There are five NBA games on Monday’s slate.
CHI and LAC are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Karl-Anthony Towns, Ja Morant, Stephen Curry, Amen Thompson, Josh Hart, Bradley Beal and Rudy Gobert are questionable. Evan Mobley, Draymond Green, Donte DiVincenzo and Zaccharie Risacher are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the biggest favorite is HOU -7.5 over DET. There is one game within three points: MEM -3 over MIN. Two games have a total of at least 230: MIN/MEM (233.5) and PHO/CLE (236). There are no games with a total below 220. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns ($8,300): Donovan Mitchell hasn’t always been asked to be his vintage self this season because of the surrounding talent and almost-nightly domination of teams. On Saturday, though, Mobley, who’s been a key cog on offense, was out and Mitchell exploded for 59 FPTS with an outstanding 43.4 percent usage rate. That usage number may not be that high on Monday, but he will likely be in the high-30 percent range as Mobley has already been ruled out.
Other Options: Trae Young ($9,800), Jaylen Brown ($8,000), Desmond Bane ($7,600) if Ja Morant is out, Darius Garland ($7,400)
Value
Luke Kennard, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ($4,800): Ja Morant was out last game and Taylor Jenkins changed things up. Normally, Scotty Pippen Jr. would be the direct replacement, but he inserted Luke Kennard into the starting lineup with Desmond Bane becoming the defacto point guard. Kennard is a career 44 percent shooter from downtown and has some playmaking chops. Even if Morant returns, Kennard played 30 minutes off the bench two games ago with Morant in the lineup. He finished with 32.75 FPTS in that one.
Other Options: Payton Pritchard ($5,000)
Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors ($10,000): Jayson Tatum has gone for over 60 FPTS nine times with a high of 83.75 FPTS. More often than not, though, he’s going to land in the high-40 to 50-FPTS range. You pretty much know what you’re going to get from Tatum. He is the alpha of the Celtics offense so the usage will always be there.
Other Options: Kevin Durant ($9,500), Jaylen Brown ($8,000)
Value
Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns at Cleveland Cavaliers ($4,000): Dunn has been starting for a while, but he was being capped in the low-to-mid 20s for playing time. Over the last two games, though, he’s received 29 and 30 minutes, finishing with 24.5 and 37.25 FPTS. He’s attempted at least 12 shots in each of the last three games and should continue to get open looks as defenses converge on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Dunn has been rebouding the ball well and is primarily known for his defense, although the stocks haven’t been plentiful lately.
Other Options: Tari Eason ($5,600), Naz Reid ($5,000), Santi Aldama ($4,900)
Center
Stud
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns ($6,600): Jarrett Allen has been bad the last two games, finishing with 22 and 20.75 FPTS. In one of those game, Allen only played 16 minutes due to blowout, and his matchup with Rudy Gobert may have had something to do in the other one. He should get back to the 40-FPTS ways in this one, as Mobley is out and the center duo of Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards shouldn’t hamper Allen too much.
Other Options: Alperen Sengun ($9,300)
Value
Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks ($5,300): Onyeka Okongwu had been playing in the low-20s, splitting the center duties with Clint Capela. Over the last three games, though, Okongwu has received 28, 27 and 32 minutes. Is it finally happening? There’s still risk that he reverts back to the low-20s again, but I don’t know how Quin Snyder puts the genie back in the bottle after Okongwu’s recent play, grabbing 13, 13 and 21 rebounds and finishing with 47.75, 45.75 and 52.75 FPTS.
Other Options: Nick Richards ($5,200), Naz Reid ($5,000)
