When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić ($12,000) to the Los Angeles Lakers and subsequently lost Kyrie Irving for the season, their playoff hopes seemed to be toast. But Dallas is 4-0 when Anthony Davis ($9,600) takes the court, and, somehow, they’re a game and a half up on the Phoenix Suns, who just lost Kevin Durant for at least tomorrow’s game after he suffered an ankle sprain last night. Could the Mavericks somehow make the playoffs?
Davis has been solid since his return, but given his minutes restriction, he’s not quite back to must-start status in tonight’s featured seven-game DFS slate. Here are three players who are:
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PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Chicago Bulls, $11,000
At this point, Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP is virtually secure, so the final eight games of the Thunder’s season will serve as his coronation as arguably the best player on the planet. The numbers are jaw-dropping — 35.3 points, 4.6 boards, and 7.1 assists (56.2 FPTS) per game on a tick below 50-40-90 shooting efficiency — and it arguably hasn’t even been his best month of the season. Oklahoma City has +300 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win each of its final eight games of the season and become the third team in NBA history to win 70-plus regular season games. Miraculously, the Thunder are 26-1 against the Eastern Conference.
Oklahoma City has a good chance for its record-tying 27th inter-conference win tonight against the Bulls, who have been on a hot streak throughout the month. The improvement that Josh Giddey ($9,300) and Coby White ($8,300) have demonstrated is very, very real, and they stand a puncher’s chance of squeezing through the Play-In Tournament. But Chicago’s defense has still been merely average throughout the month, and the team still plays at a lightning-fast pace. In an uptempo game featuring an average defense and an offense good enough to keep it competitive, expect the MVP to do what he does best.
SF/PF Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics at Memphis Grizzlies, $10,200
The deal that sent Dončić to the Lakers is still the most surprising move of the season, but the Grizzlies made a run at second late last week when they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games left in the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference. Whether or not Jenkins was the problem — interim coach Tuomas Iisalo lost, 134-127, to Los Angeles in his head coaching debut — Memphis has struggled in recent weeks, posting just an 8-12 record and the league’s 11th-worst defensive rating since the All-Star break. In their current form, the Grizzlies look like a first-round playoff exit, so unless the Finn can turn it around, they’re no match for Boston.
There’s not much I need to say about The Anomaly — he’s kind of the same player he’s been for the last five seasons. Tatum has scored 20-plus points in each of his past nine games, averaging 29.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.9 assists (53.25 FPTS) across that span. If they hope to become the first team since the 2016-18 Golden State Warriors to repeat as NBA champions, the Celtics are going to need all of their stars to be at their best, and Tatum’s recent performances have assuaged any doubt. Memphis has struggled to guard opposing wings this season, and Tatum is arguably the league’s very best.
PF Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets vs. Utah Jazz, $9,000
The first two players I’ve listed as must-starts are the two most expensive players on tonight’s slate, so instead of going with the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero ($9,700) — the third-priciest — I’ll offer Bridges, who’s suddenly the lone man in Charlotte with LaMelo Ball joining Brandon Miller in street clothes for the remainder of the season. Ball’s decision to get ankle surgery means that Bridges is the only Hornets player who can really create his own shot, given that Mark Williams ($8,200) is a traditional rim-runner with limited ball-handling. Bridges has no problem firing up shots, attempting 20 in Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, even if he only scored 11 points (28.0 FPTS) because he only made four of them.
Right now, both Charlotte and Utah are relatively secure at the bottom of the lottery, with the Jazz having the league’s worst record and the Hornets with the third-worst. With the flattened lottery odds, all Charlotte needs to do is stay worse than the New Orleans Pelicans, who are two and a half games better with just seven games remaining, so win or lose, both teams should have a 14% chance at rostering Cooper Flagg next season. Regardless of who plays — Collin Sexton ($5,900) is the most notable name who’s questionable — Utah’s defense will be bad, so Bridges should have a high ceiling if he can hit his shots.
