Last season, the offseason acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis ($7,200) propelled the Boston Celtics to the NBA title. This season, he’s been strong as the Celtics are looking good in their title defense bid. However, he suffered a left ankle injury in the Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and is questionable for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
Any Porzingis absence would be bad for Boston, but it will also be bad for DFS players participating in the NBA $2.25M MEGA Millionaire [$1M to 1st] contest at DraftKings. If he doesn’t play, though, veteran power forward/center Al Horford ($5,000) should slide into the Celtics’ starting lineup and return good value for his cheap price.
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PF/C Al Horford, Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers, $5,000
The seventh-oldest player in the NBA has finally shown some signs of his age this season, as his 45.0% field goal percentage is tied for a career low. Still, he’s putting up decent production, averaging 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 39.7% from three. He’s still a vital cog of probably the best and most clear-cut eight-man rotation in basketball.
Shooting specialist Sam Hauser ($4,200) has remarkably similar scoring numbers, averaging 7.9 points per game on 37.0% shooting from deep and dropping nine double-digit scoring performances in 23 games — just like Horford. I considered Hauser, who has made significant strides on defense in his fourth season, but Horford still makes a bigger all-around impact and has a more consistent role. Horford averages 28.1 minutes per game to Hauser’s 21.8, 5.3 rebounds to Hauser’s 3.4, and 1.6 combined steals and blocks to Hauser’s 1.1. Even at his higher price point, Horford is the more reliable option.
If Porzingis can’t play, Horford should still be able to exploit a Pacers team that allows 116.0 points per game, the ninth-worst rate in basketball. Indiana is about league average against opposing centers, allowing the 15th-most FPTS. Plus, as a five-out team, Boston is well-equipped to drag Pacers center Myles Turner, one of the most imposing interior defenders in the league, out to the perimeter and neutralize his strengths. Horford wasn’t great in the teams’ first matchup, dropping just eight points in 20 minutes of playing time, but he did nail two of his four three-pointers.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
