This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
The NFL is probably the only company in the world that owns a day of the week, and with the conference championships on tap today, DFS hoops might be a bit of an afterthought. There are actually some basketball games today, and although it's a three-game slate, we're here to cover it for you!
First, a couple of words about last night. If you read my column yesterday and followed my picks, you probably fared pretty well. The critical pivot for me occurred when Kawhi called out, so I made a key switch to Danny Green to accompany Harden and Griffin. I needed to dip low to accommodate Kyle Kuzma and Domantas Sabonis but I made it work, and if Lonzo Ball hadn't gotten hurt, I would have binked a single entry tournament. I settled for third with that lineup, and variations of my picks cleared every 50/50 hurdle. As a result, Saturday was my biggest single night of the season, thanks to three high GPP cashes.
Today's slate is a bit frustrating because we've got some injury scenarios that limit an already slim stable of players. Let's run down those situations now.
Danilo Gallinari (back) – OUT and Lou Williams (hamstring) – Doubtful: Without these two playmakers, the Clippers will have their hands full against the Spurs. Since Gallinari is out, I guess Mike Scott ($3,300) is the guy you should look to as his pivot? I think this means Montrezl Harrell ($6,900) ends up seeing a lot more than his usual 25 minutes tonight, and chances are he'll find a spot in several lineups for me. If Williams doesn't play, Avery Bradley ($3,800) would be worth a GPP flier.
With those recommendations in mind, let's go position-by-position. Due to the limited number of options, I'm only going to recommend two players at each spot along with some non-highlighted options when appropriate.
GUARDS
DeMar DeRozan, SA vs. LAC ($8,400): Despite a questionable tag, DeRozan says he'll be ready to go, and I have always liked the USC grad playing his hometown teams. If he goes, I'm going with him as one of my high=priced guys. All the other elite guards are on back-to-back games so DeRozan is one of the only guard plays at this level that I can be totally confident with. If you end up being able to find room for Booker or Walker, I don't mind it at all, but I think DeRozan has the more reliable floor.
Jeff Teague, MIN vs. PHO ($6,300): I struggled with Rose and Wiggins here as well but settled on Teague. Rose is still coming back from injury and Wiggins seemed like a more volatile call. We'll need a good assist total to get a favorable night from Teague, but as you'll see below, a Teague/Towns stack will be a likely call for me in the hopes that those dimes will come from that combo.
Additional guard to consider: Darren Collison, IND vs. CHA ($5,100)
FORWARDS
You could always go with LaMarcus Aldridge ($8,500) here, but I think this is the spot where I am spending down tonight. I am having difficulty going with the Clippers in this game and feel a bit more comfortable with the PHO/MIN options.
T.J. Warren, PHO at MIN ($5,800): I presented Oubre as another possibility here, but I think Warren will need to step up as well if any of the big men are out. The underrated forward averages a rock-solid 30 minutes per game and although his floor is a bit low, he put up 34 DKFP against Minnesota in their last outing, and I'm looking for an even better total in this game script.
Rudy Gay, SA vs. LAC ($5,500): Gay went right back to 35 minutes after recovering from his wrist injury, and he appears close to 100 percent. Gay is a spark plug who can go off in the right scenario, and with Gallinari on the sidelines, he should have an easier time finding his shot and could see some impressive defensive numbers as well.
Additional forward to consider: Jeremy Lamb, CHA at IND ($5,500), Marco Belinelli, SA vs. LAC ($4,300)
CENTERS
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN vs. PHO ($10,600): No doubts for me here. He's expensive and should be widely -owned. On this slate, he deserves both of those tags, as Towns inflicted almost 60 DKFP of damage against the Suns earlier in the season. He's also put up some monster numbers over the past two weeks, and none of the other available centers can match that kind of explosive potential. He's my absolute anchor for almost every lineup.
Bismack Biyombo, CHA at IND ($3,800): If you're feeling lucky, go with Biyombo. He demonstrated the potential to take over this role with a 43 DKFP score against the Suns on Saturday, and Hernangomez hasn't done much to separate himself in this race. It's a true GPP guess here, but by all means, go to it!
In summary, my primary lineup kept Towns in there, but I found myself swapping out Booker for DeRozan a few times. I think they are mostly interchangeable, but DeRozan might end up less than 100%, so he ended up in more GPP's, and Booker found his way into cash lineups. Being able to match Teague with Towns was also affordable, and I took Lamb and Belinelli in a lot of lineups as well.
