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 sell-highs we can consider.
Sell ’em
Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls
Ayo Dosunmu has been excellent lately as the 5th ranked player in 9-cat leagues across the last two weeks. In his past five games, Dosunmu is averaging 17.4 PPG and 6.4 APG with 1.4 TO and 63.5% shooting from the field. While these shooting numbers won’t stick, it’s encouraging to see Dosunmu play well for the 11-15 Bulls.
You can look at Dosunmu as some type of Zach LaVine insurance. He’s only 25 and is enjoying a good season with career highs in PPG, APG, and FT%. I’d be comfortable moving him for someone slightly better with a more secure role.
Keyonte George, PG, Utah Jazz
After battling efficiency issues the entire season (perhaps his entire career), George looks to have turned a corner lately in his last five games, in which he’s shot higher than 46% in each one of them. On the season he’s still cashing a poor 39.7% from the field, but lately he’s been on fire.
I don’t trust in this shooting stretch to continue for much longer. While George is only 21, and we shouldn’t rule out improvement being a real possibility, it’s still probably too dramatic of an imrovement to count on. He’s averaging 16 PPG with 5.8 APG in his sophomore season.
Dejounte Murray, PG, New Orleans Pelicans
Let’s throw CJ McCollum in here while we’re at it. Let’s get one thing straight: the Pelicans are going nowhere this season. They’ve been hit by the bad-luck injury bus and are dead-last in the West while their franchise cornerstone, Zion Williamson, is out indefinitely with who-knows-what.
There are recent rumors that the Pels are open to exploring trade partners for Williamson. To me, that’s clear indication that the Pels are ready to cut their losses and move on from this season. All that to say: Murray’s outlook this season is bleak.
Beyond Murray’s situation on the Pels, we also have to take a look at his statistical output. He’s averaging 16.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 6.8 APG alongside 2.1 steals. He’s shooting 36.4% from the field and is clearly still shaking off the rust from his hand injury he sustained in the beginning of the season. His counting stats, alongside his career-high 28.2% usage rate, will make an intriguing sales pitch for managers in need of a good point guard. So why are we selling, again? I’m not sure how much he’ll play in March.
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
