There are two games for Wednesday’s Western Conference play-in DraftKings NBA slate, which starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has the San Antonio Spurs as four-point underdogs against the Memphis Grizzlies while the Golden State Warriors are 5.5-point underdogs against the Los Angeles Lakers. The O/U is 223 for Spurs-Grizzlies and 218.5 for Warriors-Lakers.
Let’s break down some of the top studs and values at each position to help you build your DraftKings lineups.
Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!
Point Guard
Stud
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, $10,100 – Curry needs to be extra spicy if the Warriors have any shot of defeating the Lakers, as he is the alpha and the omega of the squad. He averaged 1.5 DKFP per minute during the regular season, and over the last 14 games, the usage rate has been 39.5%. He averaged 12.7 attempts from downtown and the Lakers boost 3-point prowess to point guards by a whopping 28.27% above the league average.
Other Options – LeBron James ($10,000), Ja Morant ($8,300), Dejounte Murray ($6,300)
Value
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, $4,700 – Poole is the microwave off the bench for the Warriors. The usage rate has been 26%, and over the last 11 games, he’s attempted at least 10 shots in eight of those contests with two of those games ending with nine field-goal attempts. When he’s on the court, he hucks and chucks. Poole averaged 0.98 DKFP per minute on the season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Play-In Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
Shooting Guard
Stud
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs, $5,800 – The field goal percentage is often an issue with Brooks, as he converted less than 40% of his attempts in 30 games this season. The volume is undeniable, though, as he averaged 15.4 shots on the season, and over the last 10 games, that number was 18 with four games over 20. The usage rate is over 26% and he’s playing 33 minutes per game. The Spurs boost two-pointers and three-pointers to shooting guards by 16.31% and 17.2% above league average.
Value
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, $4,000 – Caldwell-Pope only averaged 0.67 DKFP per minute during the regular season and the usage rate is in the 13% range. That said, he will play around 28 minutes per game and that playing time security is difficult to find in this price range. There is a modicum of upside as he’s gone for at least 30 DKFP seven times this season with a high of 42.75.
Other Options – Jordan Poole ($4,700)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22521052/SB_NBA_Playoffs_Organic_Social_Assets_1080x1080_Hammer_The_Over.png)
HAMMER THE OVER
Head on over to DraftKings Sportsbook to place a bet on Saturday’s Mavericks-Clippers promo. For every 1,500 bets the total drops by a point, so tell all your friends!
Small Forward
Stud
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, $10,000 – LeBron missed 26 of the last 30 games. He was limited to 28 minutes in three of those contests. Well, it’s playoff time now. Win or start doing more TikTok dancing videos. Despite the limited minutes, the usage rate for LeBron over the last two games was 39% and 40%. A similar rate should be expected for this one. He averaged 1.46 DKFP per minute during the regular season and is a threat to triple-double on any given night.
Other Options – DeMar DeRozan ($7,000), Dillon Brooks ($5,800)
Value
Rudy Gay, San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies, $4,000 – Gay only plays around 20 minutes per game but he averaged 1.05 DKFP per minute. There’s a chance he gets more run since it’s playoff time, so there’s upside. Even if he doesn’t, he’s highly involved when on the court. The usage rate is 24% and he will attempt close to 10 shots per game. Over the last 12 games, he averaged 10.6 field goal attempts. He also contributes in the periphery categories, which provides a relatively safe floor. He’s scored at least 20 DKFP in eight of the last 12 games with three above 30.
Other Options – Kyle Anderson ($5,300)
Power Forward
Stud
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, $7,400 – Green is a low-usage player, so the shot attempts and points will rarely be voluminous. That said, he contributes in every category and is a threat to triple-double on any given night. He averaged 1.05 DKFP per minute during the regular, and over the last 11 games, he’s scored at least 40 DKFP in six of those games with a high of 59.1.
Other Options – Anthony Davis ($10,200)
Value
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs, $5,900 – Injuries and foul trouble are the two main things that hold Jackson down, as he has all the talent in the world and can stuff the stat sheet. He’s only played in 11 games this season and ended with five fouls in six of those contests. He averaged 1.22 DKFP per minute, so if he can stay out of foul trouble and play over 30 minutes, the sky is the limit. In his 11 games, he scored at least 30 DKFP in six of those contests.
Other Options – Rudy Gay ($4,000)
Center
Stud
Jonas Valanciunas, Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs, $7,600 – Valanciunas ended up with the third-most double-doubles in the NBA and averaged 1.33 DKFP per minute. He’s gone for over 50 DKFP in three of the last four games. Now he goes up against a Spurs team that boosts the FPPM to centers by 5.1% above league average.
Other Option – Anthony Davis ($10,200), Draymond Green ($7,400)
Value
Marc Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, $3,500 – I have concerns about the playing time for Andre Drummond ($6,400) in this one. The Warriors are going to hunt him in pick-and-roll situations on defense and he clogs the floor on the offensive end. Gasol is a high-IQ defender and can stretch the floor on offense while being an excellent passer. He averaged 0.87 DKFP per minute during the regular season and it wouldn’t surprise me if he saw around 24 minutes in this one.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $500K Play-In Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
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. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER(NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF(IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).
21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.