Eight games of NBA action are set to take place across the Wednesday, March 5th slate. These will come on the heels of LeBron James becoming the first player in NBA history to record 50,000 points last night and the season’s home stretch upon us.
Four games will be tipping off in the 7:00 p.m. ET window with the matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat headlining the action. In addition, the Boston Celtics will host the Portland Trail Blazers, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Charlotte Hornets, and the Utah Jazz will play the Washington Wizards. An hour later, the Dallas Mavericks will face the Milwaukee Bucks as they continue to navigate the free fall of their season with Kyrie Irving’s torn ACL being the latest bad news.
Then at 9:00 p.m. ET, the Denver Nuggets will host the Sacramento Kings. A half-hour later, the Memphis Grizzlies will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in an intriguing Western Conference matchup. The final matchup of the night is set to take place between the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the action this evening. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for action on March 5th. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the number is set. With the stage set, here are my favorite picks across the eight-game slate.
Max Christie More Than 18.5 Points & Assists
Very few fan bases have experienced the level of frustration that the Dallas Mavericks faithful are currently enduring. The dust of the Luka Doncic trade seemed to have finally settled only for Kyrie Irving to suffer a season-ending torn ACL in the previous game. This casts some further doubts about the outlook of the Mavericks’ franchise both in the short and long term. While there surely will be some bigger-picture discussions regarding the future of the franchise, the grind of the regular season continues on the floor.
With Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Caleb Martin, Dante Exum, P.J. Washington, Jaden Hardy, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively III all remaining out, look for Max Christie to step into center stage of the Mavericks offensive production. The Michigan State product showcased his skillset upon first arriving at the franchise but has slowed down in recent games. Across the opening 12 games with the Mavericks, Christie is averaging 12.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.
Christie has recorded more than 18.5 combined points and assists four times with the Mavericks and will have a complete green light moving forward. Expect him to take on a far larger offensive role than he has at any other stage of his career with this starting tonight with the matchup with the Bucks. It may not be the most efficient pathway to reaching this total but expect Christie to have plenty of on-ball opportunities and shoot the ball well over double-digit attempts tonight. Take advantage of the opportunities created by Dallas’ lengthy injury list and expect Christie to be vital to everything the Mavericks do offensively tonight and moving forward.
LaMelo Ball More Than 23.5 Points
Now in his fifth season in the NBA, LaMelo Ball remains one of the most difficult players to categorize. He oozes talent and the numbers speak for themselves, but the Hornets have been unable to translate this into team success. Charlotte holds a record of just 14-46 this season despite Ball averaging 26.1 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
While Ball’s production has slowed down some since the start of the season, taking advantage of this Pick6 number dropping to 23.5 points. He has recorded more than 23.5 points in 26 of the 38 games he has played this season including seven of the past 10 games. Minnesota is a solid defensive team that ranks fifth in opponents’ points per game and limited Ball to 19 points in their first matchup.
But the Timberwolves have shown some limitations on this side of the ball of late and the Hornets star is set to see a level of shot volume that still gives me confidence. His 21.9 field goal attempts per game lead the entire NBA and his 11.6 three-point attempts trail only Steph Curry for the most in the league. Ball has the green light to let it fly from wherever he wants and as often as possible. Don’t expect him to be shy as he prepares to face off with Anthony Edwards and company and for Ball to record more than 23.5 points for the 27th time this season.
Mike Conley Less Than 1.5 Made Three-Pointers
On the other side of this matchup sits Mike Comley and the Timberwolves. Conley is one of the better true point guards the NBA has seen but has shown his first sign of losing the battle with Father Time this season. The 37-year-old is logging a career-low 24.9 minutes per game and averaging 8.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. He is still shooting 39.6% on three-point attempts, even higher than the 38.0% he is shooting from the field overall, but attempting just 4.5 perimeter shots per game. This is his fewest since the 2015-16 season.
On the season overall, Conley has been held to less than 1.5 made three-pointers in 25 of the 48 games he has played. Looking at the matchup, the Hornets possess a vulnerable defense. They rank 27th in opponents’ three-point attempts allowed but are fourth in opponents’ three-point percentage conceded. They also are 13th in opponents’ points allowed overall.
