DraftKings NBA Picks March 28: The Process of destroying the Nets

SAN ANTONIO, TX – JANUARY 3: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors after missing a foul shot against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on January 3, 2019 in San Antonio, 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 Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks March 28: The Process of destroying the Nets

We have a solid eight game slate for our DraftKings NBA tournament tonight. Three players tip the scales with five figure salaries, but there is a solid middle tier too. Who is worth the price? It may be better to keep an eye on which teams actually have something to play for.

Detroit and Orlando are clinging to the seventh and eighth spots in the East. Brooklyn is just ahead of that. Philly is fighting to stay in third, so those two games should be on the level. Miami is still in the hunt for a playoff spot, so they’ll come to play. Toronto can’t move off of their spot and have already announced they are resting Kawhi Leonard. Milwaukee has already clinched the top seed, so expect to see Giannis sparingly, if at all. Sacramento is not eliminated yet. The Spurs, Rockets, and Clippers are all jockeying for position.

I only entered one lineup last night. I moved off of Dorsey with Conley in and switched to Russ and Bulls value with Booker and Beal. That lineup hit 316.75, landing me in the top 3000. Anytime I make my money back, I’m a happy guy.

rikkidee took this down with 382.25 DraftKings points. He built with Curry, Booker, Gobert, Steven Adams, Bryant, and Bulls value.

By popular demand, I am switching back to the old format. As always, if you have suggestions to improve the article (besides making better picks), let me know!

If you would like to try DraftKings for the first time, use this link for the referral bonus! It is good for $10 in free DraftKings entry tickets with your first deposit of $5 or more.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: Luka Doncic #77 of the World Team reacts during the 2019 Mtn Dew ICE Rising Stars at Spectrum Center on February 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Luka Doncic ($8,400): Doncic has dropped back to back 60+ DraftKings points games. Miami is going to provide a little more resistance, but the Heat are still kind of beat up. Doncic put up 46.5 DraftKings points in the first game against the Heat, so he looks like a strong play again tonight.

De’Aaron Fox ($7,600): Fox has 78 DraftKings points in two games against New Orleans this year. I like Fox regardless of the status of Payton. Payton has slowed down since his streak ended, so I’m more comfortable with the strong consistency of Fox. The Kings are still alive in the playoff hunt for now.

Honorable Mention:

Eric Bledsoe ($7,100): There’s a chance that the Bucks could elect to rest all of the starters as much as they can down the stretch, so I don’t know that I’m all that comfortable with Bledsoe, but he has played very well lately with the exception to the Miami game. Aside from that, Bledsoe has at least 30 DraftKings points in eight straight. That’s a solid floor.

Collin Sexton ($5,900): This is a great matchup against the Spurs for Sexton, who has at least 30 DraftKings points in 12 of 14 March games. I would be surprised if Sexton comes in under that mark tonight. There shouldn’t be any risk of Sexton sitting out or being limited. Cleveland is enjoying getting him all the experience they can.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($5,500): SGA had a healthy 37.5 DraftKings points on the Bucks the first time around. I just get the feeling that Milwaukee isn’t going to push their starters too much. That gives most of the Clippers a little boost in value. The Clips are all the way up to the fifth spot in the West, and could go even higher.

Dark Horses:

D.J. Augustin ($5,200): Augustin has averaged 35.2 DraftKings points per game in the three meetings with Detroit this year. That puts him close to 7x value if he can do it again. Augustin has played very well when the matchups are right. This is one of those times to roll him out there.

Ian Clark ($3,700): Someone has to fill the void left by Frank Jackson, and Clark looks to be just the guy to do it. I expect Clark to see about the same minutes that Jackson was before the injury and at a 30% discount. We need value on this slate, and the Bulls are off. Clark is the next best thing.

My pick: Sexton(PG), Augustin(G)

HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 14: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets celebrates after a three-point basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Toyota Center on November 14, 2014 in Houston, 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 Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

James Harden ($11,100): Harden is still going to be a popular play, but I don’t know if I want to build around him. The 58.7 DraftKings point per game average against Denver gets him 5x value, so Harden is worth the money. I just don’t see him having the upside against Denver that he would against other teams. I can fade Harden tonight and not feel like I’m just donating.

