DraftKings NBA picks December 30: Feel the Heat

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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 28: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 28, 2019 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA centers:

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,000): Towns could be the highest scorer on the slate if he plays without restrictions. He put up 73.5 DraftKings points on the Nets the first time around. If Towns is out, lock in Gorgui Dieng. If Towns plays in limited capacity, avoid the whole situation unless the Timberwolves let Towns play 30 minutes.

Nikola Vucevic ($7,900): Vucevic was solid against the Heat the first time around. He’ll need better than that on a slate like this. Still, Vucevic has at least 34 DraftKings points in all seven games back. Three of the last four have been 6x value or higher. A blowout does worry me with Trae sidelined, but i still see a solid game from Vucevic regardless.

Honorable Mention:

Bam Adebayo ($7,600): Even if this is a blowout, I’d bet that Bam still hits value in 28 minutes or so. Embiid locked him down on Saturday, but Bam still has at least 45 DraftKings points in all but three games this month and all of those were in the 30’s. Bam is safe, but the upside is hurt by the massive blowout potential.

Hassan Whiteside ($7,100): Whiteside put up 35 DraftKings points in 31 minutes against Phoenix in the first meeting. Ayton is out again, and though Baynes is a solid defender, he can’t stop Hassan. Not many centers can. Whiteside has really good upside here since he plays minutes in the mid-30’s most of the time now.

Dark Horses:

Jarrett Allen ($6,200): Allen is going to destroy the Timberwolves on this inside regardless of the status of Towns. He put up 30.75 DraftKings points in the first outing, but Allen has been a bigger piece of the offense since that first meeting. He just keeps getting better, and is a relatively safe pick now.

Wendell Carter ($5,800): The Bucks are not great in the middle and with Markkanen out, we could see a bigger game from Carter. We could also see the Bulls get blasted. However, my general feeling is that Giannis sits and the Bulls keep it close behind a strong game from Carter.