Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Trail Blazers vs. Lakers Showdown on December 28

After falling to the Lakers in five games during the playoffs in the bubble, the Trail Blazers retooled their roster by adding Derrick Jones Jr. and Robert Covington to the starting lineup. Will it be enough against the defending champs? DraftKings Sportsbook has the visiting Trail Blazers as 3.5 underdogs in the late-night hammer against the Lakers, so a dog fight could likely ensue.

Let’s break down everything to play a few Showdown lineups.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st] (POR vs LAL)

Editor’s note: Lakers PG/SF LeBron James (ankle) will play tonight vs. the Trail Blazers.

SHOWDOWN STRATEGY

Captain’s Picks

Anthony Davis ($15,300 CP) - Davis did not play in Sunday’s contest so he should be well-rested for this affair. Unfortunately, he’s still dealing with a calf contusion, but he will be available for this contest. Davis should feast in this spot. In the five playoff games against the Trail Blazers last season, Davis averaged 29.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks. Lakers coach Frank Vogel wants Davis to take more three-pointers, so add another cherry to the top of the sundae. As for the matchup, Robert Covington ($6,000) should be the primary defender against Davis. Uh, yeah. On the season, Portland is providing a 7.61% DKFP per minute boost to opposing power forwards. Now, the defensive scheme could bring double teams to get the ball out of Davis’ hands, which could decrease his scoring output, but that will provide assist opportunities. In addition, Davis is so well-rounded that he could make his hay on the glass and in the defensive categories.

C.J. McCollum ($13,500 CP) - I love Damian Lillard ($15,900 CP) and he can pop off and break the slate on any given night, but he’s the highest-price player and I like the $2,400 discount that McCollum provides. Over time, Lillard is the better fantasy player, but right now McCollum is attempting more shots and has a similar usage rate. Granted, it’s a two-game sample, but McCollum is averaging 1.31 DKFP per minute while Lillard is at 1.12.

FLEX Plays

Dennis Schroder ($7,000) - The shooting efficiency has been great for Schroder, as he’s converted 47% of his 12 field goal attempts per game. Will that continue? It’s hard to say, as he shot 47% in 65 games last season but posted a 41% mark the year before. That said, he’s garnering a healthy 25.5% usage rate and producing 1.29 DKFP per minute. The assists have spiked from four per game all the way up to six with the Lakers. Now, the rebounding prowess he showed early in the season probably won’t be sustained, but the assists are real.

Jusuf Nurkic ($7,600) - There was concern after the opening game against the Jazz when Nurkic only played 21 minutes. In the second game against the Rockets it was a case of Houston, we no longer have a problem, as he played 34 minutes in that contest. Nurkic is third on the Trail Blazers in both usage and DKFP per minute, as he’s averaging 1 per minute. In five games against the Lakers last season, Nurkic averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 three-points in 32.3 minutes per game. Marc Gasol ($4,200) has replaced Dwight Howard at center for the Lakers, but similar production from Nurkic should be expected.

Harry Giles III ($1,800) - Giles has played a total of four minutes this season and was a DNP in his last game. So why Giles? Carmelo Anthony will not play in this game due to COVID-19 and the Trail Blazers are extremely thin in the frontcourt with Zach Collins also on the IR. Giles did perform very well in the preseason and could provide some much-needed size against Davis. Rodney Hood ($2,200) is also an option to get more minutes, but he’s already playing 15 minutes per game and the team may not want to push him for more since he’s still recovering from Achilles surgery.

Fades

Robert Covington ($6,000) - Covington has been bad in two games with his new team, primarily because he’s shooting 30% from the field. The usage rate has also been a P. J. Tucker-esque 10%. Throughout his career, he’s been a 16-22% usage rate player, so he’s still figuring out how to fit in with Portland. To compound matters, he will likely have to defend Davis for much of the game, which can mean foul trouble.

THE OUTCOME

Editor’s note: Lakers PG/SF LeBron James (ankle) will play tonight vs. the Trail Blazers.

With the Lakers only being favored by 3.5 points, my initial thinking was that one of Anthony Davis or LeBron James will sit this one out. Since James is questionable after tweaking his ankle during last night’s game and Davis is expected to be available following a rest day, I lean toward James sitting, which should make this a very competitive game.

Final Score: Los Angeles 117, Portland 112

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st] (POR vs LAL)

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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 I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.

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