The Emirates NBA Cup will reach its conclusion on Tuesday as the Milwaukee Bucks face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on ABC. This NBA week will be a short one, with many teams playing just two games and zero scheduled games on the calendar on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ve got you covered here at DK Network.
Things haven’t changed much in the East. The New York Knicks have displaced the Orlando Magic for the third seed while the Nets fade away, predictably, into obscurity. Dennis Schroder was traded to the Warriors in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. This is a surefire reinforcement of what we already knew: that their season wasn’t serious and that development would be their number one priority. The 3-21 Wizards remain at the bottom; a nasty situation in which they hold fewer home Wins (1) than the Celtics do (3) in their own arena.
Things are tighter in the West, with the Grizzlies surging to the second seed (8-2 in their last 10) while the Clippers, Lakers, Spurs, and Kings all sit with similar records in the periphery of the last playoff spot. I anticipate things will get tense in this region late in the season. Nikola Jokic, my personal pick for MVP, has his Nuggets sitting at 5th; a remarkable achievement considering the state of their roster at the moment.
We’re shooting the Three Lists of Threes today for your weekly dose of fantasy tips: Buy-lows, sell-highs, and streams.
Here are some buy-lows we can consider.
Buy ’em
Jarrett Allen, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
After a blistering start to the season, Jarrett Allen has finally cooled off, ranking 121 over the past two weeks in 9-cat. He’s still shooting an incredible 62.9% from the field, but his blocks have dipped to 0.4 and his points have dropped to 11.4 in this time period.
He will be better than this, and even though he’s clearly not the premier center in town, his presence is pivotal to the Cavs’ success this season. The Cavaliers are rank 9 in defensive efficiency and allow the 5th least points in the paint. Allen is averaging the fewest minutes of his Cavs’ career at 29.9 MPG, but there’s nothing to worry about here. He’s doing his thing and helping the Cavs surge as the top seed in the East with a ridiculous 14-1 home record. Allen is going nowhere.
Jimmy Butler, SF/PF, Miami Heat
On the contrary, Butler is probably on the move. I anticipated a big game from Butler on the 12th against the Raptors after his rumored trade requests became public, but no dice. Butler posted a disappointing 11 point, five rebound, and four assist game that night on 8 shot attempts in a win against the Raptors. A poor showing for NBA teams, and a poor showing for his current fantasy managers.
Jimmy’s going to have to do a little more if he wants to sway other teams to make a move. He’s clearly still a good, albeit declining, player. He’s averaging 18.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.7 APG in his 14th season and can still be a contributing piece to a championship team. But which one? Maybe yours.
Donovan Mitchell, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers
Another pivotal piece of the Cavs, star guard Donovan Mitchell is cruising this season with a career-low 32 MPG. He’s not playing much because his team is so good, and isn’t being asked to do as much as he was last season (26.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.8 SPG). His numbers are pretty much all down across the board, much to the annoyance of fantasy managers.
I’m bullish on Mitchell improving from here. Nothing has changed dramatically about his numbers outside the playing time and perhaps the free throw percentage, and the race for the first seed against the Boston Celtics will be tight. He won’t be the Mitchell of last season, but he’ll be better than he is now.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st].
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user 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
