DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 12/16/19
With seven games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities. Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.
Point Guard
Kyle Lowry ($7,700) -- Lowry has averaged 15.1 points in six games since returning from injury for the Raptors. Four of those have been home games, and they've gone 1-3 during that stretch but welcome the struggling Cavs to town. Lowry scored 17 points and 37 fantasy points in his last game -- an uptick from 6 and 23 in the one prior. Lowry has a good opportunity to record his second 20-point game in the last month.
Kendrick Nunn ($6,000) -- With Goran Dragic out, Nunn has averaged 19.4 points over his past five games and has a rookie duel with Ja Morant ($7,300) tonight. Both guards have been playing better than expected, with Nunn being the best undrafted rookie and Morant the best overall rookie thus far. The Heat and Jimmy Butler ($9,100) will need assistance scoring with numerous injuries and expect Nunn to play with a chip on his shoulder.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker ($8,900) -- Booker is questionable for the Suns' matchup with the Blazers tonight, but if good to go, he will look to build off his 15-point performance against the Grizzlies. Booker was averaging 35 points over his three games prior to the Memphis game and attempted 19 or more shots in all three. If he's good to go, this matchup has high-scoring potential, and if he's out, look at Ricky Rubio ($7,900) as a solid option and double-double candidate.
Derrick Rose ($6,100) -- Rose has been on a run lately scoring 30 or more fantasy points in four straight games and notched a double-double in the Pistons' win over the Rockets with 20 points and 12 assists. Rose nailed 10 of 21 shots and recorded 43.5 fantasy points and now has a favorable matchup to extend his fantasy streak. Expect Rose to score 14 or more points for the sixth straight game, as the Wizards figure to try and keep their up-tempo pace, which fits into Rose's style of play.
Small Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,200) -- Giannis is averaging 31.0 points and 12.8 rebounds, both good enough for top five in the league, while his counterpart Luka Doncic will miss tonight's game between two of the most exciting teams in the league. Giannis should dominate, and our model projects Giannis to score 30.1 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists as the Bucks go for their 19th straight win.
Khris Middleton ($6,900) -- With Eric Bledsoe out, Middleton is the next man up for the Bucks. He's scored 20 or more points in four straight and is in line for his fifth with the Mavericks in town without Doncic. The Bucks could run away with this one, and he's averaged 22.6 points his in his last three home games, all wins by nine or more. The value is a good price for a player who's averaged 38.3 fantasy points over his last four games.
Power Forward
Kristaps Porzingis ($7,800) -- Porzingis exploded for 51 fantasy points against the Heat with Doncic going down, but it wasn't enough to get the win. He scored 22 points and 14 rebounds and will look to continue that as the primary scorer against the Bucks tonight. Porzingis, along with Giannis, are one of a kind players with their size, and the Mavs' star should have at least 20 shot attempts per night with Doncic sidelined, making him a 30-point threat.
Danilo Gallinari ($5,900) -- Gallinari is coming off one of his season-worst performances against the Nuggets, scoring seven points. He has a potential bounce-back game at home, welcoming the Bulls to put a halt to the Thunder's two-game losing streak. Gallinari is the second-leading scorer for the Thunder, and the Bulls' hole in their lineup is at small forward, leaving Gallinari with mismatches all night. He's averaging 18.3 points, shooting 42.4 percent from deep and 94.1 percent from the free throw at home.
Center
Clint Capela ($7,600) -- Capela has five straight double-doubles and now averages more rebounds (14.7) than points (13.8). He's second in the league in rebounding and has recorded 70 combined boards over his last five games while scoring between 10 and 13 points in all of them. Against the Spurs, he'll bang down low with LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,100) in the second matchup between the two. Capela scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the first matchup and is projected to score 15.8 points and 14.9 rebounds according to our model.
Steven Adams ($6,700) -- Adams has three straight double-doubles all on the road, and the Thunder return home versus a Bulls team that ranks 22nd in rebounding. The Thunder as a team ranks 27th in rebounding, but Adams ranks 18th in the league with 9.5 per game. Tonight, he should extend his season-high double-double streak to four games as he continues his best play of the season.
Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
