only matchup against San Antonio, Wright scored 26 DK points in 24 minutes. He has similar potential tonight, making him a solid option for an extremely low price tag.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Kenrich Williams
Williams has quietly caught fire for the New Orleans Pelicans. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 12.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.0 block (32.3 DK points) in 34.6 minutes per game. He has seen his role increase over his last seven games, and he has scored between 27 and 41 DK points in each of those games.
Surprisingly, Williams hasn’t seen his role decrease with players returning to the lineup, and he’s expected to play minutes in the mid- to high-30s tonight. Williams gets a solid matchup against the Orlando Magic, who have struggled at times defensively this season. Williams is no longer guard eligible, but he’s still a solid option for his low price tag on this slate.
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