It is a busy night in the National Basketball Association. Eight games are set to take place on the Wednesday, January 22nd slate, with nine originally scheduled. The Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans were also set to face off, but this matchup was postponed due to extreme weather in the New Orleans area.
Even still, there is plenty of action set to take place. Three matchups will be tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET as the Timberwolves will face the Mavericks, the Hawks will play the Pistons, and the Nets will host the Suns. A half-hour later, the Houston Rockets will host the Cleveland Cavaliers as the night’s marquee matchup. Tipping off simultaneously, the Grizzlies will face the Hornets and the Thunder will play the Jazz.
Two games will be taking place in the late window with the Sacramento Kings hosting the Golden State Warriors at 10:00 p.m. ET before the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics face off at 10:30 p.m. ET.
There are plenty of options for what to watch and even more opportunities to get involved in the action. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for January 22nd. We simply choose whether a player will record more or less of the set statistic. Here are my six favorite plays for Wednesday night’s action.
Nick Richards More Than 18.5 Points & Rebounds
The Phoenix Suns have been at the epicenter of the NBA trade conversations with the deadline rapidly approaching. Most notably, they added Nick Richards in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets as they attempt to breathe some life into their star-studded roster. Tonight will mark the third game with the Suns for Richards, and likely his second as a starter.
Richards made his impact felt in his debut, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 29:29 of game time. He was not as effective in his second game, and first start, but much of this had to do with the game being a 26-point blowout loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Phoenix will take on the Brooklyn Nets tonight which will provide a much clearer opportunity for him to make an impact.
Brooklyn enters this matchup with a 14-30 record on the season and rank 18th in opponents’ points allowed. Richards is set to square off with Nic Claxton who is allowing opponents to shoot 68.2% from the field as the primary defender. This is among the worst rates in the league. Richards is averaging 9.2 points and 7.5 rebounds on the season and recorded more than 18.5 points and rebounds in seven of the 21 games he played with the Hornets. The 27-year-old is expected to see an expanded opportunity after escaping the crowded Charlotte frontcourt and will be relied on heavily in Phoenix. Look for him to impose himself in this matchup and record more than 18.5 points and rebounds for the second time in a Suns jersey.
Lauri Markannen More Than 23.5 Points & Rebounds
The Utah Jazz will travel to face the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight and have their hands full in the matchup. The Thunder have looked like every bit of the championship contenders they aspire to be this season. They lead the Western Conference with a 35-7 record while holding opponents to the fewest points, worst field goal percentage, and worst three-point percentage in the NBA. However, they rank 27th in opponent rebounds allowed and give up the fourth-most offensive rebounds in the league. This will be especially magnified with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein remaining unavailable due to injury.
Lauri Markkanen continues to be a bright spot for this Utah Jazz team. The Finnish big man is averaging 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds on the season overall. This also is a step back from seasons prior as he averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last year, and 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds the season before that. Even still, Markkanen has recorded more than 23.5 points and rebounds in 19 of the 31 games he has played this season.
Both these teams rank in the top ten in pace on the season so there should be plenty of available shots. While Markkanen has missed the previous four games with a back issue, he has been upgraded to questionable ahead of tonight’s matchup. Look for Markkanen to assert himself without the Thunder’s top two big man options available and with Markkanen being the top offensive option for the Jazz. Count on him asserting himself tonight and for Markkanen to record more than 23.5 points and rebounds against the Western Conference leaders.
Steph Curry Less Than 4.5 Made Three-Pointers
You won’t get rich rooting for Steph Curry to record less than his three-point prop on a consistent basis. But this has not been a normal season for the Golden State Warriors. They enter tonight’s matchup with a 21-21 record and sit in 11th place in the Western Conference. At age 36, Steph Curry is still playing at a high level. The four-time NBA Champions is averaging 22.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game but has not gotten the necessary help from his supporting cast.
Looking at his three-point production, Curry is shooting 40.9% from beyond the three-point and attempting 10.8 perimeter shots per game. This comes out to an average of 4.4 made three-pointers per game, but Curry has been held to less than 4.5 made three-pointers in 23 of the 34 games he has played.
