Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Nuggets vs. Lakers Showdown on May 3

The Los Angeles Lakers are even more desperate for a win here on the second night of a back-to-back, dropping five of six since Anthony Davis ($10,400) returned, and they will need to take care of the surging Denver Nuggets on Monday, who come in with nine wins in 10 games. With so much at stake and so many big names taking part in this one, we should have a very fun Showdown on our hands.

Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups for Monday evening.

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Captain

Nikola Jokic ($17,100 CP)

There was once a time you’d be cautious deploying a big man in a matchup with Anthony Davis, but given Jokic’s prowess and the fact Davis plays plenty on the perimeter, it’s not even a thought at this point. The last time these two teams got together, Jokic abused Davis and the Lakers for a triple-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds, which netted him 63.5 DKFP. He continues to get a ton of usage without Jamal Murray in the lineup and is probably the strongest play on the slate, even at this price.

Anthony Davis ($15,600 CP)

The Lakers won’t have the services of LeBron James in this one as the star continues to work his way back to 100%, so it’ll be all AD all the time for Los Angeles. The stats seems to be ramped up to full speed after returning from injury a week or so ago, and his usage before James returned was off the charts. The Nuggets have been strong on defense lately, but defending on the interior was never something they were known for. Davis should be getting all the touches he can handle, and I have no qualms with the matchup.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $120K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st] (DEN vs LAL)

Fades

Montrezl Harrell ($4,800)

The price has come way down on Harrell, and rightly so. Even here, though, I’m not looking to play Harrell. He wasn’t even a great fantasy option the majority of the time with Davis out, providing far more as a real-life player than a fantasy contributor. Even with out LeBron, he should cede a ton of minutes to AD in this one, and perhaps even Marc Gasol. Unless the Lakers get blown out here, I don’t see a path to heavy playing time. Even if he does play, I’m not sure he can convert minutes to points.

Value FLEX Options

Kyle Kuzma ($6,200)

I liked Kuzma in last night’s Lakers showdown at $7,200 and will happily take a steep discount this time around, especially now that James has been ruled out. The Nuggets have played strong defense over the last 10 games, ranking eighth in efficiency, but they’ve allowed roughly 37% shooting from three. Kuzma should be locked into his role of corner-three chucker and offer pretty solid upside here with solid minutes at a solid price.

Austin Rivers ($3,400)

I also thought about giving Facundo Campazzo ($5,000) some consideration here, but I can’t deny how great this price is on Rivers. He’s been locked in to 25-30 minutes in the Nuggets’ depleted guard rotation, and he has the benefit of facing a Lakers defense that is unrecognizable, failing to stop anyone in their way over the past six games. He’s only averaged around 15 DKFP over his past five games, but in a showdown like this, with this kind of price tag, he’s a fantastic high-floor building block. You should be able to get 5X here.

The Outcome

The Lakers have struggled on both ends of the floor lately, and I have no faith that things are looking up here with tired legs against a much stronger opponent than they faced on Sunday. Jokic should dominate in the post en route to a blowout win against a hopeless Los Angeles team that has crumbled defensively.

Final Score: Nuggets 120, Lakers 107

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $120K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st] (DEN vs LAL)

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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.