The NBA regular season concludes Sunday with all 30 teams in action. DraftKings’ main slate for Sunday features the first seven games of the day, beginning at 1:00 PM EST. Below, I dive into three of my favorite DFS options to consider for today’s NBA action.
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PG, Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics vs. Charlotte Hornets, $7,000
Pritchard is the best play on the slate with the Celtics resting their top six players. Jayson Tatum (rest), Jaylen Brown (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (conditioning), Derrick White (neck) and Jrue Holiday (shoulder) all are out and in the three games Boston has played without these players the last two seasons, Pritchard is leading the Celtics with 54.2 FPTS in 36.5 minutes per game. In these games, the guard is handling a 29.2% usage rate and a 43.8% assist percentage, both of which are team-highs.
With those six players out for last season’s regular season finale, Pritchard exploded for 69.75 FPTS and he was one rebound shy of a triple-double. The Oregon product was stat hunting to reach a triple-double that day and he should once again be motivated to notch one Sunday, which would be the second triple-double of Pritchard’s career. The guard has had an incredible season and is going to be crowned the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in the next few weeks. Pritchard ending this tremendous campaign with a bang on Sunday would be very fitting and he should score nothing less than 50 FPTS as Boston’s featured player against this Hornets’ defense that ranks 24th in rating.
C, Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat vs. Washington Wizards, $6,200
The Heat will be resting Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins on Sunday, and with these players missing, Ware should operate as Miami’s top option. Given that Ware is a rookie, the Heat’s coaching staff are likely motivated to have Ware put up a large stat line in this regular season finale and this is a beautiful spot vs. the Wizards, who rank fourth in pace and 28th in defensive rating this season.
With Adebayo, Herro and Wiggins off the floor this season, Ware’s usage increases 3.0 percentage points to 20% and he generates 1.2 FPTS per minute. The 20-year-old should see over 30 minutes of work Sunday and destroy this affordable price tag. In four of the last five games Ware has cracked the 30-minute mark, he has scored over 40 FPTS.
C, Adem Bona, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls, $6,000
Bona has been thriving as the 76ers’ starting center the last few weeks and he should end his rookie season on a high note Sunday. As a starter for the last eight games, Bona is amassing 33.9 FPTS in 30.5 minutes per game. With this starting job, the center is handling a 18.9% usage rate and he has been excellent on the defensive end, racking up at least two defensive stats in all eight of these games.
The Bulls will have some of their starters available for this contest, but they aren’t expected to see their usual workloads with the team locked into the No.9 seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago should be weak on defense as a result and they always play at a fast speed, ranking second in pace this season. All in all, this is a strong spot for Bona and he has 40 FPTS upside.
