DraftKings NBA Picks April 27: LeBron or Westbrook?

MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 22: Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrates after hitting a shot against the Boston Celtics during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 22, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks April 27: LeBron or Westbrook?

Get used to these unbalanced slates now that the playoffs are here. We have three games tonight, and all are elimination games. The Thunder had a huge comeback in Game 5 just to get to Game 6. Now the Jazz, Cavs, and Raptors will try to avoid a Game 7.

Point Guards:

Best Bet:

Russell Westbrook ($11,200): We knew is was going to go one of two ways for Westbrook. It looked like it was going to go the wrong way in the first half, but the second half saw the MVP spearhead a huge comeback to avoid elimination. The Jazz could be reeling after the 75.75 that Westbrook dropped on them. No one else has the upside that Westbrook does. That’s what you’re paying for.

John Wall ($10,400): Wall came up with another 55 DraftKings point game, his fourth in the series, on Wednesday, but was overshadowed for the first time by Westbrook. Will that be a trend? I still prefer Wall in cash games, but it’s hard to bet against Westbrook facing elimination.

Honorable Mention:

Kyle Lowry ($8,000): After a quiet Game 1, Lowry has put up four straight 40+ DraftKings point games. The upside isn’t all that big with Lowry due to all of the talent on this team, but Lowry looks like a lock for another 40 tonight. That would still put him at right around 5x value.

Ricky Rubio ($7,400): That is now two straight somewhat disappointing games for Rubio. Still, with 35 and 36 points in each of the last two games, Rubio is still getting close enough to value. Those were his two lowest point totals of the series. He picked up a triple double in Game 3, so you know there is plenty of upside here.

Dark Horses:

Darren Collison ($5,300): Much like I thought, Collison bounced back from a horrendous Game 3 to put up solid numbers in Game 4. However, Collison was awful in Game 5 in a last second loss. You don’t really know what you are getting from Collison, but if his pattern holds true in the series, Collison is due for a big game after a bad one.

Delon Wright ($4,700): Wright hasn’t been the most consistent guy in the series, but he is Toronto’s favorite bench option. His ability to put up points in a hurry makes him the ultimate boom or bust candidate. Which is exactly what you look for in GPP formats.

My pick: Westbrook(PG)

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 17: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz competes in the 2018 Verizon Slam Dunk Contest at Staples Center on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Donnan – Pool via Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Donovan Mitchell ($8,500): That’s three straight games of over 40 DraftKings points for Mitchell, You can’t blame him for Utah’s Game 5 meltdown. Mitchell has been even better over the last three games than he was in the first two. You can use Mitchell in all formats. His consistency is far beyond his years, and there is a lot of upside here too.

DeMar DeRozan ($8,300): DeRozan put up his best game since March 31st in Game 4. He turned that into another game of over 5x value in Game 5. DeRozan hasn’t had back to back games of more than 5x value in over a month. He is hitting his stride for the playoffs here. Expect another strong game from DeRozan as they try to close out Washington.

Honorable Mention:

Victor Oladipo ($7,900): Oladipo had another awful night from the floor, going 2-15 in Game 5. A lot of that loss was on Oladipo. That’s three straight horrible shooting nights. However, that has driven his price down to the point to where Oladipo can get us huge value. You are rolling the dice anytime you take a struggling shooter though. The silver lining is that Oladipo still has at least 35 DraftKings points in every game despite the horrid shooting. There is a ton of upside here.

Bradley Beal ($7,200): Beal is finally showing some consistency here. He is still a risk since he relies mostly on scoring, but Beal is capable of having big games. When it comes down to it, I would still rather roll the dice with Oladipo. The upside is much higher with Oladipo.

Dark Horses:

Kyle Korver ($4,600): Korver proved that Game 3 was the outlier. He has destroyed value in Games 2, 4, and 5. Expect him to do the same tonight. That makes Korver a tremendous value with his price still this low.

Kelly Oubre ($4,200): Oubre still plays more bench minutes than anyone else on the team. He is going to get his minutes, but finding the production has been a much tougher endeavor. Still, if you are paying for two studs, you need cheap fades with moderate upside. Oubre fits that bill.

My pick: Korver(SG), Oubre(G)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 20: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the second half of game three of the NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 20, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers won 92-90. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

LeBron James ($12,200): It says something when LeBron’s low mark for the series is 59.5 DraftKings points. LeBron is money against the Pacers. He has been all series, and he will be until this series is over. The King has topped 70 twice in this series. He is my only must-play option.

