There are four games on Thursday’s slate. LAC, MEM and SA are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. None of the teams play on Friday.
As for injuries, Khris Middleton, Maxi Kleber and Taylor Hendricks are out. Lauri Markkanen, Bradley Beal and Steven Adams are questionable. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
DraftKings Sportsbook has DAL -5 over HOU at home. The total is 227.5. The other games are not on the board as of 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
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Guard
Stud
James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns ($9,100) – Last season, Harden became the distributor for the Kawhi/PG/Harden triumvirate. With PG in Philly and Kawhi still not healthy, Harden has had to turn back the clock and increase his usage rate. While it’s not vintage Houston Harden, we are still getting robust fantasy goodies. Through three games, Harden is garnering a 34.2% usage rate and averaging 25 points, 1.7 treys, 8.3 rebounds and 11.7 assists. That’s translated to 48.25, 57 and 56.5 FPTS.
Other Options – Damian Lillard ($8,800), Jalen Green ($7,700), Desmond Bane ($7,600), Fred VanVleet ($7,000)
Value
Keyonte George, Utah Jazz vs. San Antonio Spurs ($5,700) – The shooting efficiency has been atrocious to start the season for George, as he’s converted 26% of his 15.3 attempts per game. He’s still grabbing rebounds and dishing out dimes. In four games this season, he’s put up at least 22 FPTS in every contest with the two most recent games over 30. George is not going to shoot sub-30% forever and there will be games when he’s scorching hot. Then 40 or 50 burgers are on the menu.
Other Options – Scottie Pippen Jr. ($5,800), Norman Powell ($5,600), Tyus Jones ($5,400)
Forward
Stud
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Clippers ($8,600) – Durant is and has been one of the best players in the league. He’s an unstoppable scoring machine, is uber-efficient and contributes across the board. Those freaking injuries robbed us of too many games to enjoy his greatness. But we are in the here and now, and Durant is still rocking and rolling. He’s played at least 38 minutes in every contest, and minutes are half the battle. Yo, Joe! Over the last two contests, he’s gone for over 50 FPTS. The usage has come down over the years, though, but it’s still a healthy 28.9%.
Other Options – Desmond Bane ($7,600)
Value
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz ($5,800) – Say what you will about the shooting form, there’s no denying the production from Sochan. He’s doing yeoman’s work on the boards, dishing out dimes and racking up some defensive stats, but it’s been the scoring prowess that has been most eye-opening. Now, teams are leaving him wiiiiiiiide open, so there could be more attention paid to him going forward, but we will deal with that when it comes. As it stands, Sochan has scored 18, 17 and 22 points in three games this season. Over the last two games, he’s played 34 and 37 minutes, attempting 19 and 14 shots. He’s gone for 40.5 and 40.25 FPTS in those contests. In the other game, he went for 27, so the floor/ceiling combo is decent for the price.
Other Options – Norman Powell ($5,600), John Collins ($5,600), Kyle Filipowski ($4,700)
Center
Stud
Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns ($6,500) – Zubac is no spring chicken, as this is his ninth year in the Association, but he’s leveled up into a different universe. Some of it is a natural progression from reps and experience while the opportunity has spiked with the injury to Kawhi and the departure of PG. Zubac is averaging 22.7 points, 14 rebounds and 4.3 assists through three games. He’s also played 36.7 minutes per contest. He has never averaged more than 28 minutes per game in a season before. Zubac put up 35.25 FPTS in the opener against the Suns. Then he went for 50.75 against the Nuggets and 60 against the Warriors.
Other Options – Victor Wembanyama ($10,400), Alperen Sengun ($8,500)
Value
Brook Lopez, New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies ($5,500) – Lopez has a low of 19 FPTS this season. In the other three games, he’s gone for 25, 32.5 and 39.5 FPTS. The blocks will always be there, and he has four, three and six in three games. What I like about this matchup, though, is that he’s going to get tons of clean looks when Zach Edey is out there. When Jay Huff is on the floor, Lopez could have some chances to punish him down low.
Other Options – Walker Kessler ($5,700), John Collins ($5,600), Kyle Filipowski ($4,700)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
