Friday’s featured NBA Showdown contest is for a marquee matchup between the Suns and Lakers that kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET in Los Angeles. As usual, DraftKings is offering up a huge Showdown contest for this game, and below I give you some of my favorite options to attack for the format.
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Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
Captain’s Pick
LeBron James ($16,200 CP)
Albeit in a loss, James opened the season with 61.25 DKFP across 36.5 minutes Tuesday vs. the Warriors. Having Russell Westbrook in the fold didn’t hurt James’ workload in any way. The four-time NBA champion led the Lakers with a 34% usage rate and also posted a strong 25% assist percentage.
Now, coming off the loss and in a very competitive setting, James should put up another huge fantasy score. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lakers are only one-point underdogs vs. the Suns, and when James competed in a spread under three points last season, he generated 50.4 DKFP per game.
Chris Paul ($13,200 CP)
After an outstanding playoff run, Paul picked up right where he left off with a 42-DKFP showing vs. the Nuggets on Tuesday. The future Hall of Famer obtained 33.4 minutes in the loss, and should take on a similar workload in this tight spread vs. the Lakers.
In his last 10, Paul has contributed 41 DKFP per game, and he is my preferred option captain, if not paying all the way up for James.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
UTIL Plays
Deandre Ayton ($8,000)
Ayton had a quiet opening night, posting 27 DKFP vs. the Nuggets, but I like taking my chances on him to bounce back at this price. Prior to Tuesday’s loss, the center had produced 39.7 DKFP per game in his previous 10.
Additionally, Ayton tallied at least 37 DKFP in five of nine matchups vs. the Lakers last season, and he was excellent in projected close contests. When the spread was under three points last season, Ayton provided 38 DKFP per game.
Mikal Bridges ($6,000)
Bridges is a steal at this price. The forward tied Paul with a team-high 33 minutes Tuesday vs. the Nuggets, lifting him to 26.75 DKFP. Bridges just signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the Suns, and his elite defense is always going to translate to heavy playing time.
In nine matchups, Bridges averaged 25 DKFP per game vs. the Lakers last season, and he is simply too cheap for the type of volume he should see in this nail-biter.
Rajon Rondo ($3,200)
In the season opener, Rondo scored 13.5 DKFP across 19.5 minutes off the bench. The end result wasn’t too compelling, but the playing time was promising for the point guard. Rondo supplied 0.9 DKFP per minute last season, and he should produce a better stat line against his nemesis in Paul.
Just this past April, Rondo recorded 35.75 DKFP in only 19.3 minutes of work when he and the Clippers defeated Paul and the Suns. Without a doubt in my mind, Rondo is looking forward to this matchup, and I fully expect a strong effort of at least 20 DKFP from the veteran.
Fades
Russell Westbrook ($10,400)
Westbrook’s Laker debut was disappointing, to say the least. While he played 35.1 minutes, the 32-year-old shot a miserable 4-for-13 from the field and finished with only 18.25 DKFP. Playing alongside James and Anthony Davis severely hurt Westbrook’s usage, bringing his rate down to 19.3% after the point guard handled a 30.3% last season. Plus, the poor shooting wasn’t a fluke. In the preseason, Westbrook shot only 35% from the field in four games.
Without question, the former MVP is going to improve as he gets more acclimated with his new surroundings, but expecting it to happen this quickly and against the Suns’ elite defense is a far cry. Phoenix ranked sixth in defensive rating last season, and with James and Davis at similar price points, Westbrook is an easy fade.
The Outcome
While it’s hard to imagine either of these clubs going down 0-2. I believe the Suns will come into Staples Center and get the job done Friday. With many new faces, the Lakers were vulnerable on defense Tuesday night, and last season, the Suns were the best road club in the NBA with a 30-17 record. Furthermore, Phoenix also finished with a league-best 19-9 record when coming off a loss and went 6-3 against the purple and gold.
Final Score: Suns 115, Lakers 110
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