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Monday’s featured NBA Showdown contest features a matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET. As usual, DraftKings is offering up a huge Showdown contest for this game. Below, I give you some of my favorite options for attacking the format.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st] (POR vs LAC)
Captain’s Picks
Paul George ($17,400)
George is THE man for the Clippers this season, as Kawhi Leonard is out with an injury. In the first two games, his usage rate has been 30.7% and 37.2%. He’s attempted 23 and 25 shots, with 11 and 12 of those coming from downtown. He’s produced lines of 29 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal in the first game while going for 41 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the most recent contest. That translated to 56.25 and 66 DKFP, respectively.
It’s early in the season, so the sample size is small, but Portland is seventh in offensive pace while the Clippers are 25th, so it’s a pace-up spot for George. Portland is 19th in defensive efficiency while the Clippers are 29th, so points will have to be scored. DraftKings Sportsbook has the total for this game at 231, which is the highest on the night, with the Clippers favored by three points.
Nassir Little ($6,000)
Norman Powell suffered an injury on Saturday and is out for this game. As a result, Little started the second half and played 27 minutes after only playing 16 minutes in the opener. He produced 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal, which translated to 25.25 DKFP. There’s a chance he starts, but even if he doesn’t, 28 minutes of playing time is well within the range of outcomes.
No one in this price range has the minutes ceiling Little has, and he allows you to fit in more high-priced players.
UTIL Plays
Anfernee Simons ($3,400)
In the opener, Simons played 18 minutes and produced 19.5 DKFP. He scored 11 points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out four assists. He shot 5-for-6 from the field, so that kind of efficiency shouldn’t be expected on the regular. On Saturday, he played 24 minutes and contributed 18 points, three rebounds and an assist, good for 24.75 DKFP. He shot 7-for-14 while going 4 of 8 from downtown. The Trail Blazers won by 29 points, so that was a reason for the increased playing time, but Simons also benefitted from the Powell injury.
Simons is a scorer who can light up the scoreboard on any given night. The team has tremendous confidence in him, and if he gets the minutes, he should exceed the salary-based points expectation easily.
Eric Bledsoe ($7,400)
Bledsoe has played 30 and 33 minutes this season and produced 37.25 and 37.5 DKFP, respectively. What year is it? He had been left for dead on the fantasy streets but looks to be rejuvenated in Los Angeles. Bledsoe’s scoring and shooting efficiency have been inconsistent (10-for-16 and 3-for-11, respectively), but he’s turned back the clock and contributed in the defensive categories (three blocks and five steals). I never thought I’d say this, but the floor looks relatively high with Bledsoe. Granted, it’s only been two games, but the price is palatable, and he’s getting the minutes.
Jusuf Nurkic ($8,400)
Nurkic only scored nine points and played 25 minutes in Portland’s last game. That’s because the Trail Blazers destroyed the Suns by 29 points! In the opener, he played 29 minutes, scored 20 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out two assists and blocked a shot, which translated to 44 DKFP. The Trail Blazers are three-point underdogs in this one, and this is a pace-up spot for Portland, so plenty of fantasy goodies should be scored in this one.
Fades
Reggie Jackson ($7,800)
It’s October. How can I fade Jackson? As crazy as this sounds, I’d rather go with Bledsoe, who is $400 cheaper, and as of now, has a higher floor. Jackson has played 39 and 36 minutes, so the playing time is there, and we know minutes are half the battle. That said, while he’s a better scorer than Bledsoe, he doesn’t do much outside of that. Sure, he will grab boards and dish out dimes on occasion, but they are not inconsistent. He also doesn’t contribute as much in the defensive stats. Jackson has scored 29.25 and 24.75 DKFP to start the season.
The Outcome
The Clippers are favored by 2.5 points, although they are 0-2 on the season. Home court advantage? They are 29th in defensive efficiency in the early going, and the Trail Blazers are coming off their huge beatdown of the Suns. I like Portland here, as they have more offensive weapons, and the line movement has gone in that direction, having opened at LAC -3.
Final Score: Trail Blazers 115, Clippers 110
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st] (POR vs LAC)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) 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. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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