On Saturday, the NBA has another seven-game slate on tap with some very interesting matchups on the board, including the ABC showcase game between the Knicks and Warriors in San Francisco. With seven matchups to consider, several spots stand out as good spots to attack by stacking multiple players from the same team in your NBA DFS lineup.
Of the 14 teams on the slate, eight are playing as part of a back-to-back set of games. The Heat, Nuggets, Rockets, Pacers, Grizzlies and Spurs are all playing for a second day in a row while the Bucks and Thunder will play again on Sunday. Keep a close eye on today’s injury report and shift your strategy if necessary as tip-off approaches.
The NBA DFS contests for Saturday night’s main slate lock at 7:00 p.m. ET, headlined by the NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st].
New Orleans Pelicans at San Antonio Spurs
In the first game of their back-to-back, the Spurs gave up 145 points in a loss to the Hornets. It was also their first game since losing De’Aaron Fox (finger) for the season in addition to Victor Wembanyama (blood clot), who has been out since the All-Star break. Without those two stars, the defense was shredded by LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges and Charlotte had six players with at least 13 points. The Pelicans will hope to thrive in the same kind of high-scoring environment on Saturday. With Zion Williamson (personal) and Yves Missi (ankle) out, there will be plenty of opportunities for the other Pelicans to step up against the Spurs
Core Plays: The focal point of the Pelicans’ offense will likely be Trey Murphy III ($7,500) and CJ McCollum ($6,700). McCollum has been struggling lately, so Murphy has the higher ceiling of the two players. He has a very high ceiling and reached 36+ fantasy points in four of his last seven contests. Kelly Olynyk ($5,100) could also get more worth without Zion and Missi.
Value Options: Without Zion and Missi, Karlo Matkovic ($4,600) also becomse a great opiton. Matkovic has 20+ fantasy points in five straight games, including a double-double with 34.25 fantasy points against the Grizzlies last Sunday. Jose Alvarado ($4,500) has been solid in the second unit with double-digit points and at least 25 fantasy points in four straight games, including two games over 35 fantasy points. Mo Bamba ($3,200) is on a 10-day deal but played 26 minutes on Thursday and is a viable cheap play, especially with Zion absent.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Detroit Pistons
The Thunder have scored the fourth-most points per game in the NBA this season and the third-most over the last 10 games. They start their back-to-back with a stop in the Motor City but will be without Jalen Williams (hip) and Chet Holmgren (rest). The supporting cast will have to step up and carry more work, which makes them a solid stacking option to consider.
Core Plays: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,500) will have to carry even more of the work against Detroit in a fun head-to-head matchup with Cade Cunningham ($10,300). SGA had over 50 fantasy points in five of his last six games and averaged 58 DraftKings points per contest. He averaged 51.8 DraftKings points in three games without Holmgren and Williams this season with a 35.8% usage rate.
Value Options: Around SGA is where the Thunder stack can bring value. In four games without Holmgren and Williams, Aaron Wiggins ($5,400; illness) averaged 38.9 DraftKings points. If he plays through a questionable tag, he’ll be worth considering. Cason Wallace ($4,300) has played over 29 minutes in four of his last six games with double-digit points and at least 28 fantasy points in each of those four games. Jaylin Williams ($5,000) should get more work and showed a good ceiling with a triple-double and 54.25 fantasy points last Friday against Portland. Luguentz Dort ($4,900), Alex Caruso ($4,400) and Isaiah Joe ($4,500) could also get more work, especially if Wiggins is out as well.
Miami Heat at Memphis Grizzlies
Since the Grizzlies lead the NBA in pace and rank second over their last 10 games, whoever they play usually gets a boost in production with extra possessions to work with. This “pace-up” spot on Saturday should lead to good production from the Heat. With both teams finishing a back-to-back set of games, keep a close eye on the injury reports, but there appears to be opportunity for a big game for Miami.
Core Plays: Tyler Herro ($8,500) has become the focal point of the team’s offense since the Jimmy Butler deal and has posted over 41 fantasy points in four of his last five games. He had 31 points and 53.5 fantasy points against the Clippers on Wednesday before settling for just 19 points and 41.75 fantasy points against the Celtics on Friday. He has been logging huge minutes and carrying a heavy workload, which also gives him a high ceiling. Bam Adebayo ($9,100) has had two down games but brings a high ceiling after posting over 50 fantasy points in four of six games before managing just 34.75 and 24.25 fantasy points in his last two. Andrew Wiggins ($6,200) has looked sharp when available for Miami, scoring at least 20 points in seven of 10 games with the team and averaging 33.7 fantasy points per game.
Value Options: With Alec Burks ($4,500; back) out, there has been more work for Duncan Robinson ($4,400) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($3,500), but their production has been inconsistent. Davion Mitchell ($4,200) has also played big minutes since arriving from the Raptors and has 20+ fantasy points in seven of his last nine games. He had 31.25 fantasy points in 35 minutes on Friday and is my favorite option of the Heat’s value plays on Saturday.
