NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Tuesday (1/23)

We got off to an excellent start on Monday, but we’re looking at just five games for this Tuesday card. We do have some great rivalry games, though, with the New York and Los Angeles teams battling it out. That should be fun because the other three matchups aren’t too bad. The only game that worries us is the Portland-OKC game because they’ve destroyed the Trail Blazers by over 100 combined points in their first two matchups. We’re hoping this one will be closer, but we’ll see!

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

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• DEN at IND (DEN -3) O/U: 242
• NYK at BKN (NYK -3.5) O/U: 223.5
• UTA at NOP (NOP -6.5) O/U: 239.5
• POR at OKC (OKC -14) O/U: 235
• LAL at LAC (LAC -8.5) O/U: 230

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) OUT
• LeBron James (ankle) OUT
• Isaiah Hartenstein (ankle) Questionable
• Ivica Zubac (calf) OUT
• Ben Simmons (back) OUT
• Shaedon Sharpe (abs) OUT

Core Plays

Anthony Davis (PF/C – LAL): $10,200 DraftKings, $11,400 FanDuel
Not enough people are talking about how absurd AD has been over the last month. The All-Star has scored at least 50 DraftKings points in 20 of his previous 25 games, surpassing 60 DK points in over half of those. His average is approaching 60 DK points per game, and he should have success against an LA team that is missing Ivica Zubac. He has 44 and 56 fantasy points in their two matchups this year.

Jalen Brunson (PG – NYK): $8,700 DraftKings, $9,300 FanDuel
Many people scoffed at the Brunson contract when NY inked him, but he’s been better than anyone could’ve hoped. JB has scored at least 38 DraftKings points in 17 of his last 19 games, posting a 49-point average in that span. We’ve also seen Brunson score 61 and 67 DK points in his two most recent games, which doesn’t even match the 85-point upside he showcased a few weeks ago. Brooklyn is not a concerning matchup either, sitting 23rd in defensive efficiency over the last month.

Jamal Murray (PG – DEN): $8,400 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel
Murray is on one of those stretches right now, and we want to use him when he’s rolling like this. The Denver point guard has scored at least 37 DraftKings points in 14 of his last 16 outings, averaging 43 DK points per game in that span. That means he should be closer to $9K on both sites, especially against Indiana. Not only do the Pacers play at the fastest pace in the NBA, but they also rank 27th in defensive efficiency and 29th in points allowed.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,200 DraftKings, $12,100 FanDuel
Not much needs to be said here. Jokic has been killing it in DFS for four years now, averaging at least 61 DraftKings points in each year. He’s done that while establishing a 50-point floor, and it’s scary to think what he’ll do against the fastest-paced team in the league. When he played them a week ago, Joker fell one assist shy of a triple-double while missing just one shot!

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $10,000 DraftKings, $10,900 FanDuel
It’ll be an uphill battle for SGA to win MVP, but he will get some votes. The All-Star point guard has scored at least 38 DraftKings points in all but two games this year, averaging 53 DraftKings points per game. He’s had to endure two blowouts against Portland, but Gilgeous-Alexander still had 39 and 45 DK points in those games despite playing just 23 and 21 minutes. Imagine what he could do if he plays 35 minutes against this 25th-ranked Portland defense!

GPP Targets

Russell Westbrook (PG – LAC): $6,000 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
Westbrook has been relegated to the bench in LA, but he will see more minutes with Zubac sidelined. It’s a strange correlation, but they’re choosing to run small with Zoo out of the lineup. That’s led to Russ scoring at least 47 DK points in two of the three games since Zubac went down. That’s an absurd total from such an affordable player, but we’ve seen Westbrook average 50 DK points for whole seasons in the past! A revenge game against the Lakers will only motivate him more, allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

Jabari Walker (SF/PG – POR): $5,500 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
The Trail Blazers are in the middle of a rebuild, but they’ve stumbled into something with Walker. The versatile forward played a career-high 41 minutes just a few nights ago and is averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game across his last eight fixtures. That even includes a game where he left, and it feels like Walker is due for a massive price bump if he’s going to be locked into this 30-minute role.

Cam Thomas (PG/SG – BKN): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
Thomas is the ultimate GPP player because he can go nuts or leave you with nothing. The upside games have been more frequent recently, with Cam scoring at least 30 DraftKings points in four of his last five games. He actually took at least 17 shots in all of those, and this guy should be $8K on both sites if he’s going to play 30 minutes and take 15-20 shots. One of his ceiling games came against NY, dropping 32 DK points against them last month.

Value Plays

Malcolm Brogdon (PG/SG – POR): $6,500 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel
Moving Scoot Henderson to the bench is a weird move for a rebuilding team, but Brogdon has been this team’s best player since his insertion into the starting lineup. He’s got 48 and 52 DraftKings points in his two most recent outings and is flirting with a 40-point average across his last 16 starts. That’s incredible from a player in this price range, but Portland needs him to do everything with how poorly they’re playing.

Mason Plumlee (C – LAC): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
This is risky, but we have to assume Plumlee will get another start at center for Zubac. We’ve seen Plumlee averaging 30-35 DK points per game as a starter in the past, and we have to assume he’ll play 30 minutes to oppose Anthony Davis. Plumlee provided 29 DK points across 28 minutes of action in his first start a few days ago. Duplicating that would make him one of the best values on the board, especially since we saw Mason score 31 and 47 DK points in two starts against LA last year!

Advantageous Pricing

• Myles Turner (C – IND): $6,400 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
• Precious Achiuwa (PF/C – NYK): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
• Jalen Williams (SG/SF – OKC): $6,700 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
• Collin Sexton (PG/SG – UTA): $6,200 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
• Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $5,000 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
• Christian Wood (C – LAL): $3,400 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel

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