The NBA will begin to step to center stage of the sports world as the dust settles from last night’s Super Bowl. Ten games will be tipping off across the association tonight headlined by the expected Lakers debut of Luka Doncic.
Three games will be tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET taking place between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs, and the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. A half-hour later, the Miami Heat will play the Boston Celtics while the Brooklyn Nets host the Charlotte Hornets.
At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the New Orleans Pelicans while the Milwaukee Bucks face the Golden State Warriors. Following the unfortunate Anthony Davis injury news, the Dallas Mavericks are set to play the Sacramento Kings. Then the Portland Trail Blazers will play the Denver Nuggets before the highly-anticipated game between the Lakers and Jazz.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the action this evening. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for Feb. 10. We simply choose whether a player will record more or less of the set statistic. Here are my six favorite plays for Monday night’s action.
Kyrie Irving More Than 33.5 Points & Assists
The keys to the Mavericks offense were handed to Kyrie Irving following the shocking Luka Doncic trade. Irving has proven to be one of the premier players in the league throughout his career and will step to center stage of an offense once again. The 32-year-old is averaging 24.1 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, but Dallas will need an uptick in this for them to succeed moving forward. This is especially the case with Anthony Davis set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Tonight presents a great opportunity for Irving to have a monstrous offensive output. Dallas will take on the Sacramento Kings tonight who have struggled on the defensive side of the ball. So far this season they rank 22nd in opponents’ points per game, 17th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 29th in opponents’ three-point percentage. Irving was inactive for the first matchup with Sacramento this season but tallied a 34-point and four-assist performance in the first game following the Doncic trade as evidence of his ability.
This matchup presents a great chance for the star guard to replicate this level of output. Irving’s offensive responsibility will remain high especially with Anthony Davis remaining out. While I expect him to operate primarily with a score-first mindset, look towards the combined points and assists for some assurance in case the Kings make a clear effort to get the ball out of his hands. Dallas has been off since Saturday and expect a refreshed version of Irving to be at the heart of the Mavericks’ production tonight and record more than 33.5 combined points and assists.
Anthony Edwards Less Than 29.5 Points
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a difficult matchup tonight as they face off with the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. Both of these teams play a defensive-minded style of basketball which will make points hard to come by across the board. Cleveland is allowing just 12.1 points per game to opposing shooting guards this season, which is the best rate in the league.
While Anthony Edwards is far from your average shooting guard, 30 points will be difficult to come by against the Cavaliers. On the season, Edwards is averaging 27.2 points per game and has been held to less than 29.5 points in 34 of the 51 games he has played. This includes scoring 28 points in the lone matchup with the Cavaliers already this year. Minnesota has also played at the fouth-slowest pace in the NBA over the previous 25 games so don’t expect an abundance of additional offensive possessions.
Expect Edwards to have his flashes and make his impact felt in this game, but to remain under 29.5 points. After back-to-back games with 40+ points, Edwards missed the previous matchup with hip soreness and is questionable for tonight’s game. With the star guard a bit banged up and facing a hard-nosed Cavaliers team, most of his impact may need to be in other categories. Count on him being held to less than 29.5 points for the 35th time this season.
Klay Thompson More Than 15.5 Points
Another player to see his role drastically shift following the trade shakeups is Kaly Thompson. The four-time NBA champion left the Warriors to sign with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason and has had mixed results thus far. Thompson is averaging 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across his 27.2 minutes per game this season. His role will be elevated in the offense moving forward following the loss of Doncic and the injury to Anthony Davis.
Thompson will also benefit from playing a struggling Kings defense with their 29th-ranked opponents’ three-pointer percentage being especially noteworthy. The sharpshooter is attempting 7.6 three-point attempts per game and connecting at a 39.0% rate on the season. While this is still an impressive perimeter shooting percentage, it marks his third-lowest three-point percentage of his 12-year career.