Conley still is necessary to this Timberwolves team as a true point guard who sets the table for the offense. But he is here to steer things on the larger scale of the season and help this team compete deep in the playoffs- not for Wednesday night matchups against the team with the second-worst record in the league. Expect Minnesota to limit his minutes tonight and for him to be held below 1.5 made three-pointers tonight for the 26th time this season as the more youthful members of the roster take care of the production tonight.
Deni Avdija More Than 10.5 Rebounds & Assists
The Portland Trail Blazers are amid an impressive season turnaround. The youthful roster has won 15 of their past 21 games with Deni Avdia being a huge part of this effort. The 6-foot-9 forward has been a notable spark for the team and is averaging 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game on the season overall.
One area where Avdija has been especially impressive of late is his ability to pull in rebounds and lead the charge in transition. He does an impressive job putting the ball on the floor and forcing opponents to make decisions on the fast break. Across his past 20 games, he is averaging 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Portland is set to take on the Boston Celtics tonight who remain the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
On the season overall, Avdija has recorded more than 10.5 rebounds and assists in 21 games. He has seen an increased level of opportunity with Deandre Ayton remaining out and Robert Williams III also injured. Boston has a lengthy injury report with most of their key players listed as questionable. Keep an eye on this as the day progresses but look for Avidja to make his impact felt regardless of who is on the floor. Look for the 24-year-old to benefit from the injuries of players around him with some increased minutes and for him to be effective in pulling in rebounds and starting the fast break himself. Count on him to record more than 10.5 rebounds and assists against the defending champions tonight.
Jonas Valančiūnas Less Than 10.5 Rebounds
The Sacramento Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis for the foreseeable future due to the hamstring injury he sustained. In his absence, Jonas Valanciunas is stepping into his role after arriving at the organization at the trade deadline. Across the 10 games he has played with the Kings thus far, Valanciunas is averaging just 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds across his 16.7 minutes of play. He had his first start on Monday in Sabonis’ absence and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in his 23:24 of game time.
Valanciunas has only recorded more than 10.5 rebounds in one game since joining the Kings. While this number has increased in anticipation of his expanded role, expect Valanciunas to struggle to match up with Nikola Jokic in this game. The three-time MVP is pulling in 12.7 rebounds per game which is third in the NBA.
Much of Valanciunas’ rebounding production is dependent on his raw size being an advantage. Don’t expect this to have success against Jokic who has a similar frame and more advanced rebounding savvy. The two big men have faced off 21 times in their career with Valanciunas being held to less than 10.5 rebounds in 15 of these games. It should be noted that Jokic is officially listed as questionable with an ankle injury but he had a full workload against the Celtics on Sunday and seemed to brush off concerns following the game. Expect Jokic to have the advantage tonight and for Valanciunas to be held to less than 10.5 rebounds tonight.
Ausar Thompson More Than 16.5 Points & Assists
The Detroit Pistons have entered the conversation for youthful rosters with a bright future. They have climbed to sixth place in the Eastern Conference and are 10-1 in their last 11 games. Ausar Thompson has been a key part of his turnaround and is playing some of the best basketball of his young career. On the season, Thompson is averaging 9.8 points, 2.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his 21.6 minutes per game. But across his past 14 games, these numbers have grown to 13.1 points, 3.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game.
Detroit will take on the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. They have leaned on a more defensive-minded approach this season ranking fourth in opponents’ points allowed and sixth in assists conceded. However, they have looked more vulnerable of late and have dropped four of their past six games entering this matchup. Thompson also should get an increase in opportunity with Tobias Harris set to miss tonight’s game.
He does not possess the level of playmaking instincts of his brother, but Ausar Thompson has been tasked with more playmaking opportunities following the season-ending injury to Jaden Ivey. He is one of the most dangerous athletes in the league when attacking in transition and has added more layers to his game in the half-court. He has recorded more than 16.5 combined points and assists in six of his last 11 games including a 17-point and five-assist performance the last time he was on the floor. Look for Thompson to make the most of his expanded opportunity in this game and record more than 16.5 combined points and assists against the Clippers tonight.
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!
