Stan Son provides his thoughts and insights for Thursday’s slate.
After Wednesday’s full 10-game slate, there are only four games for Thursday. Boston and Minnesota will be playing their second games on the season, while it will be the season-opener for the rest.
As for injuries, G Malcolm Brogdon (thumb), G Devin Vassell (foot) and C Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) are out. Only F Sam Hauser (back) has a questionable tag. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
DraftKings Sportsbook has BOS as massive 13-point favorites on the road over WAS. The total is 234.5, the highest on the slate. DAL is a 7.5-point favorite at home over SAS. The total is 229. DEN hosts OKC in what should be an awesome game. The Nuggets are favored by 2.5 points and the total is 226. MIN travels to Sacramento and are favorites by one point. The total is 227.5. Log into DK Sportsbook for the updates.
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Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs ($11,100) – You’re walking down the street when you come across a Lamborghini showroom. Too expensive you say, but the salesperson waves you in and says, “Just take it for a spin.” Later that night, the significant other asks, “Why is there a Lamborghini parked in the driveway?” Luka is the goods, as he literally does it all and is a threat to triple-double on any given night. He had a whopping 35.6% usage rate last season and averaged 1.63 DraftKings points per minute. Last season, he put up at least 70 FPTS 31 times! Three of those were over 90 with a high of 101.5! L. O. L. He’s expensive, but he’s well worth the money.
Other Options – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($9,900), Anthony Edwards ($8,800), Jamal Murray ($7,300)
Donte DiVincenzo, Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings ($5,200) – DiVincenzo wasn’t great on Tuesday, as he shot only 3-of-11 from the field and 2-of-8 from downtown. I’m not worried, though, as he’s a career 37% shooter from downtown and converted 40% and 39% of his attempts the prior two seasons. In addition, he grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists and racked up two steals. The most important number, though, is that he played 32 minutes and minutes are half the battle. Yo, Joe! Last season, DiVincenzo averaged 0.97 FPTS per minute.
Other Options – Chris Paul ($5,900), Payton Pritchard ($4,300), Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($4,100)
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets ($8,900) – Williams took a nice step forward from his rookie to sophomore season, finishing with 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 treys while shooting 54% from the field, 42% from downtown and 81% from the line. The usage rate went from 18.2% to 24.1%. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still the Alpha for the Thunder, I think Williams levels up once again and enters that next tier. There were times last season when he was trying to figure out his role, but I don’t think that’s an issue anymore. This game has the tightest spread on the slate and should be a very competitive affair, so Williams should see as many minutes as possible. Last season, he averaged 1.09 FPTS per minute. I think that goes up this season.
Other Options – Domantas Sabonis ($9,500), DeMar DeRozan ($7,800), Chet Holmgren ($7,500), Aaron Gordon ($6,100)
Xavier Tillman, Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards ($3,600) – Boston is favored by a whopping 13 points in this one. Did you see them dismantle New York on Tuesday? They likely won’t shoot 29-of-61 from downtown, but the pace should be fast in this one and the defense porous. Last season, Washington played at the fastest pace in the league, and that shouldn’t change this season. As for defense, they were 28th in defensive efficiency and they have made some additions that could help, but they will still likely be one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Tillman played 17 minutes on Tuesday in a blowout. He could approach 20 minutes in this one.
Other Options – Naz Reid ($5,100), PJ Washington ($5,100), Trey Lyles ($3,600)
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ($11,000) – Scroll up to the Luka Doncic section, copy, then paste below. Just insert Jokic’s name for Doncic. Or I could just do this:
Jokic is the perfect fantasy player. He averaged 1.67 FPTS per minute last season and the chances of him triple-doubling are high. He put up over 70 FPTS 21 times last season with two over 90. He wasn’t great against OKC last season, though, finishing with 53, 54 and 44.5 FPTS, but two of those games were blowouts.
Other Options – Victor Wembanyama ($10,700), Domantas Sabonis ($9,500), Chet Holmgren ($7,500)
Luke Kornet, Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards ($4,000) – Scroll up to the Xavier Tillman section, copy, then paste below. Kornet played 19 minutes on Tuesday and finished with four points, three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. That translated to 13.2 FPTS. A similar output is likely with upside due to the increased pace.
Other Options – Naz Reid ($5,100), Derrick Lively II ($4,700), Xavier Tillman ($3,600), Trey Lyles ($3,600)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) 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.