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The NBA schedule continues to plod along Thursday with four games on the slate. The Phoenix Suns will be in action, looking to improve their 22-5 record when they host the Washington Wizards. This game will also be the featured Showdown contest on DraftKings, so let’s highlight some players to consider as you build your lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $60K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (WAS vs PHX)
Phoenix Suns vs. Washington Wizards
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Captain’s Picks
Chris Paul ($16,800 Captain’s Pick): Paul is coming off of a masterful performance against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday in which he recorded 24 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists and three steals across 41 minutes. He was aided by the game going to overtime, and it also helped his cause that Devin Booker (hamstring) was out again. Paul has averaged 11.2 shot attempts per game this season, but he’s averaged 12.5 shot attempts across six games since Booker went down. Among all of the players in this game, he has one of the highest floors.
Deandre Ayton ($15,900 Captain’s Pick): Ayton recently missed two games with an illness, but luckily it wasn’t COVID-19 related. He made his return Tuesday and didn’t skip a beat, posting 28 points and 13 rebounds across 45 minutes. With him scoring at least 30.8 DKFP in 14 of his last 15 games, he’s also one of the safer options for the Captain’s spot.
UTIL Plays
Cameron Johnson ($6,400): Johnson has seen a significant increase in playing time since Booker went down. He’s averaged 31 minutes per game without him, compared to his season average of 24 minutes per contest. His added playing time helped him average 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 3.2 three-pointers over that six-game stretch.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,400): The Wizards just played Wednesday, which means Spencer Dinwiddie should sit this one out. Coming off of an ACL injury last season, he has yet to play in both games of a back-to-back set. That could leave added scoring responsibilities on the shoulders of Caldwell-Pope, who is already averaging 11.0 points and 2.0 three-pointers per game.
Aaron Holiday ($3,400): With Dinwiddie likely out, expect Holiday to take his spot in the starting five. He’s made seven starts this season, four of which came in games that Dinwiddie missed. His numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but his averages of 8.4 points, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals as a starter at least makes him worth considering at such a cheap salary.
Fades
Mikal Bridges ($7,200): Bridges often draws the difficult assignment of defending the opposing team’s best scorer. In this case, he could spend most of the game matched up against Beal. With his focus on the defensive end, Bridges only has a 13.1 percent usage rate. That has been one of the main reasons why he has scored 24.3 DKFP or fewer in six of the last seven games.
THE OUTCOME
This is not a good situation for the Wizards given that they just played Wednesday and will likely be without Dinwiddie. They are 2-3 without him, compared to 13-11 in games that he has played. Even with Booker out, having a healthy Ayton in the fold, combined with home court advantage, should give the edge to the Suns.
Final Score: Suns 108, Wizards 101
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $60K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (WAS vs PHX)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mbarner51) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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