The highlight of last night was the Luka Dončić revenge game, and he did not disappoint; although he shot the ball inefficiently, he finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double, becoming the third player in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 NBA franchises.
There’s no Luka on tonight’s nine-game slate, but there are plenty of options for DFS players on DraftKings. Here are three must-start players from those games:
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PG James Harden, LA Clippers at Chicago Bulls, $9,800
The Clippers are in a precarious position. They haven’t won a game since before the All-Star Break, they’re tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the sixth seed in the Western Conference, with the red-hot Golden State Warriors just half a game behind, and star guard Norman Powell ($7,300) has repeatedly been ruled out of the lineup with what the team is now terming “left patellar tendinopathy”, a much more concerning diagnosis than the knee soreness he was listed out with before. At least Kawhi Leonard ($7,200) is back tonight, which should ease some of the pressure on Harden. In what is now a respectable 16-game sample size, LA is an impressive 13.4 points per 100 possessions better with Leonard on the floor than with him on the bench.
Plus, the tanking Bulls will continue to be a target for must-starts — Philadelphia 76ers players aside — given that they have the league’s fifth-worst defensive rating and its third-fastest pace. Chicago has been trying its best to allow either Brooklyn or Philadelphia back into the East’s top 10, and neither squad has budged. For the season, the Bulls have allowed the second-most points, second-most rebounds, and second-most assists while forcing the third-fewest turnovers, making Harden — even with his turnover issues — an excellent option. Chicago has conceded the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.
PG/SF Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs, $8,600
I’m not sure why San Antonio has continued to be defensively solid even after losing would-be Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama for the season. Perhaps it’s because they have faced the New Orleans Pelicans twice — and lost to them twice — but in four games since Wemby went down, the Spurs have allowed the 14th-fewest points, most rebounds, and 11th-most assists, two of which are better than their season-long ranks (they’ve been bad at rebounding, but having a seven-foot-three player with an eight-foot wingspan automatically precludes them from being the worst in the league). None of those marks are great — and the six-foot-seven and supremely athletic Thompson should be able to take advantage of San Antonio’s rebounding woes — but they’re better than their old figures.
I’m not buying that the Spurs are better defensively without Wembanyama, which means that Thompson — one of the most in-form and well-rounded players in the league, dating back to January — should be primed to take advantage. The sensational second-year player is averaging 16.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game since the calendar switched to 2025. Barring a four-point (24.25-FPT) stinker in the last game before the All-Star Break, Thompson has recorded 30 or more fantasy points in every game since the start of February, making him a critical asset even if his jump shot isn’t falling.
SF/PF Josh Hart, New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $7,900
Hart returned from a two-game absence with knee soreness in Sunday’s 118-105 loss to the Boston Celtics, and he was his typical all-around self, scoring an efficient 20 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists (47.75 FPTS). It wasn’t enough to offset inefficient shooting performances from OG Anunoby ($5,900) and Miles McBride ($3,800), and Mikal Bridges ($6,500) didn’t contribute anything besides his 14 points, either. I have my doubts about whether the Knicks are truly capable of contention — they’re 0-7 against the top three teams in the league — but at least they should have no problem against the reeling 76ers tonight.
Philadelphia is on an eight-game losing streak, and the photoshops from Pennsylvania artists these days aren’t of Joel Embiid holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy, they’re of Cooper Flagg in 76ers regalia. In that span, Philadelphia has the league’s fifth-worst defensive rating, and it’s also given up the fifth-most rebounds and 11th-most assists to opposing players — with Embiid active for five of the losses. The concern, like with other All-Star level players against tanking squads, is that New York seals its victory early and relegates Hart to the bench in the fourth quarter, but he should be able to do plenty of damage regardless. Even discounting the fourth quarter, Hart averages 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 steals (31.0 FPTS) per game, which would make him a decent fantasy asset regardless.