Paul George ($8,700): George continues to put up good numbers throughout this series. He put up one of his best games on the season in the huge Game 5 comeback. George is still a strong play at this price, but I’m not sure we can count on him for 50 again. Mid 40’s is a possibility though.

Honorable Mention:

Joe Ingles ($5,800): The Jazz have been a much better team overall with Ingles more involved in the offense. Of course, that has come at the expense of the bigs, but in this series, this is clearly the way to attack the Thunder. Look for another strong game from Ingles here. He has been over 5x value in three straight games now.

Thaddeus Young ($5,600): Young was 8-9 from the floor in Game 5, but he was in foul trouble the whole game and wasn’t as aggressive on the boards. There is still value here. The Pacers have gotten Young more involved, and have played better with him in that capacity. Even though Indiana has lost the last two, it has been by a combined seven points.

Dark Horse:

Bojan Bogdanovic ($5,100): Bogdanovic struggled with his shot in the last two games after a huge Game 3. Will he get back on track to keep the Pacers alive? Since Bojan is mostly a shooter, there is some risk involved, but when he is locked in, you are winning money. That makes Bojan a perfect GPP pick.

My pick: James(SF)

CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 20: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is congratulated by his teammates while walking off the court during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. Oklahoma City defeated Cleveland 148-124. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Derrick Favors ($5,700): Kevin Love has had a pedestrian series at best so far. For that reason, I like Favors better here. He had a huge game in Game 2, and has been at or near value in the others until Crowder went nuts last game. I think that Crowder takes some time from Favors at the four here again, but Favors is still a better pick than Love. That’s how sad Love’s series has been.

Carmelo Anthony ($5,500): Anthony has seen a decrease in DraftKings points in every game of this series. That is an ominous sign, but it doesn’t have so much to do with Utah figuring him out as it does Melo’s poor shooting. His response in Game 5 was to stop shooting. So yeah, there’s more risk at power forward again tonight. At least Paul George is eligible here.

Honorable Mention:

Domantas Sabonis ($4,800): This is what we were waiting to see from Sabonis in this series. He wasn’t aggressive in the first three games of the series, but he really took it at the Cavs in Games 4 and 5. Sabonis put up 58.75 DraftKings points in those two games. If he can do that again, he is one of the better values out there.

Dark Horses:

Jae Crowder ($4,600): Consistency has been a big problem for Crowder for much of his tenure in Utah. He turned in a great all around night in Game 4, and his best game as a member of the Jazz in Game 5. Favors is always lurking, but right now, Crowder is the much better value pick. He won a lot of people money on Wednesday.

Jakob Poeltl ($3,400): Serge Ibaka has disappeared over the last two games. That has cracked the door for Poeltl, who has been a per minute monster over the last two games. The only question is whether Toronto will give him enough run. My question is, why aren’t they giving him more? Poeltl has 39 DraftKings points in 40 minutes over the last two games. Despite playing 20 less minutes, he has outscored Ibaka in that span.

My pick: Sabonis(PF), Crowder(F), Poeltl(UTIL)

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – APRIL 25:Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz passes the ball as Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder applies pressure during the second half of game 5 of the Western Conference playoffs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 25, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.(Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /

Center

Best Bet:

Rudy Gobert ($7,000): With the Timberwolves eliminated, it has made the center pool dreadfully shallow with the exception of Gobert. Gobert has been between 30 and 46 DraftKings points in every game this series. You can expect him right back there again tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Jonas Valanciunas ($6,200): If you were to look up inconsistency in the dictionary, I’m quite sure there is a picture of Valanciunas in there. Some of that has to do with the inconsistency of Ibaka. At any rate, Valanciunas makes for a nice GPP play because his upside is at least that of Gobert’s.

Steven Adams and Myles Turner are both worth a look here, but neither of them have had a game anywhere near 6x value this series, and most of the time don’t even push 5x. If you can move off of them, do it.

Dark Horse:

Marcin Gortat ($4,700): There are a lot of guys that haven’t hit value yet in their respective series lurking around in this area. Gortat played well in front of his home fans, putting up 45.75 DraftKings points in those two games after just 22.75 in the two games north of the border. There is risk involved here, but Gortat seems to have something figured out in Game 5. Gortat picked up his first game of over 30 DraftKings points in nearly two months.

My pick: Gortat(C)

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