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Who’s ready for some NBA Christmas Day Showdown slates! We’ve got five games to choose from on DraftKings for Saturday and this may be the most star-packed contest. The Brooklyn Nets head to newly-dubbed Crypto.com Arena to take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night. Let’s take a look at the Showdown contest on DK and make some picks.
Nets vs. Lakers NBA DraftKings Showdown picks
Captain’s Picks
James Harden, BKN, $17,100
Depending on what happens with Kevin Durant (protocols) will dictate some of the chalk in this matchup. Harden will probably be one of the higher owned players overall. He makes the most sense at Captain given his ceiling. We also have so much extreme value on both sides with COVID protocols. I think this is the perfect contest to employ some form of “Stars and Scrubs” strategy. That means we’ll try and fit in Harden, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook into one lineup. All three will make up the majority of the scoring in this contest.
Talen Horton-Tucker, LAL, $9,600
I’m not thrilled about this price for THT and it feels like hamstringing yourself a bit given the value and upside. Horton-Tucker shouldn’t garner much attention at Captain in this contest. Most of the ownership will go to Harden, Westbrook and LeBron. THT and Blake Griffin ($9,900) sort of fall into a weird spot where they look overpriced but should play a ton if the rosters stay the same. Horton-Tucker will at least get around 30 minutes and we know the Nets are going to be shorthanded. Overall, THT has a chance to be the breakout star in this game and will have low ownership.
Value Options
Wayne Ellington, LAL, $1,800
The Lakers are bringing in more bodies to fill out the roster. Still, Ellington should start and has a chance to play 25+ minutes at near min-price. He has a little bit of upside given his 3-point shooting, though the floor is less than desirable. Ellington is grouped in with a handful of very cheap guys who should play 20+ minutes out of necessity.
Paul Millsap, BKN, $1,000
Min-price Millsap, talk about a Christmas Miracle! Millsap was able to clear H&S protocols and is expected to play on X-Mas. We could see Millsap starting in the front court depending on the status of KD, LMA and James Johnson. Chances are Millsap will come off the bench but would be the third big. Millsap isn’t the same player but can still rib down some boards and has a pretty safe floor to get us there. He opens up the S&S lineup strategy that allows us to fit in Harden, LeBron, Russ and Patty Mills.