DraftKings NBA picks January 15: Westbrook does best work vs. Portland

HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 18: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets reacts after making a layup during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Toyota Center on November 18, 2019 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 Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

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James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets seen prior to the game against the Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

James Harden ($12,400): I’m not as wild about Harden tonight as last night with Russ back. Also, it was Russ that really went bonkers on Portland the first time around. Harden still hit value even for this price in that game, but Westbrook still seems to be the way to go. I’m not opposed to Harden because he has the highest floor of anyone in the DFS era. I just feel the ceiling is lower tonight.

Zach LaVine ($9,300): Boston finally held him under 40 DraftKings points, but only by .25 points. LaVine still shot well from the floor, which perhaps is more important that the peripheral stats. LaVine put up 42.75 DraftKings points in the first game against the Wizards. While that would qualify as a bit of a disappointment here, the upside is high enough against Washington to consider LaVine even with the elevated price.

Honorable Mention:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,400): On Monday night, SGA outrebounded the entire Minnesota starting five. Sure, that’s an abomination to the Minnesota starters, but it also made us realize just how high SGA’s ceiling is. Toronto is tough on guards, but VanVleet is still out and SGA racked up 49.75 DraftKings points on them the first time around. I could see another similar performance tonight.

CJ McCollum ($6,800): McCollum put up 41.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting against the Rockets. Whereas Lillard is the weaker link defensively among the Portland guards, Harden has to be for Houston. An interesting hybrid stack that I will explore at least once tonight is using Russ with CJ. Harden and Lillard are going to be the more popular picks.

Dark Horses:

Eric Gordon ($5,000): Despite starting last night, Gordon’s shot volume wasn’t way up. He just had a nice game because he actually made some for a change. Gordon’s 47.4% from the floor last night was his best since New Year’s Eve. The price is still reasonable on Gordon since he plays around 30 minutes per game anyway.

Duncan Robinson ($4,300): This is purely an upside play. Robinson’s numbers have been all over the place for the last month. He has been in the single digits and been as high as 40. Tyler Herro is an equally good play and is probably a better shooter off the bench, but they are both risky plays.