Lou Williams ($7,500): LouWill is always in play for GPP purposes. Few players have his upside, but he has a lower floor that just about everyone else at this price point. Lou could be worth the risk here. He put up 37.5 DraftKings points on the Bucks this first time around, and Brogdon isn’t around to hinder his shooting tonight. His upside is the same as usual.

Honorable Mention:

Buddy Hield ($7,100): It’s hard to rely on Buddy right now, especially with the price tag that high. Hield has only 65.5 DraftKings points in 63 minutes against New Orleans this year, but I get the upside. Holiday and Jackson are both out, and there is a chance that Payton doesn’t play. The gutted Pelican guards probably can’t stop Hield, but he is just 10-34 from the floor over the last two games. That isn’t all defense against him. This would seem to be the place where Hield could break out of this slump though.

Dwyane Wade ($5,800): Wade is almost willing the Heat’s season to continue on his own. Wade has been a huge piece of the fourth quarters lately, and has 87.5 DraftKings points over the last two games. There is very good potential here against Dallas, especially if Richardson is out, but if this game gets out of hand, Wade wont see much playing time in the second half of this one

Jordan Clarkson ($5,500): Clarkson still makes me nervous, but we can’t deny how well he has been shooting lately. Clarkson is 32-63 from the floor over the last four games and has seen a nice spike in DraftKings points because of it. The Spurs aren’t a great defensive team on the wings anymore, so there is good potential for Clarkson tonight.

Dark Horses:

Evan Fournier ($5,300): All of the Fournier hype crashed and burned against Miami on Monday, but are we all that surprised? It’s the Heat, after all. They are a solid defensive team. This is the time to jump back on the Fournier bandwagon. The price is down due to the bad game. Fournier put up 100.5 DraftKings points in the three games against Detroit this year. That leaves him at 6.5x value for this price.

Pat Connaughton ($4,500): I see Connaughton’s minutes as safe here regardless of if the Bucks rest some key components down the stretch. Not that Connaughton hasn’t been key lately, it’s just that he doesn’t have nearly the mileage on him of Bledsoe, Giannis, and Middleton. Regardless of how this game plays out, I think Connaughton sees around 30 minutes again. That’s more than enough for him to crush value like he has been lately.

My pick: Fournier(SG), Connaughton(F)

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers celebrates his three pointer during a 120-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center on November 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Ben Simmons ($8,300): Kawhi is out and I wouldn’t trust Giannis with the Bucks having the one seed locked up. He will probably get the A.D. treatment until the season ends, seeing just enough minutes to keep him active and healthy. The trickle down leaves Simmons with top billing, but he’s earned it Simmons has averaged 46.9 DraftKings points per game against Brooklyn this year in three games. Simmons’ price is down to a reasonable range where I’m comfortable using him again.

Danilo Gallinari ($7,400): Gallo wasn’t anything special in the first meeting with the Bucks, but he is rolling lately. Gallinari has at least 35 DraftKings points in every game this month. His price is still very reasonable for what he has put forth. I don’t really like the matchup, but like I said earlier, I’m not sure the Bucks are fully invested in this game.

Honorable Mention:

Jimmy Butler ($7,300): Butler is no longer the forgotten man of the Philly offense. Butler has more than 30 DraftKings points in eight of the last nine games. Don’t expect to see the 63.5 DraftKings points that Butler put up on the Nets earlier this season. Things have changed a lot since Thanksgiving. I could still see him flirting with 6x value though.

Cedi Osman ($5,200): A strong performance against Boston on Tuesday has me hoping that his cold spell is over. Osman was consistently strong for about a month there, then his production really dipped over the last week. Again, I don’t really target guys against the Spurs, but this price is very reasonable. Osman was regularly hitting 30 there for a while. He almost got to that against a tougher Boston front. I would expect Osman to at least come close to 6x value here.

Dark Horses:

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($4,700): Bogdan has 59.25 DraftKings points over the last two games. His minutes have crept back up with the ineffectiveness of both Hield and Barnes lately. That can change at any time, but Bogdan’s price is low enough that it shouldn’t cripple our lineup if he rolls out with a sub 20 performance. He is worth the risk here.

