Tonight marks a huge night in the NBA, with Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas for the first time since the blockbuster midseason trade taking center stage. Three games remain on each NBA team’s regular-season schedule with some playoff seedings still up for grabs. Ten total games are set to take place tonight to continue to decide these.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, the shorthanded Boston Celtics will face the Orlando Magic while the Philadelphia 76ers play the Washington Wizards. A half-hour later, the Toronto Raptors will host the Charlotte Hornets while the Lakers vs. Mavericks matchup takes center stage. This will be an unprecedented event with there sure to be plenty of vocal support for Doncic in Dallas’ building as he faces his former team, with Mavericks fans’ frustrations still boiling over.
At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Miami Heat will face the Chicago Bulls. An hour later, the Portland Trail Blazers will face the Utah Jazz before a busy late slate. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Phoenix Suns after officially being eliminated from the playoffs last night. At the same time, the Sacramento Kings will host the Denver Nuggets while the San Antonio Spurs play the Golden State Warriors. The final game of the night will be between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers, which tips off at 10:30 p.m. ET.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the action this evening. One of the unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for action on April 9th. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my favorite picks across the exciting slate.
Alex Sarr More Than 24.5 Points & Rebounds
Despite holding the second-worst record in the NBA, the Washington Wizards have shown some signs of life down the stretch of the season with Alex Sarr helping to lead this charge. The No. 2 overall pick has shown some positive signs of progress leaving plenty to build off moving forward. Sarr and the Wizards will take on the Philadelphia 76ers tonight who have slipped to 3-22 since the All-Star break.
Overall, Sarr is averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists across his 27.3 minutes per game. Over his past 19 games, his averages have grown to 16.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Sarr stands 7 feet tall with impressive athleticism built to exploit this Sixers team. Philadelphia has struggled on the boards all season, ranking 24th in opponent rebounds per game and dead last in total rebounds secured.
Sarr is coming off a 20-point, 12-rebound performance last night and also had 24 points and seven assists against this Sixers team about two weeks ago. Guerschon Yabusele has been ruled out for the game for Philadelphia to further weaken its interior options. Washington will continue to be heavily invested in the development of its young talent with Sarr at the forefront of this. Look for him to lean on his athleticism and size against a shorthanded Sixers team and record more than 24.5 combined points and rebounds tonight.
Anthony Davis More Than 10.5 Rebounds
Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas headlines the storylines surrounding tonight’s matchup, but this will be a revenge game for Anthony Davis as well. This will mark his eighth game in a Mavericks uniform and his first time facing the Lakers. Across his first seven games with Dallas, Davis is averaging 20.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in his 28.9 minutes of action. This is below the 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds he averaged through the first 42 games of the season with the Lakers.
Injuries have been a familiar issue preventing Davis from performing. But when he is at his best, the 10-time All-Star has a case for being the best rebounder in the NBA. The lack of interior presence on the Lakers has been an evident weakness since the massive midseason shakeup and is a major point of concern tonight. Los Angeles allowed 15 rebounds to Isaiah Hartenstein last night and ranks 15th in total rebounds since the trade.
Even with his limited minutes in mind, Davis has tallied 15+ rebounds in two of his seven games with the Mavericks. He has recorded more than 10.5 rebounds in 30 of the 49 games he has played this season overall. Expect some additional motivation on Davis’ part as he faces his former team and for the former NBA Champion to have success imposing himself against Jaxson Hayes and the rest of the Lakers’ interior options. Count on Davis’ size to cause some major issues tonight and for him to record more than 10.5 rebounds in his first matchup with his former team.
Luka Doncic More Than 3.5 Made Three-Pointers
All eyes will be on Luka Doncic as he returns to his former arena with revenge on his mind. It does not take an advanced basketball eye to note that Doncic takes things personally on a basketball court and is motivated by resentment. He was ejected last night against the Thunder to further add to his frustrations and emotions are sure to be high in the building for all parties.
There have been some early ups and downs in Doncic’s tenure with the Lakers. Across his first 26 games in Los Angeles, Doncic is averaging 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. Last season’s scoring champion is shooting 36.0% from beyond the three-point arc with the Lakers while launching 9.6 perimeter shots per game. This comes out to an average of 3.5 made three-pointers per game and he has connected on more than 3.5 made three-pointers in 13 of his past 19 games.
