Sean Barnard makes his DraftKings Pick6 selections for the October 30th slate of NBA games.
As we enter the second week of the season, each team in the league has provided a three to four-game sample size for their identity thus far; albeit with plenty still unknown as we progress.
There are 11 games on the October 30th NBA slate. The Boston Celtics are set to face off with the Indiana Pacers in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch. The Detroit Pistons will travel to Philadelphia as Tobias Harris has his homecoming moment against the Sixers. The New York Knicks and Miami Heat are set to square off. The Golden State Warriors are facing the New Orleans Pelicans for the second night in a row, and Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren will go toe-to-toe for the first time this season after last year’s fireworks.
This number of games provides many options for what to watch and even more options for how to get involved in the action. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for Oct. 30. We simply choose whether a player will record more or less of the set statistic. Here are my six favorite plays for Wednesday night’s action.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the hottest team in the NBA to start the season. They join the Celtics and Thunder as the only remaining undefeated teams and will now face their toughest matchup thus far against the Lakers. Donovan Mitchell has been at the heart of this strong start, averaging 23.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds through the first four games. Mitchell has also been limited in minutes in three of the first four games due to the Cavaliers blowing teams out. He has yet to log more than 33:15 of game time thus far.
Expect this to be the matchup where the most has been asked of the Cavaliers superstar thus far. Even with the limited minutes, Mitchell has eclipsed this number once this year and is capable of scoring 35+ points alone if he gets hot. Even still, I prefer the combined points, assists, and rebounds for this matchup. In the five games he has played against the Lakers in his career, Mitchell has averaged 27.4 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds.
Expect Mitchell to raise his game as he faces LeBron James and Anthony Davis once again. He has yet to have the signature breakout game despite the team’s success and this is a great opportunity to do just this. Even still, Mitchell is capable of clearing this number on just a normal day and should have no problem eclipsing this total.
While the NBA has spent most of its time investigating Joel Embiid’s absence from the court, it has been Andre Drummond producing on it. The four-time rebounding champion has stepped in as the starting center for the Sixers and looked solid thus far. Through the opening three games, he is averaging 10.0 points and 13.0 rebounds and has posted rebounding totals of 13, 9, and 17.
The biggest limitation to Andre Drummond thus far has been foul trouble. Drummond has tallied five fouls in each game and has been limited to 25 minutes or fewer in two of the games because of this. The former All-Star still ranks second in the NBA in rebounding thus far despite this.
Detroit has several big bodies that will rotate at the center spot and give Drummond more of a direct matchup compared to the previous games. He is averaging 16.5 rebounds per 36 minutes, which should be about what he receives with a normal game script. In the previous game against the Pacers, Drummond played 35 minutes and tallied 17 rebounds. Expect him to have an easier time avoiding foul issues and for Drummond to have no problem recording more than 13.5 rebounds in this matchup.
While he is known for his ability as a shooter, Seth Curry is not a player who will be finding his name high on the rebounding lists often. Despite this, the 6-foot-1 guard has tallied two, five, and four rebounds through the opening three games. These 3.7 rebounds per game would make a career-high for the 11-year veteran, with Curry only averaging more than 2.5 rebounds per game one other time in his career.
Expect this to be a bit of an outlier and for his rebounding numbers to regress moving forward. Expect this to start tonight against a Toronto Raptors team that does not have a player listed as under 6-foot-2 on the roster. Curry has also averaged 27.7 minutes per game this season which is more than most expected and should be reduced moving forward.
While the 2.5 rebounding number is small, it will take some obscure bounces for him to reach it. Look towards Nick Richards and Miles Bridges to handle the bulk of the rebounding and for Curry to fail to impact the game in this category.
The Detroit Pistons have yet to pick up their first victory on the season, but this has not been due to Cade Cunningham’s play. The former first-overall pick has averaged 26.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds through the opening four games. Cunningham is at the heart of the Pistons’ offense and will continue to be responsible for running the show.
We can expect Cunningham’s size to present some problems for the 76ers. His 6-foot-6 frame provides some matchup issues, and this Sixers defense struggles when players attack the paint. Expect Cunningham to be in attack mode and for this to lead to some kick-outs to open shooters. Philadelphia prefers to keep Drummond stabilized in the paint and for the rest of the defenders to rotate around the perimeter. There have been mixed results. Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to tally seven assists largely due to this when he faced the Sixers, and Cunningham is a more gifted playmaker.
Detroit still has to find a way to get more team success and this may involve Cunningham becoming more of a traditional playmaker. He has tallied at least six assists in each game and tallied more than 7.5 twice. Cunningham reached this number 30 times last season and should be expected to do it for the third time thus far this year.
The Brooklyn Nets hold a 1-3 record to start the season but have been one of the more watchable teams out of the lower-tiered ones. One of the biggest reasons for this has been the play of Cam Thomas. The former LSU product is making the most of his permanent green light. Thomas ranks seventh in the NBA in shot attempts thus far launching 21.8 per game. 8.5 of these attempts are coming from behind the three-point line.
Through the first four games, Thomas is averaging 29.5 points. He has scored 32+ points twice and no other player on the Nets is attempting more than 15.3 shots per game outside of Thomas.
The Nets are facing the Memphis Grizzlies as notable underdogs and it will take a strong effort to get the win. Expect Thomas to come out swinging and letting the shots fly early and often. It may not be the most efficient route to getting there, but Brooklyn defers to him often and Thomas should have no issue recording more than 26.5 points for the third time this season.
The Boston Celtics led all teams in three-point attempts last season launching 40.2 perimeter shots per game. They have further raised the bar this season and are averaging 50.3 long-range attempts through the early part of the season.
Al Horford has been a key reason why this has been possible as the veteran has shifted his game throughout his career to become more of a perimeter threat. Horford has averaged as many as 2.3 three-pointers made per game throughout a season in his career already. So far this year, he has knocked down two or more three-pointers in three of the four games. He also has attempted as many as eight in a game already this year.
As the Celtics face off with the Pacers in this Eastern Conference Finals rematch, expect the defending champs to impose themselves stylistically. Boston will continue to be focused on playing five-out basketball and launching shots from beyond the arc. Expect Horford to be a key part of this and for the veteran to knock down at least a pair of three-pointers in this game.
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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