The veteran also has flashed an increased willingness to attack closeouts and create off the dribble this season. The 25-year-old has a 25-point performance against the Celtics in the second game after the trade and has recorded more than 15.5 points in 18 games this season. Dallas will be starved for offense and expect Thompson to take on plenty of this responsibility. He may not be the player he once was but Thompson is still among the best shooters in the league and should have plenty of chances to let it fly in this game. Count on him recording more than 15.5 points as the defense continues to be a concern for this Kings team.
Darius Garland Less Than 21.5 Points
The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to a terrific start to the season, leading the Eastern Conference since the opening game. Darius Garland’s leap in production has been one of the driving reasons why and earned him his second All-Star appearance this season. He is averaging a career-high 21.9 points per game this season while also adding 6.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds.
This will be a difficult matchup for the All-Star guard as the Cavaliers prepare to face the Timberwolves. After some growing pains to start the season, Minnesota is back to embracing their defensive identity. They rank fourth in the league in opponents’ points per game, seventh in opponents’ field goal percentage, and fifth in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Garland has been held to less than 21.5 points in 21 games already this season. While he did drop 29 points in the first matchup with the Timberwolves, his 19 field goal attempts were above his season-long average of 15.6 shots per game. Expect a more focused effort from the Minnesota defense in the second matchup with the Eastern Conference leaders. This will be a defensive battle for both sides with points set to be difficult to come by. Garland will still surely have his flashes but count on him being held to less than 21.5 points for the 22nd time this season.
Draymond Green Than 6.5 Assists
The Golden State Warriors also joined the list of teams making a huge splash at the deadline by trading for Jimmy Butler. Sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference, the Warriors have some work to do. Steph Curry continues to show flashes of his old self and Draymond Green will set the tone for getting the offense run correctly.
On the season, Green is averaging 8.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds across his 28.3 minutes per game. While Butler will surely provide some offensive relief, count on Green to continue holding the responsibility of being the primary playmaker in the halfcourt. He has recorded more than 6.5 assists in 15 games this season including in Butler’s debut.
Golden State will face off with a Milwaukee Bucks team that is set to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard listed as questionable, and playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Expect the off-ball motion of the Warriors to cause some issues and for Green to be plenty capable of picking them apart as a passer. This will be the team’s first matchup with the Bucks this season. Golden State must capitalize on every chance to get their team on the same page and learn to play together. Green remains the glue of the team and will show his importance in the coming weeks. Expect another strong effort tonight and for Green to record more than 6.5 assists for the second straight game alongside Butler.
Luka Donncic More Than 3.5 Made Three-Pointers
The most highly anticipated game of the night will be taking place between the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz with all signs pointing toward Luka Doncic making his debut. The prized trade acquisition has been upgraded to probable after the morning’s shootaround and this will make his first time stepping on the floor since Christmas due to a calf injury. There is no doubt about the caliber of talent Doncic is but it will be interesting to see how quickly he settles in with his new team. Based on his high level of basketball IQ and the way the team will be looking to jump-start his fit, don’t expect the learning curve to be very steep.
Across the 22 games that Doncic has played this year, he is attempting 9.6 three-pointers per game and connecting at a 35.4% rate. This comes out to an average of 3.4 made three-pointers per game and he has recorded at least four makes in 10 games this year. In addition, the Jazz rank dead last in the NBA in opponents’ three-point attempts allowed by giving up 40.4 perimeter shots per game. Utah has played at the seventh-fastest pace of play on the road this season, so there should also be some additional offensive opportunities.
Expect a clear effort from Doncic to assert himself in front of the Los Angeles faithful with the shock of the trade lighting a fire under him. With the three-point line being a weakness of the Jazz and Doncic more than comfortable in attack from the perimeter, I like his chances of getting hot from the three-point arc. Doncic faced off with the Jazz twice this season when he was playing from the Mavericks and shot 1-for-9 and 4-for-13 from beyond the arc in these matchups. With this level of volume on the table, count on Doncic to connect with more than 3.5 three-pointers in his Lakers debut.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