Expect the Mavericks to be fully focused on making life difficult for Doncic tonight. They have continued to present their belief in building a defensive-minded basketball team with this looked at as the driving force for moving on from the superstar in the first place. Dallas possesses some high-level rim protection, which will make it difficult to attack the basket, with Doncic struggling a bit in this area since coming to the Lakers anyway. Instead, expect the Lakers’ star to combat this by creating from the perimeter and shooting overtop of the rim deterrence. Expect Doncic to be ready to leave it all on the floor tonight and be plenty willing as a shooter. Look for him to make the most of this opportunity for revenge and connect with more than 3.5 made three-pointers tonight.
Bradley Beal Less Than 24.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists
The Phoenix Suns headline the conversation for most disappointing teams in the NBA this season. They will miss the playoffs outright after dropping to 35-44 and have lost seven consecutive games entering tonight’s matchup. Things do not get much easier as they face the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder tonight who have already locked up their playoff spot.
While he cannot take all of the blame for the team’s struggles, Bradley Beal has not lived up to expectations since joining the Suns. The three-time All-Star is averaging 16.8 points, 3.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. Beal has looked increasingly disinterested in playing winning basketball and has been held to less than 24.5 points, rebounds and assists in 26 of the 51 games he has played. This includes five straight games and seven of his last nine matchups.
Oklahoma City grades as one of the best team defenses in NBA history, ranking second in the league in opponent points per game this season while holding opponents to the worst field-goal percentage and the worst three-point percentage. This is the second night of a back-to-back so there likely will be a few notable names set to miss, but the Thunder’s bench pieces would have far larger roles on plenty of other NBA teams and will be hungry to show what they can do in an expanded role. Opponent aside, Beal has shown little with his play in recent games to indicate he is working to turn things around. Count on Beal to be held to less than 24.5 combined points, rebounds and assists with his mind likely already having shifted to the offseason.
Chet Holmgren More Than 19.5 Points & Rebounds
In addition to Beal’s underwhelming performance, the lack of interior production has been a huge problem for this Suns team. They have attempted several rotation changes and traded for Nick Richards midseason but have not been able to fix their center production. Overall, the Suns rank 24th in opponent points per game, 25th in total rebounding, 18th in opponent points in the paint and 18th in opponent rebounds allowed.
Chet Holmgren will have a chance to make his impact felt on the interior with this weakness in mind. The Gonzaga product is averaging 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on the season. While the injury report is one to monitor, Holmgren played just 25 minutes last night, which was the fewest of any starter and the sixth-most on the team. This leads me to believe he should be available tonight and expect a strong performance if that is the case.
Holmgren has recorded more than 19.5 combined points and rebounds in 20 of the 31 games he has played this season. This is his first matchup against the Suns this season but it is worth noting he cleared this total in both matchups last season. Count on Holmgren’s 7-foot-1 frame to cause some issues against Phoenix tonight and for Holmgren to showcase his full offensive arsenal with no clear matchup on the Suns’ roster. Count on him recording more than 19.5 points and rebounds for the 21st time this season in the favorable matchup.
Jalen Green Less Than 2.5 Made Three-Pointers
The final matchup of the night’s slate will be between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. While seedings are still up for grabs in the Western Conference, there is a chance this is a playoff preview. Houston is locked into the second seed while the Clippers are tied with the Warriors, Grizzlies and Nuggets with each team holding a 47-32 record and making up seeds 4-7 right now.
Jalen Green continues to be a huge part of this Rockets team and is averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season. He is shooting 35.5% from beyond the three-point arc while attempting 8.3 perimeter shots per game. This comes out to an average of 2.9 made three-pointers per game and he has recorded more than 2.5 three-pointers in 47 of the 79 games he has played.
Unfortunately, tonight will be a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. The organization has reinvented itself as a defensive-minded team this season and ranks fourth in opponent points allowed, fourth in opponent three-point percentage and seventh in opponent field-goal percentage. This will be the fourth matchup between these two teams with there being a mixed bag of results to this point. Across the first three matchups, Green has shot 0-for-5, 5-for-13 and 5-for-14 from beyond the three-point arc. With seeding being so important for the Clippers while Houston has locked up its playoff outlook, expect a strong performance from Los Angeles tonight. Expect a clear effort to limit Green’s impact and for him to be held to less than 2.5 made three-pointers 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!