Luke Kennard ($3,900): Kennard has pushed Ellington back to the bench with his good shooting lately. The thing that scares me a little is that this seems to be a fluid situation, meaning the Pistons will go with whomever is providing them value at that moment. Ellington is mired in a pretty bad slump, and it’s hard to break that when you don’t get much court time. Kennard is still the value guard to have in Detroit, but I will admit I don’t much care for any of them against the Magic.

Norman Powell ($3,600): There is sizeable risk involved here, especially if the Raptors start VanVleet over Powell. However, I expect the Toronto bench to get plenty of run in what will either be a blowout or a game that is close with Lowry and Leonard sitting. There’s no announcement on Lowry, but why would the Raptors play him? If he sits, Powell is a lock at this price. If not, Powell is really only in play if he starts.

My pick: Bogdanovic(SF)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 02: Julius Randle #30 of the New Orleans Pelicans pushes D’Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets while attempting to pass the ball during the first quarter of the game at Barclays Center on January 02, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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 Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Julius Randle ($8,200): Randle has proven capable of putting up some monster lines against weaker teams up front. Despite the Kings almost being a playoff team, they are still weak up front. Randle is only seeing a lot of minutes when the Pelicans keep it close though. Can they here? It seems likely, and Randle is worth the risk. If he plays 30 minutes, 50 DraftKings points is within reach.

Pascal Siakam ($7,500): Siakam’s 31.5 DraftKings points per game average against the Knicks is nothing to write home about, but with Leonard out, Siakam is going to be the clear second option on offense. The Knicks are a mess defensively, so I can see Siakam flirting with 6x value even if he only plays about 30 minutes.

Honorable Mention:

Kevin Love ($7,200): If Love winds up with Aldridge on him defensively, I like this less. However, Love has been strong against Boston, the Clippers, and the Bucks over the last three games. All of those are playoff bound teams. This is a pretty reasonable price for Love since he has proven that he can still break 50 from time to time. That probably wont happen against the Spurs, but 40 is possible.

Marvin Bagley ($7,000): Bagley was a total dud against Dallas on Tuesday. In fact, he only played 24 minutes for no apparent reason. This is cause for concern. Bagley beat up on the Pelicans for 41 DraftKings points in 32 minutes in the first meeting. Now we have to question whether he will actually play 32 minutes. I love Bagley here, but this is more risk than I was hoping for.

Tobias Harris ($7,000): This is a good matchup for Harris, but how much exposure do we want to this Philadelphia offense? Not all of them are going to hit value. Philly will be playing for keeps, so you know Embiid will get his. Simmons can almost hit value just by distributing and rebounding. That leaves Butler and Harris to fight over the rest, and Butler is the aggressor right now. I’m just not sure how much will be left over for Harris, despite the good matchup

Dark Horses:

Maxi Kleber ($5,100): Kleber may be more of a cash game play since he always seems to be in the 20’s for DraftKings points no matter how many minutes he plays. There is decent upside here, but Dallas isn’t really running anyone ragged. They are preparing for next year, and Kleber is always going to be a bench piece anyway. His upside is limited and this isn’t a great matchup, but hey, he’s getting somewhere in the 20’s.

Christian Wood ($4,100): Chieck who? Wood came out of nowhere to blast 50 DraftKings points on Tuesday night. The Kings aren’t much better up front than the Hawks. The Pelicans have no incentive to play Davis. I’m thinking they let Wood take another crack at this. If they do, he’s hitting 10x value.

My pick: Wood(PF)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 05: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic and Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets embrace after the game at Amway Center on December 05, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Centers:

Best Bets:

Joel Embiid ($10,400): Oh sweet baby Jesus, HE’S PLAYING THE NETS! I don’t need to write anyone else up at center. Seriously. Use Embiid. He’s going for 60 before he gets rested.

Nikola Jokic ($9,700): So, that bum Embiid has only averaged 55 on the Nets this year. Jokic has averaged 52.5 on the Rockets in three games in just 31 minutes per game! I can see this pivot. I understand it. Honestly, I’m going to try to cram both in here. There’s room for both these upside behemoths tonight.