NBA DraftKings Showdown: How to handle Trail Blazers v Bucks

There are just two NBA games on Thursday. Both are featured Showdown games on DraftKings. Here’s a lowdown on how to handle roster selection for Portland’s trip to Milwaukee.

Firstly, let’s take a look at the team news.

• Damian Lillard is still out for the Trail Blazers, which means they will need to rely on CJ McCollum for some offensive prowess.
• Carmelo Anthony had a decent debut for Portland in a 115-104 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans.
• Key players in Hassan Whiteside and Anfernee Simons are listed as questionable for this game.
• This will be the second of a back-to-back for the Bucks, who are coming into this game after beating the Atlanta Hawks in a high-scoring game. Expect minutes of key personnel to be monitored closely.

Captaincy?

The next step is to select a captain. You might not need to look further than the first name on the list: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($19,500).

Why Giannis? Here’s why.

• He has registered a double-double in every game this season. And these aren’t average double-doubles. He is averaging 30.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. Those kind of double-doubles.
• He has scored more than 25 points after playing at least 25 minutes in every game so far this season.
• He is averaging 62.6 DraftKings points per game.

Rest of the roster

Now that you’ve spent $19,500 on one player, your mean available salary comes down. Here are suggestions to fill up your roster.

CJ McCollum might be a key offensive player without Lillard for Portland. He is slightly expensive at $9,600, but worth the price.

Eric Bledsoe ($8,600) has been in sprightly form for the Bucks right through the season. He will be tasked with complementing Antetokounmpo from an offensive standpoint.

Kent Bazemore ($5,400), Skal Labissiere ($3,200) and Mario Hezonja ($3,600) might get extra minutes considering Portland’s injury troubles. They got 28, 19 and 13 minutes respectively against the Pelicans, combining for 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.