There are eight NBA games on Sunday’s slate amid a jam-packed weekend of basketball.
The Hawks are the only team playing on the second night of a back-to-back following a light five-game slate of action last night. Even still, injuries are an issue across the entire league as the grind of the season has taken a toll. Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen and just about the entire 76ers’ roster headline the injury report today.
Keep track of all the notable injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, two double-digit favorites will start the day’s slate: Pistons -14 over the Pelicans and Cavaliers -16.5 over the Jazz. The rest of the slate includes the Celtics -7.5 over the Trail Blazers, the Hawks -9.5 over the Sixers, the Heat -4.5 over the Hornets, the Raptors -2 over the Spurs, the Houston Rockets -7.5 over the Nuggets, and the Thunder -3 over the Clippers. The matchup between the Hawks and the 76ers is expected to have the most scoring as the over/under is set at 241.5 for this matchup.
Here are my top three DFS value plays for the exciting slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
SF/PF Justin Edwards, Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks, $4,500
Injuries have entirely derailed the outlook for the Philadelphia 76ers’ season as the organization limps to the end of the schedule and regroups in the offseason. Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, Lonnie Walker IV, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Jared McCain, Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon are all listed as out tonight, with several of those names ruled out for the season. Philadelphia is rightfully frustrated with how the season has gone but this has opened the door for young players looking to prove themselves, like Justin Edwards.
After going undrafted this past season, the Sixers added the Kentucky product shortly following the draft on a two-way contract. It did not take long for Edwards’ play to earn a standard NBA deal. Across the 36 games he has played, Edwards is averaging 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. He has been thrust into the starting lineup at a more regular rate and is coming off a career-high 25 points, five rebounds and two assists in his last game.
Edwards has produced as many as 41.0 fantasy points in a game this season based on DraftKings scoring. He finished with 38.5 in the previous game and has recorded over 20 fantasy points in four straight games entering tonight. The rookie has looked more and more confident as the season has progressed so don’t be shocked if his best NBA performances are still on the horizon. Expect him to continue to see significant minutes against a Hawks team that ranks 27th in opponent points per game and 28th in opponent field-goal percentage. Count on a strong performance again tonight and for Edwards to outperform his $4,500 price point with the Sixers so starved for offensive options.
PF Georges Niang, Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $4,300
On the other side of this matchup, Georges Niang will be prepared for a strong performance against his former team. Niang was traded from the Cavaliers to the Hawks at the trade deadline and has played 17 games with Atlanta thus far. Across this time, he is averaging 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He is also shooting 40.9% on three-point attempts while launching 6.2 perimeter shots per game. His season-high for fantasy production was 34.0 in a game with the Cavaliers and he has eclipsed this three times with the Hawks already.
Injuries are the clear reason why the Sixers’ season has gotten off the rails but this has been evident in their defensive quality. Philadelphia has lost 18 of its last 21 games. It has given up 121.7 points per game across this stretch, which ranks 28th in the league, and has also allowed 132.5 points per game across its past four matchups. These two teams last faced off on March 10th when Niang finished with a solid 28.0 fantasy output by tallying 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The outlook for Philadelphia has only worsened since this time with this matchup likely to be the 47th different starting lineup it has rolled out on the season. Expect the defense to continue looking disconnected and for Niang to be ready to capitalize on the open three-point looks that occur all too frequently. With Jalen Johnson and Larry Nance Jr. out with injuries, Niang has a nice opportunity for minutes, as he averages 25.5 minutes per game, which is the most he has received on any team he has played for in his career. Expect the veteran to be in attack mode against his former team and capitalize on some defensive weaknesses with a strong statistical output tonight.
PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, San Antonio Spurs at Toronto Raptors, $4,100
Flashback to immediately following the trade deadline and the San Antonio Spurs looked primed to make a significant playoff push. Since this time, Victor Wembanyama has been shut down for the season and trade deadline acquisition De’Aaron Fox also suffered a season-ending injury. San Antonio will have to wait until next season to flip the switch with its win-now intentions and instead is back in evaluation mode with plenty of its young talent.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is an intriguing player in this mix. He is in his third season with the Spurs and has played in 48 total games this season. Across his 9.8 minutes per game, Mamukelashvili has produced mild outputs of 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. His outlook changed this week when the Seton Hall product exploded for 34 points, nine rebounds and three assists, including a perfect 7-for-7 on three-pointers in just 19:34 of game time against the Knicks. This came out to 55.2 fantasy points on DraftKings scoring and also is the most points in NBA history scored by a player in less than 20 minutes of game time.
While the lack of minutes is a bit concerning, the injuries to Wembanyama and Charles Bassey have opened the door for an opportunity and Mamukelashvili has done his best to walk through it with his play. The Spurs will face off with the Toronto Raptors tonight who have been strategic in their rest patterns with the intent of maximizing their lottery odds. Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl have been ruled out for this game due to rest, with Poeltl’s absence being especially noteworthy from a matchup standpoint. This is a bit of a risky play but count on Mamukelashvili to make the most of his opportunity whenever he is on the floor. This is a favorable matchup for the 6-foot-11 big man and this is a game worth taking a chance on another breakout game occurring.
