There are only three games in the NBA on Tuesday, but one of them has the potential to bring plenty of scoring when the Utah Jazz host the Sacramento Kings. This matchup is also the featured Showdown contest on DraftKings, so let’s highlight some players to target while building your lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $80K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (SAC vs UTA)
Utah Jazz vs. Sacramento Kings
Captain’s Picks
Domantas Sabonis ($18,300 CP): Sabonis hasn’t skipped a beat since suffering an injury to his non-shooting hand, which forced him to miss one game. Over three games since making his return, he scored at least 45 DKFP each time. That included a masterful performance vs. the Jazz, in which he produced 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. With his ability to contribute in so many different areas, he’s an ideal option for this important position.
Lauri Markkanen ($15,300 CP): Markkanen has taken his game to another level with the Jazz. He’s averaging 23.8 points and three 3-pointers per game while shooting a robust 53.1% from the field. He has been even more locked in of late, averaging 30.8 points and 4.5 3-pointers while shooting 54.% over his last six games. The Kings have played at the fourth-fastest pace in the league and rank inside the bottom-10 in defensive rating, so look for Markkanen to have plenty of opportunities to score in bunches.
UTIL Plays
Jordan Clarkson ($8,400): Clarkson is another player on the Jazz who has taken advantage of an expanded role this season. He has started every game that he has played, putting up 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers per game. After scoring 46.5 DKFP vs. the Kings last week, he carries significant upside into their rematch.
Malik Beasley ($5,200): An injury of note for the Jazz is that Collins Sexton (hamstring) is expected to miss at least the next week. That should leave Beasley to play more minutes and take over as the undisputed top scoring option off the bench. When Sexton missed a seven-game stretch in December, Beasley averaged 16.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and four 3-pointers over 29 minutes per game.
Trey Lyles ($4,200): After a stretch in which Lyles had a difficult time finding his way onto the floor, he has played at least 18 minutes in each of the last five games. He’s never one to shy away from jacking up shots, and he’s a good rebounder, so the added playing time helped him score at least 20.3 DKFP in each game. If he can remain in his expanded role, he has the potential to provide value at this cheap salary.
Fades
Jarred Vanderbilt ($6,000): Vanderbilt is not much of a scoring threat, averaging 8.2 points per game with a 13.6% usage rate. He does most of his damage on the boards, which could be a problem in this matchup against another excellent rebounder in Sabonis. Vanderbilt was limited to 28.5 DKFP the last time he played the Kings and hasn’t topped that many DKFP in any of his last five games. Going back even further, he has scored fewer than 20 DKFP in six of his last nine games.
THE OUTCOME
The Jazz have started to come back down to Earth, losing four straight games to bring their record under .500 for the season. Not having Sexton is significant, considering he is usually one of the leaders of their second unit. Still, of their last four losses, three of them were on the road. They are just 7-14 on the road, but they are 12-6 at home. Look for them to use their home court advantage to earn a narrow victory.
Final Score: Jazz 123, Kings 119
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $80K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (SAC vs UTA)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mbarner51) 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.