DraftKings NBA Picks December 17: Towns is king against the Kings

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DraftKings NBA Picks December 17: Towns is king against the Kings

We have a eight game DraftKings NBA slate on Monday, which means roughly half the league is in action. Who’s going to break DFS tonight? Is Westbrook going to drop 70 on the Bulls again? Let’s dive into this.

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($11,200): Westbrook destroyed the Bulls for 73.25 DraftKings points in the first game this season. He even put up a quadruple double in 35 minutes in that game. Of course, one of those categories was turnovers, but Westbrook should be in for another big game here considering that game was just ten days ago.

Damian Lillard ($8,800): If Lillard is in the lineup, you almost have to use him. He has 84 DraftKings points in two games against the Clippers so far this year. Toronto and Memphis have slowed him down some, but both of those are good defenses. The Clippers are struggling a bit lately, so there is the chance of a blowout here. Still, Lillard could put up solid numbers for the price.

Honorable Mention:

Eric Bledsoe ($7,600): Conley struggled against the Warriors in the first meeting. Ditto with CP3 and the Jazz. Bledsoe lit up the Pistons for 43.25 DraftKings points in just 26 minutes in the first meeting. Bledsoe has racked up 120 DraftKings points over the last three games, so it seems like a given that he should hit 40 again. That makes Bledsoe one of the safer mid range plays, and he also has decent upside.

Kris Dunn ($6,200): Apparently the minutes restriction is off. Dunn racked up 40.75 DraftKings points on the Spurs in 36 minutes on Saturday. Something of note here is that Dunn was still out in the first meeting with the Thunder. I like the minutes at this price tonight, but he also may do a little better job of containing Westbrook than Arcidacono and company did.

Emmanuel Mudiay ($6,200): I want so badly to ignore the Knicks entirely. By all accounts, what Mudiay has done over the last three games should have unequivocally earned him the starting point guard slot for any team. But this is the Knicks. When someone has a good game, they are usually relegated to bench duty. It’s hard to deny Mudiay putting up 29.75 DraftKings points on a tough Pacers guard defense. This is a smash spot against Phoenix if he gets the minutes.

Dark Horses:

Patrick Beverley ($3,800): Beverley is still getting good run with LouWill out, but he doesn’t always do something with it. Still, with 30 minutes of court times comes more upside than most players at this price. It would be nice to see Beverley more involved in the offense when he is in there to feel better about this play, but we have to take what we can get.

Langston Galloway ($3,400): With DFS, it is very important not only to keep an eye on production, but also to track minutes trends. We want to find out who will be the next person to go off before they actually do. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. Galloway has played at least 28 minutes in four of the last five games and gone over 20 DraftKings points in four of the five. That makes him a pretty sneaky value pick that we can use if no one sits closer to lock to open up value.

My pick: Mudiay(PG); Bledsoe(PG), Dunn(SG), Galloway(G)

PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 08: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the NBA game against the Boston Celtics at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 8, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Celtics defeated the Suns 116-109 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Devin Booker ($8,500): Booker looked like he didn’t miss a beat on Saturday. Booker returned against Minnesota and racked up 47.75 DraftKings points on 10-16 shooting. Of course, we know Booker doesn’t shoot like that every game, but he has also turned into an across the board contributor for the Suns this season. The team around him will likely continue to be a disaster, but Booker should be a constant force for DFS purposes. His floor is much higher than last year. However, this may be all you want of this game. If you want a sick joke of rotations, this game is it.

Jimmy Butler ($7,400): This is a good price on Butler if he is going to play his full compliment of minutes. This is the one situation that we will have to keep a close eye on throughout the day, but if Butler is going to play 35 minutes or so, I’m okay with taking the chance here. It’s certainly better than paying up for Harden against Utah.

Honorable Mention:

Klay Thompson ($6,400): As per usual, Thompson put up strong numbers on the Kings. He doesn’t always carry that over to other teams, but Curry did net 374 DraftKings points on Memphis earlier in the year. This isn’t really a spot that I would choose to attack since the Memphis defense is pretty strong, but Thompson is a streaky shooter, and he is shooting pretty well right now.