Golden State will face off with the Sacramento Kings tonight who rank 19th in opponents points per game, 19th in three-point attempts allowed, and 25th in opponents three-point percentage. However, Curry shot 4-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc in the first matchup between these two and expect limiting his volume of shot opportunities to be at the top of the Kings’ priorities. Curry is far from the problem with this Warriors team, but they lack the necessary secondary scoring options to command other defensive attention. Curry has been held to less than 4.5 made three-pointers in four of the last five games he has played even while shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc in two of these games. Expect 4.5 to be a bit too lofty with so much defensive attention being sent Curry’s way and for Keon Ellis and company to have more success chasing him around screens than most. Look for him to be held to less than 4.5 made three-pointers for the 24th time this season.
Jalen Green More Than 29.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
The Houston Rockets took a massive step forward as an organization this season with Jalen Green leading the charge. Houston sits in second place in the Western Conference with a 28-14 record. It has been a bit of an up-and-down start to Jalen Green’s NBA career, but he was rewarded with a contract extension this offseason and is averaging 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on the season.
Things look to especially be clicking for Green in recent games. There has never been a question regarding the caliber of talent he is but his shot diet and overall decision-making on the floor have been a work in progress. Across the past nine games, he is averaging 29.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. He is shooting 52.2% from the floor and 48.8% on three-point attempts across this stretch compared to the 43.6% he is shooting from the floor and 36.0% from beyond the arc on the season.
Green has recorded more than 29.5 points, rebounds, and assists in 22 of the 42 games he has played this year including eight of the past nine games. This will be a tough matchup tonight with the Cavaliers who have held the NBA’s best record from start to finish this season. While the results are clear, the defensive metrics do not stand out in the way you would expect. The Cavaliers rank 11th in opponents’ points allowed 10th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 21st in opponents’ three-point percentage. This is a matchup that the Rockets will be sure to get up for as they continue to look to legitimize themselves as contenders. With Green playing at a high level of late and the Cavaliers’ defense not imposing themselves as much as one would think look for him to record more than 29.5 points, rebounds, and assists tonight.
Kyrie Irving Less Than 25.5 Points
The Dallas Mavericks continue to attempt to tread water with Luka Doncic remaining out with his calf injury. Kyrie Irving has been vital to making this possible, even while he has dealt with some injury issues himself this season. Across the 33 games he has played, Irving is averaging 24.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. He has played six games without Doncic since his Christmas Day injury and been held to less than 25.5 points in three of these.
This will be a tough matchup for Irving tonight, as he faces a stingy Minnesota Timberwolves defense. On the season they rank fifth in points allowed, sixth in opponents’ field goal percentage, and fourth in opponents’ three-point percentage. Opposing starting point guards are also shooting just 39.8% from the floor this season against the Timberwolves, which is the toughest mark in the league. Minnesota ranks 25th in pace on the season while the Mavericks have played at the sixth-slowest pace of play over their past five home games so don’t expect an abundance of offensive opportunities.
Irving is coming off a 33-point performance his last time he was on the floor against the Charlotte Hornets. Expect points to be more difficult to come by in this matchup as Minnesota does their best to impose themselves defensively. Irving has been held to less than 25.5 points in 21 of the 33 games he has played this season and look for this list to be added to tonight.
Jaylen Williams More Than 6.5 Rebounds
The Oklahoma City Thunder remain at the top of the Western Conference and look like legitimate NBA Championship contenders. But their biggest concern is rebounding the basketball and getting the proper production from the big man position. This has been magnified by injuries and will continue to be the case tonight with Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren set to miss due to injury. Overall, the Thunder rank 27th in the NBA in opponents’ rebounds allowed.
Enter Jaylin Williams who will be the beneficiary of the injuries to the big men in front of him on the depth chart. In the 15 games he has played this year Williams is averaging 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in just 15.4 minutes of play. However, he averaged 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes and has recorded more than 6.5 rebounds in five games this year.
Oklahoma City will need to put a big body on Walker Kessler, who ranks seventh in the NBA in rebounds at 11.4 per game, as well as Lauri Markkanen sharing the floor with him. Expect there to be enough opportunity throughout this matchup for Jaylin Williams to make an impact on the boards tonight. He has logged 26+ minutes in back-to-back games and played 31:07 of game action on Friday in which he finished with 10 rebounds. Expect his level of opportunity to be similar tonight and for Williams to log more than 6.5 rebounds against Utah.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
