The Hawks, Knicks, and Bucks are playing in the second half of a back-to-back while the Kings are set to play both today and tomorrow. Injuries have been at the forefront of the conversation across the NBA all season with this being magnified down the home stretch with the playoffs on the horizon.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, three games hold double-digit spreads––the Celtics -20.5 over the Wizards, the Hawks -12.5 over the Jazz, and the Cavaliers -10 over the Kings. The Bulls are already facing the Hornets to kick off the day’s action. The rest of the slate includes Thunder -9.5 over the Lakers, Raptors -3 over the Nets, the Trail Blazers -5 over the Spurs, Knicks -9 over the Suns, the Nuggets -6.5 over the Pacers, the Warriors -5.5 over the Rockets, and the Bucks -7 over the Pelicans. The highest-scoring game is expected to be the Hawks vs. Jazz with the over/under set at 245 for this matchup.
Here are my top three DFS value plays for the exciting slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st]
PG/SG AJ Johnson, Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics, $5,200
A bit expensive from a value perspective at $5,200, but I think there is a real chance AJ Johnson ends up among the top scorers of the day. The Celtics will host the Wizards tonight as 20.5-point favorites in a game that has blowout written all over it. Washington holds the second-worst record in the NBA and is far more interested in evaluating its young talent.
Johnson has emerged as a key figure in this after coming to the organization in a midseason trade. Across his first 17 games with the Wizards, he is averaging 8.9 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.5 rebounds across his 24.6 minutes per game. Across his past 11 games, he has played 31.6 minutes per game and is averaging 11.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds.
Expect his level of opportunity to remain expanded even if the game approaches full blowout territory. He has tallied 20+ fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring in back-to-back games and five of his last seven games. Johnson had a career-high 32.0 fantasy points on Wednesday and is coming off three days of rest. Look for him to be in attack mode and continue showcasing what he can do with a strong fantasy output tonight.
PG/SG Jalen Pickett, Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers, $4,300
The Nuggets have continued to tweak their bench rotation throughout the season with Jalen Pickett coming into form in the late stages of the season. In his second year in the NBA, Pickett has emerged as a more trusted member of the rotation down the stretch. On the season, he is averaging just 12.9 minutes per game and producing just 4.0 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds. However, he has played 20+ minutes in each of the past four games and the production has matched.
Pickett produced a season-high 52.2 fantasy points on Wednesday against the Spurs in which he finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Nuggets will now shift their attention to the Pacers, who rank 17th in opponents’ points allowed and are 25th in opponents’ field goal percentage. Pickett logged just 3:36 of game time in the matchup with the Pacers earlier on in the season but finished with four points and an assist.
With his level of opportunity expanded, expect him to maintain his high level of play and have a strong statistical output tonight. Nikola Jokic makes life easy for those playing around him and Pickett has capitalized on the looks Jokic generates for him. Expect this to continue tonight and for him to outperform his DFS price point.
PF Georges Niang, Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz, $3,200
Georges Niang was traded from the Cavaliers to the Hawks this season and has been a bit forgotten as a result. This has not stopped Niang from continuing to produce. Niang is averaging a career-high 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists across his 24 games in Atlanta. He is shooting 40.7% from beyond the three-point arc while attempting 6.8 perimeter shots per game.
The Hawks will take on the Jazz tonight, who hold the worst record in the NBA and have fully turned their attention to building forward next year. They rank 29th in opponents points allowed and give up more three-point attempts than any team in the league. Niang faced this Jazz team while still on the Cavaliers finishing with 23.2 fantasy points on DraftKings scoring by finishing with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
With more freedom in the flow of the offense on this Hawks team against the same struggling defense, look for him to have an effective performance tonight. He is averaging 18.2 fantasy points per game with the Hawks on DraftKings scoring and has recorded 20+ fantasy points in 12 of the 24 games in Atlanta including as many as 38.5 fantasy points in a game.