Derrick Rose ($6,300): Shooting guards against the Kings are a real thing. Rose is mostly playing off the ball now and playing mostly starter’s minutes. Rose put up 65.25 DraftKings points in 56 minutes against the Kings in two earlier meetings. It’s not out of line to expect something like that from Rose tonight. The only issue is the price. It would take on the higher end of Rose’s spectrum to hit value here.

Dark Horses:

Evan Turner ($4,300): Turner is one of the more enigmatic players for DFS. He should play for the Knicks! He doesn’t have huge upside despite playing good minutes, but Turner at this price against the Clippers looks like a spot to attack. Turner put up 25 DraftKings points on the Clippers the first time around. I’ll take 6x value at this price!

Pat Connaughton ($3,700): To me, Connaughton is really only in play if Brogdon is out again. Much to the chagrin of DFS players everywhere, Connaughton got everything and Sterling Brown got nothing. If Connaughton picks up another start, he is a sure source of value. Otherwise, I think we can probably do better than gambling on the Bucks bench rotations.

My pick: Turner(SG); N/A

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DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Durant ($9,700): Giannis really struggled against Detroit the first time around, but I will tell you that I’ll use Giannis if Middleton is out again. If not, dropping to Durant seems like the right move. This is a good matchup for Durant even though he didn’t have a great game against Memphis the first time around. I do think that the Memphis D can hold down the guards, so Durant could be more involved in the offense than usual when the Warriors are at full strength.

Ben Simmons ($8,900): If Jimmy Butler is limited again (he played only 25 minutes yesterday) or is held out, Simmons is a must play against the Spurs. The return of Butler actually helped make Simmons more effective. Either that or the Cavs are just bad. Split the difference and call it a bit of both. Just keep an eye on the status of Butler. If he’s out or on a limit, I like Simmons here.

Honorable Mention:

T.J. Warren ($6,700): We will have to see what happens to the Suns rotation once Oubre joins the fold, but that may not happen tonight. Warren has picked back up right where he left off. He now has three straight 30+ DraftKings points games. Number four is a given against the Knicks.

Danilo Gallinari ($6,600): Gallo is capable of putting up points in a big hurry, but I don’t know that he really goes off if Harris does. To me, this is a spot to pick one or the other, and I’m going Harris. That said, there is still some value with Gallinari here, but the upside is capped.

Justin Holiday ($5,800): The Bulls’ rotation is starting to take more shape now, and it is very telling that Holiday has played 80 minutes over the last two games. He even played 42 minutes despite going 1-12 from the floor on Saturday. The thing that really stick out is that Holiday still hit value despite the poor shooting night. I really like Holiday at this price considering he put up 35 on the Thunder the first time around.

Dark Horses:

Kevin Knox ($5,700): The Knicks do seem committed to Knox, so I think this price is pretty low for him here. Knox could smash Phoenix tonight. The Knicks are playing Knox well over 30 minutes, so there is significant upside here tonight. Knox dropped a 50 on Charlotte last week, and the Suns are likely worse.

Mo Harkless ($3,500): I want to trust the recent resurgence of Harkless, but we have seen this before. Harkless puts up a couple of strong games. He makes the DFS player feel pretty good about using him. Then he drops a single digit torpedo that ruins your lineup. That is always a risk, but to me, this looks like a place where that shouldn’t happen. Key word is shouldn’t. There is good potential here. Let’s see if Harkless can take advantage of it.

My pick: Holiday(G); Warren(SF), Knox(F)

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DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Blake Griffin ($9,000): This looks like a big spot for Griffin. He put up 46.25 DraftKings points in just 30 minutes in the first meeting with the Bucks this year. The Bucks shut down Drummond, so Blake was a beast. That looks to be the case here tonight. If you are taking one Detroit big, it should be Griffin.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($8,000): Whether LMA has to go at Wilson Chandler or Embiid, it really doens’t matter. Both are basically a defensive black hole. DeRozan is likely going to be shut down again, creating a huge spot for Aldridge. He dominated the Bulls, and this is a similarly favorable spot for Aldridge. Is he finally turning it around? I think we find out here.

