Sean Barnard makes his DraftKings Pick6 selections for the November 11th slate of NBA games.
It is a fairly light slate of NBA games on the Monday, November 11. There are just five games taking place with each matchup tipping off at 8:10 PM EST.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to remain undefeated as they face off with the Chicago Bulls. In addition, the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off with the Los Angeles Clippers in their first game since Chet Holmgren suffered his hip injury. Also, the Nets will play the Pelicans, the Spurs will host the Kings, and the Wizards will be tipping off against the Rockets.
While there will be more eventful days of NBA basketball moving forward, there are still several options for what to watch and even more opportunities 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 Nov. 11. We simply choose whether a player will record more or less of the set statistic. Here are my six favorite plays for Monday night’s action.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took a significant hit last night when Chet Holmgren fell hard contesting a shot at the rim and suffered a hip fracture. In addition, they are already without Isaiah Hartenstein who is recovering from a hand injury while Jaylin Williams is missing time with a hamstring issue. This puts the Thunder extremely thin in the big-man position and will need to adjust.
Expect it to be an all-hands-on-deck effort rebounding the basketball. So far this season Jalen Williams has averaged 6.2 rebounds per game, ranking second on the team. He has recorded more than 5.5 rebounds in five of the ten games thus far this season.
It will be a difficult matchup for the Thunder as Clippers big man Ivica Zubac is off to a strong start to the season and is one of the more traditional centers in today’s game. It will be interesting to see how the Thunder adjust to their injuries, but Williams can reach six rebounds on any given game and the need for rebounding will only help this.
The Sacramento Kings are set to face off with the San Antonio Spurs tonight. This will be a tough matchup for Domantas Sabonis as he faces off with Defensive Player of the Year favorite Victor Wembanyama.
So far this season, Sabonis has averaged 20.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. He also has been held to less than 17.5 points in five of the 10 games. While Sabonis is attempting a career-high 2.1 three-point attempts per game, he still is not overly comfortable stepping outside the paint. This is especially problematic as Wembanyama leads the NBA with 4.0 blocks per game and deters more shots than the numbers indicate.
There will be better games ahead for Sabonis, but expect him to struggle with Wembanyama’s 8-foot wingspan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is typically known as a mid-range maestro, but he has made a conscious effort to expand beyond the three-point arc this year. The NBA is attempting three-pointers at a higher rate than ever before and Gilgeous-Alexander has kept up with this trend. So far this season he is attempting 5.3 three-point attempts and connecting at just a 26.4% rate. Throughout his career, he has shot 34.5% from beyond the arc while attempting 3.4 per game.
So far this season, Gilgeous-Alexander has tallied two or more three-pointers in five of the ten games. He also has attempted more than eight three-pointers twice already this year which he did not do in any game in either of the past two seasons.
Heading into this matchup with the Clippers, the Thunder will need to make up for the scoring and three-point volume they will be missing from Chet Holmgren/ The big man has averaged 16.5 points and has shot 4.2 three-pointers per game in his career. Look for the MVP candidate to fill this role and continue to show a willingness from deep. Expect SGA to connect with more than 1.5 three-pointers in this game and continue his strong start to the season.
The Los Angeles Clippers have exceeded expectations through the early parts of the season. They have found a different identity this season with a more defensive-minded approach and are off to a 6-4 start.
This has been a near-perfect situation for James Harden. So far this season, the former MVP has averaged 21.2 points, 9.0 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game. He also has found a nice chemistry with Ivica Zubac in the pick-and-roll. Zubac is averaging a career-best 16.4 points and 12.3 rebounds with Harden spoon-feeding him lay-ups for many of these points. This should especially be the case against the Thunder who are shorthanded at the big man spot. Harden also finds success driving in the paint and kicking to shooters, which should be more open without Holmgren as the defensive anchor.
So far this season, Harden has tallied more than 8.5 assists in four of the ten games including tallying as many as 16 in a game. Harden has led the NBA in assists twice in his career and as recently as the 2022-23 season. It feels like he has not yet hit his peak as a playmaker this season and this is a great chance to begin changing that. Look for Harden to continue operating as the floor general and tally more than 8.5 assists tonight.
The Brooklyn Nets have looked better than expected through the start of the season. They hold a 4-6 record, sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and have looked like a solid team on the floor. Dennis Schroder has been a large reason for this strong start. The journeyman guard is off to a career-best start and has averaged 20.1 points and 6.6 assists per game so far this season.
As the Nets prepare to face off with the Pelicans, expect Schroder to remain in attack mode. He has tallied more than 15.5 points in seven of the ten games thus far and the opportunity for shot volume indicates this could be sustainable. Schroder ranks second on the team in field goal attempts with 14.6 per game this season, trailing only Cam Thomas.
Expect Schroder to continue to be given plenty of leash on the offensive end and for him to continue delivering. Based on how many shots he is set to receive, 15.5 points is too low of a total and look for him to record more for the eighth time this season.
After a promising start to his career, Darius Garland showed some concerning regression last season. There was speculation it could be the breaking point of the backcourt pairing between Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Now 11 games into the season, Garland has looked back on track and the Cavaliers are off to an 11-0 start.
So far this season, Garland has averaged 20.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds. He also is shooting 47.5% from beyond the three-point arc while launching a career-high 7.5 long-range attempts per game. Garland has made more than 2.5 three-pointers in seven of the 11 games.
While his percentage will decrease some as the season goes on, the volume of three-point attempts is enough to believe that Garland can continue to reach this total. Cleveland will be looking to remain undefeated against the Bulls and Garland is sure to be heavily involved in the action. Look for him to get up a healthy amount of three-point attempts and for Garland to knock down more than 2.5 threes once again in the matchup.
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.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.Must be at least 18 years or older. Higher age limits may apply in some states. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid only in states where DraftKings Pick6 operates. Void where prohibited. For entertainment purposes only. Winning a contest on DraftKings depends on knowledge and exercise of skill. See terms at pick6.draftkings.com.
