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Sunday’s jam-packed NBA slate comes to a conclusion when the Sacramento Kings take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the nightcap. Both teams come in reeling — the Kings have won six in a row, while the Bucks come in the losers of four over their past five games. There’s sure to be plenty of scoring in this one with a huge total of 238.5 set at DraftKings Sportsbook, and with injuries on both sides of the ball, there should be some intriguing value options. Let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups for Sunday evening.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st] (SAC vs MIL)
Captain
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($17,400 CP)
It’s hard not to get excited about Giannis here in a matchup against the softest defense in the league. The decent opponent rank sitting next to his name is deceiving. Not only is the Kings’ frontcourt banged up, but without Jrue Holiday, the Bucks will need Giannis to run the point. No one on this Sacramento team is physical enough to hang with Giannis or athletic enough to keep him in front. The Kings have shown time and time again that they will be abused by slashers and talented offensive players of any kind. Considering there aren’t a plethora of great high-priced options, I don’t hate paying all the way up here one bit.
De’Aaron Fox ($13,200 CP)
With Jrue Holiday out due to injury, the Bucks are currently starting D.J. Augustin ($4,000), who has been an atrocious defender (111 DRtg) for his career. Though Antetokounmpo should mix in for some minutes at point guard, the fact remains that this is a matchup worth exploiting considering we’re guaranteed to get some Augustin defense here. Fox is one of the most explosive players in the league and should be able to blow by the veteran with ease. He is averaging nearly 10 assists over the past five games to boot. I think Fox has the highest upside of any King.
Fades
Harrison Barnes ($7,200)
You don’t want to get stuck backing a guy in a shooting slump, let alone a guy in a shooting slump who’s also battling an injury. If Barnes plays in this game, I don’t expect him to be all that effective against a competent defense, and it’s also not helping that his minutes have been slipping. If the 3-pointer is not there for Barnes, he certainly won’t have any success driving into this strong paint defense.
Value FLEX Options
Marvin Bagley III ($7,000)
Okay, so he’s not a “value” in the traditional sense of the word, but technically speaking, he is. Bagley has comfortably hit five times this salary now twice in a row, and with Richaun Holmes ($6,800; knee) still dealing with an injury, he may be looked to for a huge sum of minutes once again. Bagley’s talent on the offensive end is undeniable, and it looks like he has finally earned the trust of the Kings after some tumultuous years. It’d be difficult not to give massive minutes to a guy coming off a 26-point outing, especially considering the magnitude of the opponent.
Brook Lopez ($4,600)
You can’t argue with the minutes here, and the matchup. Lopez has seen a steady dose of playing time, averaging 26.6 minutes this year and coming off a game where he played 28. He also will be smiling ear to ear when he sees a Kings frontcourt which has allowed the most points in the paint (53) per game this season. He’s a bit pricy for what we should realistically project him at, but in this spot, I think he’s got a pretty high ceiling.
Bryn Forbes ($3,800)
With the injury to Holiday, Forbes has been seeing at least 20 minutes per game, so given that much time at the point, it’s hard not to believe Forbes can’t hit value for us once again. You should also consider the blowout factor; should Milwaukee begin to trounce Sacramento, Forbes could wind up seeing somewhere near 30 minutes, and given his usage while on the floor, he’d certainly provide nice returns.
The Outcome
The Bucks should have absolutely no issues scoring on this porous defense, feeding Lopez in the post and cutting inside relentlessly with Giannis. Khris Middleton ($9,000) should also get percolating against a poor shooting defense, and Milwaukee’s bench will have a clear advantage over Sacramento’s. All in all, for the entire 48 minutes the Bucks should have the far superior team on the floor, and Milwaukee will pick on the league’s worst defense for a much-needed second win in a row.
Final Score: Bucks 123, Kings 109
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st] (SAC vs MIL)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I 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. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.