UPDATE: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (ankle) has been listed as questionable for tonight’s contest against the San Antonio Spurs.
Not loving the fact that it’s a Hump Day in early April?
Me neither. But at least it’s a Hump Day with an eight-game featured NBA slate on DraftKings, which should see some of the league’s top stars — including both of the MVP front-runners, Nikola Jokić ($12,500) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,000) — in action. They can’t both be on must-starts, even if both of them are top fantasy options every time they take the court, but Jokić makes my list today, in addition to two other players:
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C Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs, $12,500
Can we talk about Jokić’s performance last night in the Nuggets’ 140-139, double-overtime defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves? His 61-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist (98.0-FPT) masterpiece was not only the league’s highest-scoring output of the season, it was also just the third 60-point triple-double in NBA history. The 30-year-old Serb seems to outdo himself every time he takes the court. Who knows what kind of wizardry NBA fans are going to be treated to tonight?
There’s a good chance Jokić isn’t going to carry quite as heavy a workload as usual, given that he played 53 minutes last night, but as of now, he isn’t on the injury report. As long as he plays even 30 minutes, though, he should have a very easy time dicing up a Spurs defense that was bad prior to the All-Star break then lost runaway Defensive Player of the Year favorite Victor Wembanyama for the season. Since Wembanyama’s injury, San Antonio has allowed the league’s second-most points, sixth-most rebounds, and most assists per game. Without the services of the league’s greatest rim protector, the Spurs have also conceded the fourth-most points in the paint and second-most second-chance points, areas in which Jokić thrives. Frankly, there’s nothing Jokić could do tonight that would surprise me.
SF DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings at Washington Wizards, $8,100
Sacramento is down to crunch time: now that the Dallas Mavericks have Anthony Davis ($9,600) on the court and might get Dereck Lively II ($6,100) back tonight as well, it’s increasingly looking like the final Play-In Tournament spot in the Western Conference will come down to the Kings and the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix has a more talented roster, but it lost Kevin Durant to a sprained ankle at the worst possible time. Sacramento, meanwhile, has turned to DeRozan, a finalist in both of the years the Clutch Player of the Year trophy has been awarded and the 27th-leading scorer in NBA history. He has scored 20 or more points in 10 of his last 11 games, including a 31-point, eight-assist (49.75-FPT) masterpiece on Monday against the Indiana Pacers.
The Wizards, meanwhile, are probably glad that their nightmare season is about to come to an end, and they’ve virtually clinched a bottom-three record and a 14% chance at landing the first overall pick in this summer’s draft. For a short period after the All-Star break, Washington looked okay, but in its last 10 games, the team has gone just 2-8, allowing the second-most points, most rebounds, and fourth-most assists per game. The Wizards have also been dominated in the paint, on the defensive glass, and in transition. Even worse, they’ve allowed the second-best field goal percentage within the midrange, DeRozan’s preferred domain.
SF/PF OG Anunoby, New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers, $7,400
It’s hard to say that anyone on New York has benefited, per se, from the injury that Jalen Brunson ($8,900) suffered last month, but it’s become clear over the 13 games since his injury that Anunoby has benefited more than any other player. Since then, he’s averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 steals (40.1 FPTS) per contest on solid 47-37-88 shooting splits. Despite being a more consistent performer than Josh Hart ($8,400), Anunoby has a cheaper salary, making him the best value among the Knicks’ starters. For some context, Donovan Mitchell ($8,800) averages 40.8 FPTS per game, and his salary is $1,400 more expensive.
He’s also more equipped for this matchup against Cleveland, which has a pretty solid defense overall but has struggled somewhat against opposing wings. Evan Mobley ($8,300) is a standout individual defensive player in his own right and may well ultimately win Defensive Player of the Year, but he has to compensate for the Cavaliers’ lack of size in the back-court, between Darius Garland ($8,000) and Mitchell. Bringing in De’Andre Hunter ($4,300) at the trade deadline was meant to address the deficiency on the wing, and while he has been everything they could’ve asked for on offense — shooting 43.4% from beyond the arc — he’s still graded out as a slightly negative defender by defensive box plus-minus.