Honorable Mention:

Tobias Harris ($7,200): In two games against Portland this year, Harris has racked up 89.5 DraftKings points. They obviously have no answer for Harris. Harris is in the midst of a pretty up and down stretch, which makes him hard to trust. However, I do trust this matchup tonight. Harris looks like a very strong play here.

Lauri Markkanen ($6,500): Markkanen abused the Thunder for 44.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting this year. However, that seems like eons ago. Markkanen did have a strong game against the Spurs on Saturday. The Bulls finally look like they have some direction here, so it’s a little easier to trust their rotations. Dunn and Markkanen appear safe. That makes me very nervous.

Dark Horses:

Dario Saric ($4,900): Saric has been huge with Taj Gibson out. Some have wondered whether this is Gibson’s job when he returns. Judging by Minnesota losing the last three games, the success of Saric is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Gibson will take this back when he returns, but there is a chance that Saric plays enough to hit value anyway.

Jerami Grant ($4,500): Grant has shown some flashes of brilliance here and there, but he has been unable to put strings of those games together. This is a really good matchup against the Bulls on the heels of a really good game against the Clippers. I do like Grant as a solid value play tonight.

Nemanja Bjelica ($4,400): If Bagley is out again, and it looks like he will be, Bjelica will be in every one of my lineups. Not only is this a solid matchup, but it’s a revenge game for Bjelica here. He dropped 40 last night, and has 71.75 DraftKings points in two games against Minnesota so far this year. This is a rare smash spot on a value play. There is going to be high ownership on Bjelica, but I’m not moving off of him.

My pick: Griffin(PF), Bjelica(SF), Grant(F); Harris(PF)

PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 08: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the second half of the NBA game against the Boston Celtics at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 8, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Celtics defeated the Suns 116-109 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Center

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,000): Towns may be the stud you want to pay up for tonight. I’m not a big fan of Embiid against the Spurs. Giannis and Harden have struggled against tonight’s opponent. Towns has not. The Timberwolves have played the Kings twice already. Towns ravaged them for 113 DraftKings points. That’s a shade over 5.5x value, and may be the best we can do of the five figure guys tonight.

Clint Capela ($7,800): This is a decent matchup for Capela because he has done pretty well against Gobert this year. He is going to have to here since the Jazz have held Harden to just over 30 DraftKings points in both games this year. Capela has outdone that at nearly $3,000 less!

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Honorable Mention:

Jusuf Nurkic ($7,500): This is a big time matchup for Nurkic here, but he hasn’t dominated the Clippers like the numbers say he should. That said, Nurkic has only played 38 minutes in the two games against the Clippers. In that context the 55.75 DraftKings points looks pretty good, no? Nurkic will be given free run here tonight, and could be an under the radar mid range pick.

Deandre Ayton ($7,000): The price is slowly creeping upward as Ayton’s output does. He did well against Towns on Saturday, which really shouldn’t surprise anyone. This is a big spot against the Knicks for Ayton, but the upside is capped until the Suns start running him out there for more than 30 minutes a game.

Steven Adams ($6,900): Adams racked up 39 DraftKings points on the Bulls ten days ago. Things are changing for the Bulls, but not really in the middle. Adams is in a really good spot here again, and despite the presence of Westbrook, I still think Adams has the higher upside than Ayton in the same price range.

Dark Horses:

Montrezl Harrell ($5,700): Is Harrell’s shoulder finally healed? Judging by his performance on Saturday, it might be. Harrell played 26 minutes, the longest he’s been on the court in five games, and also put up his best score in five games with 34 DraftKings points. Harrell has 74.5 DraftKings points in just 56 minutes against Portland this year. If Harrell is healthy, he is way too cheap!

RIchaun Holmes ($4,000): Holmes remains one of the better value plays of this tier, but his output has been pretty inconsistent lately to the point where we need to start watching the matchups. Well, this is a really good one for Holmes against the Knicks tonight.

My pick: Towns(C), Harrell(UTIL); Nurkic(C), Harrell(UTIL)

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