The NBA has a short slate on Thursday night, with just five games taking place around the league. A lot is on the line for almost every team, though, with less than a month left to go until the postseason gets underway. Even with five games on the docket tonight, there will be plenty of players to choose from to craft your ideal NBA DFS lineup at DraftKings. Unlike NFL DFS, where one pick can make or break your lineup or it’s tough to find quality low-tier value, NBA DFS differs.
In NBA DFS, you can find quality value plays $5K or under that can give you a quick 10 points off the bench, grab some rebounds, or stuff the stat sheet. It does not matter if you are playing a 50/50 or Double-Up contest, we are going to provide you with three players that you need to put in your lineup.
Goga Bitadze, Indiana Pacers, $4,900
Bitadze has been putting up some decent numbers recently, especially in the absence of rookie Isaiah Jackson (concussion). Jackson returned last night against the Kings, but left the game and didn’t come back due to a headache. He remains up in the air for tonight’s contest against the Grizzlies, but Bitadze has played at least 20 minutes in his last four games straight, hitting a ceiling of 47.75 DraftKings fantasy points against the Rockets. He went for 29 minutes last night against the Kings, bringing in 37.75 DKFP on the night. Regardless of Jackson’s status tonight, Bitadze should be an easy way to add some solid points without eating too much into your salary cap.
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks, $4,300
Lopez has been seeing his playing time gradually increased since returning from his back injury, and it’s been paying off for both he and the Bucks. He just went 24 minutes on Tuesday in his fourth game back, putting up 10 points and grabbing six rebounds against the Bulls. He brought in 24.5 DKFP, which was preceded by 25.5 DKFP against the Timberwolves last weekend. He’s expected to keep ramping up ahead of the playoffs and will likely see his minutes increased even further. Grab Lopez as a value pick while you can, because his price tag most likely won’t stay this low for very long — he was last priced at $5,900 before he was sidelined for five months with his back injury.
Landry Shamet, Phoenix Suns, $3,300
Coming in out of the bargain bin as far as his price tag goes, Shamet has been killing it off the bench for the Suns throughout the last few games. He’s dropped double digit points in his last three straight, topping out at 31 DKFP against the Kings on Sunday. He just put in a 25.25 DKFP performance against the Timberwolves last night, and should continue seeing increased minutes as long as Cam Johnson (quad) is sidelined. The Suns have a tough matchup against Denver tonight, but at just $3,300 it’s tough to pass on a guy like Shamet.