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After a busy Wednesday, we only have three games in the NBA on Thursday. Luckily, one of them is a juicy matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets. On the downside, both teams are dealing with a key injury. With this game being the featured Showdown contest on DraftKings, let’s discuss some players to consider for your lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st] (BKN vs LAL)
Editor’s note: Dennis Schroder (health protocols) has been ruled out tonight vs. the Nets.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Captain’s Pick
James Harden ($17,400 CP): The key injury for the Nets is to Kevin Durant (hamstring), who will miss his third straight contest. He’s actually missed five of the last six games already, which has left Harden with some monster stats lines, including three games with at least 62 DKFP. Despite the Lakers having the best defensive rating in the league, Harden’s usage rate and role facilitating the Nets’ offense leaves him with an extremely high floor.
LeBron James ($16,800 CP): On the Lakers’ side, they will have to play without Anthony Davis (calf), who is scheduled to miss at least the next two weeks. Unlike the Nets, the Lakers don’t have two superstars to fall back on, which means James is going to have to shoulder the load for them moving forward. Factor in his season average of 51.3 DKFP per contest and he’s an ideal option for the Captain’s spot, and maybe even more appealing than Harden given that he checks in at a lower salary.
UTIL Plays
Montrezl Harrell ($7,000): The Nets struggle to slow down opposing centers, ranking 27th in fantasy points allowed to the position. Harrell has recently stepped up his scoring with Davis out, recording at least 17 points in each of the last three games that Davis has been unable to take the floor. It should also help his cause that the Nets have the fifth-worst defensive rating in the league.
Dennis Schroder ($6,800): Make no mistake about it, Schroder is never one to shy away from added scoring opportunities. He thrived with Davis out Tuesday against the Timberwolves, scoring 24 points on 15 shot attempts. With that strong performance, he’s scored at least 36.8 DKFP in four of the last six games. Even with James being the primary ballhandler for the Lakers, Schroder is averaging 4.3 assists per game, which puts him on pace to average at least four assists for the seventh straight season.
Markieff Morris ($2,200): It would be wise to get at least two of the three of Harden, LeBron and Kyrie Irving ($9,800) into your entries. In order to do that, taking a chance on someone with a salary as cheap as Morris’ is probably necessary. With Davis out, Morris could spend a few extra minutes on the floor. Although these numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, Morris has averaged 14.8 DKFP over the last three games that Davis has missed. That should at least put him on your radar.
Fades
DeAndre Jordan ($5,600): Jordan does get to dodge Davis’ excellent interior defense, but he’s still not a very appealing option. Even with Jarrett Allen no longer in town, he still hasn’t made a major impact from a fantasy perspective. Case in point, he’s scored 24.3 DKFP or fewer in six of his last eight games. The risk of adding him to your entry might not be worth the potential reward.
The Outcome
The two stars being out for this game makes things a little tricky. Even with Davis out, though, the Lakers probably have a deeper overall roster. They also have the advantage of playing at home, where they are 9-4 this season. Meanwhile, the Nets are just 7-7 on the road. This could be a close contest that comes down to the final minutes, but I’ll give the edge to the Lakers.
Final Score: Lakers 116, Nets 114
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st] (BKN vs LAL)
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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 I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.
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