The NBA returns from the All-Star break tonight, with the Lakers hosting the Hornets in Los Angeles. DraftKings is offering a plethora of contests for this Showdown slate. Below, I have featured some of my favorite NBA DFS targets for this contest.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st] (CHA @ LAL)
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Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets
Captain’s Picks
LaMelo Ball ($14,700) – Ball returns to the Hornets’ lineup tonight after missing two of their final three games before the All-Star break with an ankle injury. The guard has huge upside in this juicy matchup against the Lakers. While it is a limited sample, Los Angeles has been an elite matchup to attack with Luka Doncic in town. With Doncic active for their last two games, the Lakers rank first in pace and 20th in defensive rating. This season, Ball ranks second only to Joel Embiid in usage rate with a career-high 35.5%. Furthermore, Ball is handling a 40.6% assist percentage, and he is producing 1.5 FPTS per minute, both of which are also career highs. Ball has a real chance to lead this Showdown slate in scoring and taking the savings with him as your captain instead of the more expensive Luka Doncic or LeBron James makes the most sense for lineup construction.
FLEX Plays
Luka Doncic ($10,600) – Speaking of Doncic, the superstar is not expected to be under a minutes limit going forward following the All-Star break, per JJ Redick. Doncic has only seen 23 minutes in each of his first two games as a Laker, but after a full week off, Doncic should see 30-35 minutes tonight, making him a strong target. With Los Angeles, Doncic has led the team in usage at 32.2%, and he has provided 1.2 FPTS per minute. Doncic is due for some positive regression as an outside shooter – he has shot a miserable 26.7% on three pointers in a Lakers uniform – and with a normal workload tonight, Doncic should have his best showing with Los Angeles with over 50 FPTS.
Nick Smith Jr. ($4,200) – While Ball and Mark Williams ($8,600, conditioning) being back for the Hornets is going to hurt Smith Jr.’s usage rate, he should continue to see around 30 minutes as a starter and is underpriced for that type of volume. Smith Jr. is amassing 0.8 FPTS per minute this season, and he is generating 24.3 FPTS per game in the last five he has played alongside Ball and Williams. In this elite spot against the new-look Lakers, Smith should score nothing less than 20 FPTS and is the best value on the slate.
Jusuf Nurkic ($5,000) – Nurkic had a solid Hornets’ debut in their final game before the All-Star break, posting 24 FPTS in only 15 minutes of action against a stout Magic defense that ranks second in defensive efficiency this season. Nurkic started in that contest, but will likely come off the bench tonight with Williams returning. That being said, the big man likely won’t see big minutes with this being his first game since February 5th and Nurkic and Williams should split the work at center tonight for Charlotte. Nurkic should see 15-20 minutes, which might not seem like much, but he is scoring 1.3 FPTS per minute this season. Facing this Anthony Davis-less Lakers team, Nurkic has the potential for close to 30 FPTS.
Fade
Austin Reaves ($8,400) – Doncic’s presence has negatively affected Reaves’ role the most out of all the Lakers and that decline is only going to get worse with Doncic no longer under a minutes restriction. With Doncic on the floor with the Lakers, Reaves’ usage has dropped a team-worst 10.3 percentage points to only 13.4%. The sample size is limited, with Doncic only playing two games with Los Angeles, but this obviously very concerning for Reaves as a fantasy asset. His $8,400 salary is far too high right now. Facing solid Hornets’ defense that ranks 13th in efficiency, Reaves is an easy fade.
The Outcome
The Lakers are coming off an ugly loss to the tanking Jazz and their defense has been very suspect with Doncic at helm, ranking 20th in rating. Meanwhile, the Hornets are the healthiest they have been in quite some time with both Ball and Williams back. Plus, they now have Nurkic to provide scoring and rebounding off the bench. While Charlotte is unlikely to pull off the upset in Los Angeles, the Hornets should cover this 12-point spread on DraftKings Sportsbook and make this a competitive affair.
Final score: Lakers 120, Hornets 114
