DraftKings NBA picks January 2: Is Luka worth the price?

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Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 31, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Luka Doncic ($12,000): It was bound to happen, Luka’s price getting this high. His ceiling is every bit as high as Giannis or Harden and neither one are on this slate. This is a great matchup against the Nets. Fading Luka is definitely the contrarian, and dangerous, play tonight.

Spencer Dinwiddie ($8,300): Dinwiddie put up huge numbers on the loss to Minnesota on Monday. He’ll be well rested for this battle against Dallas. The Mavs have been pretty tough on guards lately, but Dinwiddie has been so remarkably consistent with Irving out that he’s still a strong play because of the high floor.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Paul ($7,500): I’m hesitant to pay this price for Paul always. I don’t know why. That said, only Phoenix has held Paul under 30 DraftKings points in the last three weeks. He is riding a wave of five straight games over 5x value even at this price. The Spurs should provide little resistance to this little CP3 renaissance.

De’Aaron Fox ($7,300): Fox is a strong contributor when he can stay healthy. That has been the problem though. Fox’s back issues seem to have subsided for now. If they don’t flare up, this is a huge spot for him against Memphis. Fox put up 37.25 DraftKings points in 29 minutes in the first meeting. He has been playing more than 30 minutes a game lately, so Fox is a safe play in a balanced build.

Dejounte Murray ($6,000): Murray racked up 44.5 DraftKings points in just 25 minutes against the Thunder earlier this year. The Thunder should be better than they are against guards, but that alone isn’t enough to keep me from using Murray. If you’re worried about anything in this situation, it should be the logjam of guards for the Spurs. Murray doesn’t have huge upside because he rarely plays more than 30 minutes.

Dark Horses:

Shabazz Napier ($5,900): Napier has 80.25 DraftKings points over the last two games with Teague out, which is better than what Minnesota was getting from the incumbent. This team has enough talent to make a push for the playoffs. Even if Teague returns, I expect to see a large role for Napier until he cools off.

Jordan Clarkson ($5,000): Clarkson provides the Jazz with something Exum never could: a shartshooter off the bench. Clarkson has 55..75 DraftKings points over the last two games and has played at least 20 minutes in every game as a member of the Jazz. He’s a strong value play as the primary scorer on the second unit.

Tyus Jones ($3,600): Jones has five straight games of more than 20 DraftKings points. I’ll take that for the price. That’s 6x value for his floor! Of course, the ceiling is about 6.5x vlaue, but I’m not complaining. Using Jones makes it easy to pair Luka with another star.