After every team in the league took the court last night, the NBA will have a more modest five-game slate for tonight’s action, the final before the new-look All-Star tournament on Sunday.
Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of high-quality center options for DFS players to choose from tonight. Let’s take a look at my top three:
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st].
1. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans ($9,500)
Because Anthony Davis ($10,500) is injured, Sabonis is the most expensive center on tonight’s slate, and he’s playing a very familiar opponent — the Kings and Pelicans will have faced each other three times in a span of six days, including two nights in a row. He’s been pretty solid in the teams’ previous two games, posting 27 points and 16 rebounds (46.75 FPTS) in a 123-118 victory on Saturday and following it up with a 16-point, 15-rebound performance in last night’s 119-111 win. Even though the Lithuanian’s production has dipped slightly since welcoming compatriot Jonas Valanciunas ($4,500) and former Chicago Bull Zach LaVine ($7,500) at the trade deadline, he remains a valuable fantasy asset, averaging 43.3 FPTS per game across his last six games.
Plus, he has an extremely friendly opponent in a New Orleans team that has allowed the most points to opposing centers after losing several impactful players — Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Brandon Ingram — to season-ending injuries or trades. This season, the Pelicans have the second-worst defensive rating and play at the league’s 13th-fastest pace, so all in all, they allow the fourth-most points, third-most rebounds, and fifth-most assists per game. This isn’t a slight on rookie center Yves Missi ($5,200), who’s been very solid this season, but Sabonis is one of just three players this season to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game. It’s unfathomable that he won’t participate in the All-Star tournament on Sunday.
2. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks ($8,100)
Poor Dallas; not only did the Mavericks trade Luka Dončić to Los Angeles, prompting fans at games to call for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison, new acquisition Davis will miss at least a few weeks while dealing with an adductor strain that he suffered in his team debut and starting center Daniel Gafford ($7,300), whose midseason arrival helped Dallas make the Finals last season, went down with a knee sprain. Tonight, the Mavericks’ starting center will be either Kylor Kelley ($4,300) or Kessler Edwards ($3,800), who both represent quite the downgrade from Davis, Gafford, or Dereck Lively II.
Meanwhile, Adebayo is now arguably Miami’s best player and top two-way option after the Heat traded Jimmy Butler ($8,000) to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline. Although Tyler Herro ($8,300) is Miami’s lone All-Star this season, Adebayo has been extremely solid as well. He is coming off two consecutive 20-point scoring outings, including a 27-point, 15-rebound (57.25-FPT) masterpiece last night in a narrow loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in which the Heat got outscored, 32-8, in the fourth quarter. I’m not sure who will protect the paint for Dallas, whether that’s Kelley, Edwards, or Olivier-Maxence Prosper ($4,800), but regardless, I like Adebayo’s chances.
3. Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers at Utah Jazz ($7,600)
The ninth-year Croatian center has been a staple on this list so far this season for me, since he’s posting a career-best season for a surprising Clippers team, averaging 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds (39.0 FPTS) per game. Impressively, he’s had at least one steal in each of his last nine games, the longest active streak in the NBA among centers. Although he scored only 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds (41.25 FPTS) last night in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, he did have 26 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists (59.25 FPTS) on Saturday against the Jazz. In three games against Utah this season, he’s averaging 22.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks (49.3 FPTS) per game.
Interior defense is the one aspect of basketball that the Jazz excel at: opponents shoot 10.6 percentage points worse than usual within six feet of the basket when guarded by Walker Kessler ($7,000), the fourth-best among players who have played at least 40 games and guarded at least five such attempts per game. Utah hasn’t given up tons of rebounds, conceding the sixth-fewest in the league. But overall, the Jazz have still allowed the third-most points per game and the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers. Plus, Zubac won’t have Kawhi Leonard ($7,100) taking any shots away from him tonight.
