NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Saturday (1/27)

It was a historic night yesterday in the Association. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic scored 73 points against the Hawks, which was the fourth-most points in a game in NBA history. If that weren’t enough, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker also went off for 62, somewhat replicating what Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns did the other night. Luka is back in action tonight in another mouth-watering game environment, so let’s see if he’s the best option.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer

TOP PLAY

Luka Doncic (G – DAL) | $11,600 DK/$12,200 FD

It’s tough to recommend committing $11,600 to a player who just played 45 minutes in a fast-paced, back-and-forth affair. However, Doncic is clearly from a different planet and I don’t imagine he’ll be hindered from returning home for a big game against the Kings. Kyrie Irving‘s status will be a key component to this slate, but this game has a 243 O/U with a 2.5-point spread, and Sacramento is the 10th-worst team against handlers.

CASH PICKS

Lauri Markkanen (F – UTA) | $8300 DK/$8800 FD

Markkanen has reclaimed his rightful spot as the alpha of this Utah team as their rotation has tightened, and the results are showing as the Jazz now sit at .500 and right in the thick of the playoff race. Utah ranks first in pace in 2024 and should really be able to push the tempo of this game. The spread isn’t the greatest (UTA -10.5), but Charlotte now ranks last in overall defensive efficiency and 29th in half-court defense.

Miles Bridges (F – CHA) | $7900 DK/$8200 FD

On the other side of the ball in this game, Miles Bridges profiles as a rock-solid cash play despite the double-digit spread. Over the past five games, Bridges has played 39, 40, 40, 41 and 36 minutes for Steve Clifford’s tight rotations, and has seen almost a 5% usage boost since Terry Rozier was traded to the Heat. Prior to yesterday’s contest against Houston, Bridges had also taken over 20 shots in three consecutive games. The Jazz rank 29th against opposing wings.

VALUE PLAYS

Kevin Huerter (F – SAC) | $4900 DK/$5900 FD

Huerter seems like an insanely easy way to get a piece of the Sacramento side of the game in your lineups tonight. His minutes once again seem to be safe, and he’s had a ceiling game in three of his past five. The matchup could not be much better either, as Dallas ranks seventh in pace, 22nd in defensive efficiency and has allowed the most FPPG to spot-up shooters. Keep in mind also that Dallas just played another high-pace game with the Hawks last night.

Walker Kessler (C – UTA) | $4700 DK/$6100 FD

This play is a bit more DK-specific as Kessler’s price tag is uncomfortable at over 6k on FD. You also have to assume the risk of Kessler getting handsy with the fouls, but Charlotte presents less of a problem for this. Before Kessler busted against Washington thanks to foul trouble, his minutes were trending up with totals of 24, 32 and 25 the previous three games. This is the nuts matchup for centers, as the Hornets have allowed the third most offensive rebounds and rank 28th in rebounding rate (along with being dead last in team defense).