Tuesday brings a busy night in the NBA consisting of 11 games. One of them is a matchup between two playoff teams with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the New York Knicks. That game is also the featured Showdown contest on DraftKings, so let’s discuss some players to consider for your entries.
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Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Captain’s Pick
Anthony Davis ($18,600 CP): Davis is coming off of monstrous back-to-back performances, scoring 61.5 DKFP against the Trail Blazers on Friday and 77 DKFP versus the Suns on Sunday. The Lakers are desperately trying to avoid the play-in tournament, so those juicy stat lines could not have come at a better time. Even if LeBron James ($12,200) returns from his ankle injury, he could be limited, especially after he apparently re-aggravated the injury when he tried to return the first time. That should leave Davis to shoulder the bulk of the scoring load again.
Julius Randle ($16,500 CP): This is a tough matchup for Randle, not only because the Lakers have the best defensive rating in the league, but because he’ll likely have one of the best defenders in the league in Davis guarding him. The last time he played the Lakers, he scored 34 points. Davis didn’t play in that game, so Randle could be met with more resistance in this contest. Still, his averages of 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists make him appealing for the Captain’s spot.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st]
UTIL Plays
Derrick Rose ($7,200): Rose torched the Clippers on Sunday, scoring 25 points on his way to 45.5 DKFP. He’s hit his stride with the playoffs approaching, averaging 19.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 three-pointers over the last 11 games. What’s even more impressive is that he averaged 30 minutes per game during that stretch and he hasn’t missed a game since March. That’s noteworthy given his injury history. With coach Tom Thibodeau at the helm, Rose should continue to fill a key role moving forward.
Alex Caruso ($5,400): With the Lakers recently playing without both LeBron James and Dennis Schroder, Caruso has been forced to take on an expanded role. He’s responded by scoring at least 25.3 DKFP in three of the last four games. He logged at least 28 minutes in each contest and should continue to play more with Schroder still on the sidelines.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,600): Although Caldwell-Pope (ankle) finds himself on the injury report heading into this matchup, there isn’t much to be concerned about given that he’s listed as probable. He’s scored 17 points in both of the last two games, hitting five three-pointers during that stretch. He’s even dished out at least four assists in two of the last five games with the Lakers short on playmakers. That probably won’t be a trend that continues, but with the Lakers needing scoring and his three-point shooting prowess, he could provide value.
Fades
Andre Drummond ($7,600): Drummond has gone cold, scoring 20.5 DKFP or fewer in each of the last four games. The problem is he didn’t log more than 22 minutes in any of those contests. Now that Davis is healthy, the Lakers have plenty of options up front, which could continue to limit Drummond’s playing time moving forward. Given that his salary doesn’t come at much of a discount, he should be considered as a risky option.
The Outcome
This is a tough spot for the Knicks, especially if LeBron James makes his return. This will be the sixth game of their road trip, which has included them playing the Nuggets, Suns and Clippers. If James sits again, then the Knicks could have a path to victory. However, with the expectation that he returns, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported, look for the Lakers to claim a narrow victory.
Final Score: Lakers 103, Knicks 100
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st]
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