This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to Avoid:
Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons
The Bulls may have lost 101-91 to the Clippers on Saturday, but still have to be riding the high of limiting the Warriors to 87 points in Thursday's win. Chicago also recently limited the Cavaliers to 99 points, though Cleveland was without LeBron James and Kevin Love. The Bulls held the Pistons to 82 points in their last meeting on Dec. 19, holding Detroit to 41% shooting from the field and 13% from distance (3-of-23). Both Chicago and Detroit rank in the lower third of the NBA in scoring, so it's likely that this one is more of a slugfest than a shootout anyway.
Offense to Use:
Denver Nuggets vs. Sacramento Kings
There's a lot to like in this matchup. The Kings are coming off an overtime loss to the Jazz on Sunday and have to head to Denver to deal with the Nuggets, who average 113.6 PPG at home this season. Outside of center Nikola Jokic ($10,100), Denver doesn't have another player over $6,100 (Danilo Gallinari). Not only are the Nuggets a strong stack option, but the Kings also offer a lot of value. In their previous meeting, Denver made Willie Cauley-Stein ($5,100; 29 points, 10 rebounds) look like Wilt Chamberlain.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: none
Second game: Pacers, Warriors, Kings, Jazz, Pelicans, Magic, Hawks, Celtics
DAILY PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
Kemba Walker, PG, CHA vs. IND ($8,200): With the heavy slate of games, Walker presents a nice option in cash games. He's scored at least 43 DKFP in each of the past four games, and is shooting a better percentage from downtown (48) than from the field (47.8) in his past six. The Pacers have limited Walker to 38.0 DKFP on average in two games, but he shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in those games. Kemba has been slightly more productive at home, where the Hornets haven't played since prior to the All-Star break. Indiana plays decent defense, but Walker has a 27.8 usage rating and should plenty of touches.
Klay Thompson, SG, GS at ATL ($7,300): The injury to Kevin Durant means more offense for Thompson, right? Well that hasn't exactly been the case with Thompson struggling his past two games (4-for-24 from beyond the arc). But we can't expect Klay's struggles to continue and the Hawks are allowing opponents to shoot 36.5% from distance. Normally when Thompson breaks out of a shooting slump he's going to need a heat check. He's a bit of a risky play, so consider Thompson for your tournament lineup with the hopes he breaks out.
Jamal Murray, PG/SG, DEN vs. SAC ($4,200): Murray is one of the cheap Nuggets players who were hinted above. He's seen a slight uptick in minutes the past two games (28 per contest) and has scored in double figures in four straight. Murray's hit at least two 3-pointers in three straight, scoring over 20 DKFP in each of those contests. It doesn't appear Emmanuel Mudiay will cut into Murray's minutes any time soon, so he'll continue to be a strong tournament lineup filler.
Kawhi Leonard, SF, SA vs. HOU ($9,600): Leonard has been making his case as MVP with some incredibly strong games of late. He's scored at least 31 points (54.5 DKFP) in each of his past three games, with a whopping 12 steals during that stretch. Leonard has had success against a poor Rockets defense this season, averaging 25 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals (40.2 DKFP) in three games. His 3-point shooting could use an improvement (23.3% in the past five games), but Leonard won't need to score from outside on Houston, which allows opponents to shoot 46.1% from the field.
Zach Randolph, PF/C, MEM vs. BKN ($6,400): Z-Bo continues to come off the bench, though that hasn't stopped him from outplaying starter JaMychal Green. Randolph is averaging 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds (31.7 DKFP) in his past five games, shooting 53.6% from the field in that stretch. He's played better at home this season, which should help erase his struggles vs. the Nets a few weeks ago (seven points in just over 18 minutes). Z-Bo has a high ceiling and is cost effective in a strong matchup.
Bobby Portis, PF, CHI at DET ($5,000): Since the trade that sent Taj Gibson to the Thunder, the Bulls have been starting Portis at power forward. The young stretch four has had his ups and downs, but is showing signs of consistency averaging 23.4 DKFP in his past five games. He's hit at least five field goals in three straight, playing over 20 minutes in each contest while combining for 26 rebounds. He can step back and hit a few 3-pointers and is worth considering for big GPPs.
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. NO ($7,000): For all the elite options at center for Monday's 12-game slate, Gobert will likely fly under the radar. He's on the second of a back-to-back, but put up a monster line of 16 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks vs. the Kings on Sunday. That performance wasn't taken into consideration prior to his price being released, and Gobert's struggles the previous two games drove his salary down a bit. Gobert had 16 boards in nearly 30 minutes vs. the Pelicans in their last meeting, going for 39.5 DKFP despite struggling with only 10 points.
Pau Gasol, SA vs. HOU ($5,900): Coming off the bench since returning from injury has done wonders for the Spurs and Gasol, who has scored at least 13 points in five straight. He's made 10-of-18 from downtown and is shooting 56.5% from the field during that stretch. Gasol is averaging over 31.8 DKFP in the past five, which makes him a strong candidate to hit 5x his value for tournaments. Dewayne Dedmon doesn't appear to be a threat to Gasol's playing time and the Rockets are allowing the eighth most DKFP to centers.
Skal Labissiere, PF/C, SAC at DEN ($3,800): Again, this game is expected to be high-scoring and Labissiere has been seeing more playing time after the Kings purged their roster. He's played double-digit minutes in five straight prior to Sunday, and is averaging 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in his past four. Skal almost scored a point-per-minute (12 points in 13 minutes) vs. the Nuggets on Feb. 23. The two minutes against the Jazz on Sunday is a bit discouraging, but that's what taking risks like Labissiere are all about.
