The NBA Cup quarterfinals continue Wednesday with a two-game slate. The Thunder are hosting the Suns and the Lakers are hosting the Spurs. The winners of these contests will meet in the semifinals Saturday. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players, and below, I break down some of my favorite NBA DFS options at each position for Wednesday’s NBA action.
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Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs, $12,000
Doncic made his return from a two-game absence due to the birth of his child Sunday vs. the 76ers and the superstar didn’t miss a beat, scoring 73.25 FPTS across 38 minutes in the comeback win for the Lakers. Doncic is leading the NBA in usage rate this season (36.8%) and he is producing an elite 1.7 FPTS per minute. He has eclipsed 60 FPTS in all but one of his last eight starts and tonight he meets a Spurs team he destroyed for 81.25 FPTS in November.
Victor Wembanyama (calf) played in that game, but will be out tonight and with the center off the floor this season, San Antonio’s defense has been a whopping 12.0 points worse than with him on. The Spurs rank 22nd in defensive rating with Wembanyama sidelined for the last 11 games and Doncic could explode in this spot. The guard very likely will lead this short slate in FPTS by a wide gap and having him in your lineup is a must tonight.
Other Options: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600)
Value
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, $4,700
The Spurs have been slowly working Harper back after he missed 10 straight games in November with a hamstring injury and he is finally starting to look like himself again, with two efforts over 30 FPTS in his last three games. Harper is scoring 1.1 FPTS per minute with a large 27.9% usage rate with Wembanyama off the floor and this is a plus matchup vs. the Lakers, who rank 21st in defensive rating this season.
This game carries a high 239.5-point total on DraftKings Sportsbook and in this environment, Harper has a great chance to exceed five-times value and he is the top cheap guard for this two-game slate.
Other Options: Lu Dort ($3,900)
Forward
Stud
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, $7,800
Holmgren posted 35.5 FPTS vs. the Suns just three weeks ago and the big man should have a similar performance this evening. That matchup with Phoenix was Jalen Williams’ (wrist) first game of the season and Holmgren has scored at least 35 FPTS in four of the five games since Williams returned. In fact, Holmgren has been more productive when sharing the floor with Williams this season, scoring 1.4 FPTS per minute, which is a notable upgrade from the 1.2 FPTS per minute he is averaging for the season.
The Suns are a solid defensive group, ranking 12th in defensive rating this season, but the Thunder carry a 120.5-point implied team total on their home floor tonight and Holmgren has the potential for 40 FPTS.
Other Options: Jalen Williams ($8,000)
Value
Harrison Barnes, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, $4,900
Even with Stephon Castle (hip) back in the lineup after missing nine straight games, Barnes still finished with 29 FPTS across 35.1 minutes in Monday’s win over the Pelicans. Castle was limited to just 23 minutes in his return and he shouldn’t see more than 25 minutes tonight in just his second game back, which should result in high playing time again for Barnes.
The forward scores 0.8 FPTS per minute with a 17.9% usage rate with Wembanyama off the floor this season, and Barnes has scored at least 25 FPTS in six of these past 11 games with Wembanyama sidelined. As the only former NBA champion on this Spurs’ roster, Barnes is the veteran leader of this group. The 33-year-old should elevate his game in this NBA Cup quarterfinals matchup vs. the Lakers and Barnes is an easy choice for this difficult, short slate at only $4,900.
Other Options: Dillon Brooks ($6,500), Alex Caruso ($3,900)
Center
Stud
Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs, $6,300
Ayton has been solid as of late, scoring over 30 FPTS in seven of his last 10 starts. As a Laker this season, Ayton is generating 1.0 FPTS per minute while shooting 70% from the field and handling a 19% usage rate.
One of his best performances with the purple and gold came against the Spurs in November, when Ayton tallied a 42-DraftKings point double-double in 33.1 minutes of work, even with Wembanyama active for that tilt. This is a much easier matchup nowadays with the center sidelined and Ayton is a strong value in this spot. With Wembanyama out for the last 11 games, San Antonio is giving up the second-most points in the paint in the league.
Value
Luke Kornet, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, $4,800
Opposite of Ayton, Kornet is a solid value play with Wembanyama still out. Kornet is the Spurs’ starting center with Wembanyama on the shelf and Kornet has scored at least 23 FPTS in six of the 10 starts he has made for Wembanyama this season.
Kornet is amassing 0.9 FPTS per minute this season and he should approach 30 minutes to match up with Ayton tonight, putting Kornet in a strong position to outperform his $4,800 salary.
