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DraftKings EuroLeague Basketball Picks January 3

By Mike Marteny

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 06: Mike James #55 of the Phoenix Suns drives the ball upcourt during the first half of the NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 6, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. 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)
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 06: Mike James #55 of the Phoenix Suns drives the ball upcourt during the first half of the NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 6, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. 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) /
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DraftKings EuroLeague
ATHENS, GREECE – MAY 06: A general view during the EuroLeague Final match between Panathinaikos and CSKA Moscow at the Oaka Arena on May 6, 2007 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images /

DraftKings EuroLeague Basketball Picks January 3

We are back to a regular Thursday-Friday DraftKings EuroLeague slate this week. Alexey Shved is still out, but James is the only elite guard on this slate. Should we pay for him?

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The rotations can be frustrating sometimes as more players see the court than in your average NBA game. The games themselves are also shorter, playing four ten minute quarters as opposed to 12 minutes in the NBA. The court is smaller, the lane is bigger, and the three point line is closer, but the action is still what you would expect from world class basketball!

For DraftKings EuroLeague, we can’t expect 5x value like in the NBA. Most winning lineups are around 180-200 DraftKings points, which is around 3.5 – 4x value.

If you would like to try DraftKings for the first time, use this link for the referral bonus! It is good for $10 in DraftKings entry tickets issued upon your first deposit.

DraftKings EuroLeauge
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 1: Norris Cole #30 of the Miami Heat plays in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 1, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Guards:

Mike James is really expensive and only put up 24.75 DraftKings points in the first game against Podgorica. That said, only one other team has kept him under 30 all season. Chalk that up to early season fluctuation and pay for him here. James is by far the best player on the slate.

Both Micic and Wilbekin have tough matchups, so this could be the time to go back to Facundo Campazzo. He has been the most consistent of the Madrid guards. Can you trust Sergio Llull? He has a good game once in a while, and could here against Tel Aviv, but he’s so hard to count on right now.

Norris Cole was huge in his first game for Podgorica, putting up 36.25 DraftKings points. If you took a chance on him last week, he won you money. This matchup against Milan is actually better than the one last week against Munich. Cole could be in for another huge game here.

Nihad Dedovic is in a good spot here, especially if Stefan Jovic is out again. Braydon Hobbs got run over Maodo Lo and Petteri Koponen in round 15, so digging for value here if Jovic is out could get messy. I wish we knew if Hobbs would get run because he put up 22.5 DraftKings points in just 14 minutes, and could be a huge value pick.

Dee Bost is in a big spot here. So are Stefan Markovic and Charles Jenkins. Gran Canaria is the worst team in the EuroLeague defending guards, and all three of them are trying to make up for the production lost with Shved out. I am leaning towards Bost and Jenkins with James today, but you could just stack this entire backcourt and pay up front if you want.

Albert Oliver is the only healthy guard for Gran Canaria right now with both Clevin Hannah and Radisevic out. Josh Magette could see some court time here, but I find it hard to really trust anyone but Oliver. Gran Canaria has played four forwards at times with Hannah out. That could happen again.

DraftKings EuroLeague
DALLAS, TX – DECEMBER 28: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball against Johnny O’Bryant III #77 of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at American Airlines Center on December 28, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Forwards:

Derrick Williams has struggled against larger frontcourts, but he doesn’t have to worry about that against Efes. Vladimir Lucic could be in play as well. However, this looks like a big spot for Williams, but I find it really hard to fade Johnny O’Bryant right now. JOB has 82.25 DraftKings points over the last two outings, but the Real Madrid front has been one of the best in the EuroLeague.

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Vladimir Micov had his best game of the season against Tel Aviv and could to it again against Podgorica. Jordan Mickey is in a huge spot here against a poor defense overall. Mickey has played well with Shved out, helping to ease the scoring burden on the guards.

Earl Clark broke out with 31.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Milan. Milan isn’t any better up front than they were early in the season. I’m all over Clark here too.

I like all three of D.J. Strawberry, Ondrej Balvin, and Eulis Baez today against Khimki. Someone is going to have to make up for the loss of Radisevic, especially since Hannah isn’t healthy yet. I prefer the consistency of Balvin, but they are all good options. One to watch is Xavier Rabaseda. He put up 36 DraftKings points on Zalgiris last round.

Malcolm Thomas looks like a really good play with Anthony Gill out. Mickey is going to be the man for Khimki, but Thomas is going to be relied upon more than usual here. Tony Crocker also gets a bit of an uptick in value too.

Goga Bitadze put up monster numbers on Munich in his EuroLeague debut. It so impressed the Podgorica staff that Bitadze will move into the starting lineup going forward. That makes him the value play of the day at just $6,500. This is like stealing!

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