The NBA has a quiet Thursday night with just two games on the DraftKings DFS main slate: Orlando at Phoenix and Miami at Golden State. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs remain sidelined, but they’ll probably get Anthony Black back. The Warriors will be without Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody, and Gui Santos. With the Suns and Heat also playing on the second night of back-to-backs, let’s take a look at three players whose salaries stand out tonight.
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PG Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors vs. Miami Heat ($8,200)
I had to double-take at Curry’s salary here. The superstar sharpshooter is averaging 30 PPG and 46.2 FPTS this season, and has gone off for 69, 52, and 55 FPTS in his last three games. He’s doing all this in under 32 MPG and should be primed for another huge game tonight to keep his season hot. He’s handling a massive scoring load while shooting efficiently from outside as he usually does, cashing in on 42.9% of his triples while taking 10.5 a game this season.
His matchup will be the Miami Heat, who are ranked second in pace at 103.4 but are 26th in defensive rating. They’re also especially vulnerable from the perimeter, which gives Curry a fantastic spot tonight. He’s hot, the matchup is good, and the price is low. The Heat just played an overtime game last night, while the Warriors haven’t played in two days. We can expect Curry to put up the biggest game of the night in this smash spot.
PG/SG Anthony Black, Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns ($6,000)
With Banchero and Suggs sidelined, Black has an excellent opportunity to take on additional offensive responsibility for an Orlando team desperately in need of production. He recorded 17 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists against Toronto on October 30 before following that performance with 23 points, eight rebounds, and three assists against Boston on November 1. Those outings translated to 42.5 and 39.5 FPTS, respectively, comfortably outperforming his $6,000 salary.
While Franz Wagner will still handle the lion’s share of the offense, Black is still averaging 16.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 4.8 APG through four appearances this season. Phoenix entered Wednesday ranked dead last in defensive rating (124.5), allowing a whopping 124.5 points per 100 possessions through five games, so there’s plenty to like about Black’s opportunity tonight.
C Oso Ighodaro, Phoenix Suns vs. Orlando Magic ($4,500)
With Mark Williams sidelined following shoulder surgery, Ighodaro has been given an opportunity to contribute meaningful minutes in Phoenix’s center rotation, and he’s making the most of them. Ighodaro delivered nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in just under 23 minutes against Portland on Wednesday, accumulating 33.75 FPTS despite attempting only six shots.
He’s now averaging 8.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.3 APG in four games, and his passing ability has also been a pleasant surprise. Rookie Khaman Maluach continues to start, but Ighodaro played nearly seven more minutes than Maluach did on Wednesday, suggesting he could maintain the larger share of the center rotation if he can sustain this level of play. His three blocks against Portland were probably an outlier, but at just $4,500, Ighodaro could easily return value given his current playing time and uptick in both assists and blocks.
