After a surprisingly tight battle between the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the two teams will face off again tonight as part of DraftKings’ seven-game featured DFS slate. With nearly half of the league available to DFS players, I’ll be breaking down all the stats and injury news you need to know as you fill out your lineups for tonight’s contest.
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Nets at Wizards
I can’t pretend that this is the most exciting offering on tonight’s slate, given the Nets’ recent struggles to score and the Wizards’ season-long struggles to do, well, anything. Over its last 10 games, Brooklyn has the league’s best defensive rating…and its second-worst offensive rating. The Nets are barely a net-positive team despite allowing fewer points than anyone else and winning seven of those 10 games. They’ll probably extend it to eight of 11 against Washington, which has the league’s seventh-worst offense and ninth-worst defense over the last 10 games. Cameron Johnson ($6,400) broke a streak of seven straight 10-to-19-point performances by dropping 23 (39.0 FPTS) in a 105-103 win over Philadelphia on Saturday. He and center Nic Claxton ($5,900) — who’s recorded 40 or more FPTS twice in his last three games — should be fantasy targets tonight. If he plays, Wizards center Alex Sarr ($5,600) had his third-best game of his career in the team’s first game after the All-Star break, a 104-101 loss to Milwaukee on Friday.
Clippers at Pistons
As is typical for the Clippers, the most important things to watch from this game are the statuses of Kawhi Leonard ($7,200), who missed yesterday’s game with a foot injury, and Norman Powell ($7,300), who hasn’t suited up since the All-Star break because of a knee issue. Of the two, I’d expect Leonard to play tonight, since LA has typically rested him on back-to-backs, and while he hasn’t quite had his typical elite efficiency this season, he had a huge game on Thursday against the Bucks, scoring 25 points and nabbing two steals (41.5 FPTS) with Powell sidelined. If Powell misses his third straight game, new acquisition Bogdan Bogdanovic ($4,900) could score double-digit points for the third straight game. For Detroit, Cade Cunningham ($10,500) had his best game of the season in a 148-143 thriller against Atlanta, dropping 38 points and adding seven boards and 12 dimes (76.25 FPTS), although he’ll be hard-pressed to repeat it against a Clippers team that has the league’s third-best defense this season. Ausar Thompson ($5,600) is a good bet to score double-digit points for the ninth time in 10 games.
Nuggets at Pacers
To get the obvious out of the way, Nikola Jokic ($12,000) is a must-start in any fantasy competition against any opponent until he either drops off drastically or retires. Tyrese Haliburton ($8,000) is the most expensive Pacer and, even with his higher price point, holds better value tonight than his teammate Pascal Siakam ($7,600), who has only attempted 12 field goals in each of his last two games. After an inconsistent start to the season, Haliburton has strung together two solid games in a row, scoring 22 points with nine assists (47.25 FPTS) in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday and following it up with a 29-point, 12-assist (57.25-FPT) masterpiece against LA last night. For a matchup-specific play, I also like Aaron Gordon ($5,300), who has taken double-digit shots in each of the last two games and faces an Indiana defense that has struggled against opposing power forwards, allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to the position.
Bulls at 76ers
Given that Chicago has the league’s fourth-worst defensive rating and plays at its third-fastest pace, anybody on Philadelphia’s roster is a good bet against the Bulls. I’m going to stay away from Joel Embiid ($9,500), who looks more likely to be shut down for the season with repeated knee swelling than play tonight against Chicago, but Tyrese Maxey ($9,000) should be a good option if Embiid can’t play. Maxey did suffer a finger sprain in the 105-103 loss to the Nets on Saturday, but as long as he’s good to go, he should be effective. He stayed in the game after injuring the finger and played 43 minutes, scoring an efficient 31 points (44.5 FPTS). I’m also not sure what’s up with Guerschon Yabusele ($4,900); the Dancing Bear has had two straight quiet games, but he would be in line to resume his spot in the 76ers’ starting lineup if Embiid gets shut down. For the Bulls, Lonzo Ball ($5,000) can’t shoot one-for-nine every game, can he?
Heat at Hawks
Much like Chicago, Atlanta has been a fantasy favorite opponent, given that the Hawks have played at the second-fastest pace in the league. The Hawks conceded 148 points in regulation in an epic shootout against Detroit last night, and opposing guards in particular have gone off against Trae Young ($9,400), a mediocre defender at best. Young’s ineptitude on that side of the ball, therefore, makes Tyler Herro ($8,500) an obvious call. In two games since the All-Star break, Herro has averaged 34.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists (56.0 FPTS) per game, and the Heat are 1-1 over that span. Andrew Wiggins ($6,500), too, has scored 20 or more points in both games since the break, proving himself to be a great fit in Miami after being the centerpiece of the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Warriors. For Atlanta, Young has scored 38 points in each of his last three games and should be fine again tonight.
Timberwolves at Thunder
MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,700) proved why he is in line to win the award last night with a 37-point, eight-rebound, eight-assist, three-block, three-steal (70.0-FPT) performance. Although I wouldn’t expect a repeat of last night’s performance — it was still 18 FPTS better than his season average — the Canadian is a must until he proves he isn’t, even against a Minnesota team that has generally been solid against opposing point guards. I’m not sure if Chet Holmgren ($7,400) will play — he hasn’t played a back-to-back yet since returning from the hip fracture that cost him three months — so if he doesn’t, Isaiah Hartenstein ($6,800) should continue to be a reliable option, especially against a Timberwolves defense that has been merely league-average on the boards since Rudy Gobert ($6,600) first went down with a back injury. With Gobert and Julius Randle ($6,700) out, Anthony Edwards ($9,300) has led the league in usage over the last 10 games. He should continue to put up big numbers, even if he’s inefficient tonight.
Trail Blazers at Jazz
The Trail Blazers are hot — with the league’s seventh-best net rating over the last 10 games — and the Jazz are not. Anfernee Simons ($6,700) had 25 points in Portland’s 141-88 demolition of the Hornets on Saturday and should produce again against a Utah defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards. Deni Avdija ($6,300) has also been very solid for the Trail Blazers over their hot streak, having recorded four consecutive double-digit scoring outings and averaging 32.8 FPTS per game across that span. It’s hard to say who will suit up for the Jazz on any given night — John Collins ($6,800), Jordan Clarkson ($6,400), and Collin Sexton ($6,300) have already been ruled out, but if he plays, Lauri Markkanen ($6,900) will continue to lead Utah in usage. If Markkanen and Walker Kessler ($7,000) do not play, the Jazz have a plethora of potential value picks: Kyle Filipowski ($4,600), KJ Martin ($3,900), Cody Williams ($3,500), and Micah Potter ($3,400) could all be in the starting lineup tonight.
