We’ve reached that awkward middle part of the NBA season where the NBA Cup is in the rear-view mirror, the All-Star Break and trade deadline are rapidly approaching, and the playoffs are still a long way off. During this period, surprising results can happen.
Thursday’s eight-game slate includes plenty of quality options for DFS players. Here are the top three centers to consider tonight:
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $25K Showtime [Single Entry]
1. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks ($9,600)
Durant is eligible at both power forward and center, even though he has played just 22% of his minutes at center this season. He’s more useful at center on Thursday, when most of the NBA’s top bigs won’t play. Durant has been brilliant when he’s been on the court, averaging 45.1 FPTS per game. The problem for the 16-19 Suns is that he’s only played 25 games.
Durant has an extremely favorable matchup on the docket for Thursday, as the Suns will host the Atlanta Hawks. Although the Hawks (19-18) have been one of the East’s biggest positive surprises, Atlanta’s improvement hasn’t come on the defensive end of the ball. The Hawks allow the third-most points (119.8), ninth-most rebounds (44.7), fourth-most assists (28.7), fourth-most steals (9.7), and 10th-most blocks (5.5) per game to opposing players. Atlanta has also allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, where Durant is likely to play the bulk of his minutes.
2. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors ($8,000)
After years of sitting in the top half of the Eastern Conference, there’s finally been a proper tank north of the border this season. The Toronto Raptors, despite a breakout season from wing RJ Barrett, are racing towards the bottom, having lost nine of their past 10 games. Toronto is just one game better than the Washington Wizards, who I spent most of this season describing as “historically dreadful”. The 8-28 Raptors have been especially bad against opposing bigs, allowing the most FPTS per game to centers.
That’s why I’m going with another player eligible at both power forward and center and one of the breakout players of the 2024-25 season so far. Mobley, a former Defensive Player of the Year finalist, has stepped up his offensive aggression in a major way this season, averaging 18.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He’s been a linchpin over a Cavaliers team that holds the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He’s even knocked down a career-high 41.8% of his three-point attempts, although he’s only shooting 2.8 tries per game.
3. Goga Bitadze, Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ($7,000)
This one isn’t so much a question of the matchup — the Timberwolves allow the fourth-fewest FPTS to opposing centers, thanks to four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and a 109.7 defensive rating that ranks fourth-best in the NBA — as one of the Magic’s injury state. Star power forward Paolo Banchero is scheduled to make his return at some point this week, but Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks seems more likely than Thursday’s. Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs are all out, leaving Bitadze as one of the team’s only healthy options.
Although Bitadze is a defensive-oriented center — he’s scored more than 20 points just once in 2024-25 — he has started to make some strides on offense as well, averaging a career-high 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He has even worked on his shooting range, draining one of his two three-point attempts in a 105-92 loss to the Utah Jazz on January 5. In two games since Suggs’ injury, Bitadze has averaged 28.9 FPTS per game, consistent with his season average of 29.1 FPTS.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
II 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 skills 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.
