RADIO
Just when the NBA makes you think the season is just about done from a competitive standpoint, one of the smallest slates since the restart turns out to be the best night of basketball in recent memory. Both the Clippers and Trail Blazers play the second-half-of-back-to-back games Sunday after playing each other Saturday afternoon, so look for the Trail Blazers to rebound against Philadelphia, while the Clippers will once again play most of their backups versus the Nets.
Timing is key and you should wait until right before tip-off before you set your lineups. Although teams have unpredictable rotations and are resting players seemingly at random, it's pretty easy to understand what direction you should go with based on who is being rested. If the starters are playing, chances are they will see closer to 25-30 minutes rather than not playing at all. After yesterday, the playoff atmosphere has really hit, so hopefully teams pick up where they left off and we can have competitive games rather than DFS junk.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/9/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineup lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Austin Rivers - PG/SG, HOU vs SAC ($3,400)
With Russell Westbrook still out with a quad injury, Austin Rivers picked up the immediate slack, playing 32 minutes last outing against the Lakers. The minutes shouldn't go down versus the Kings and playing that type of defense gives any player upside. Rivers is shifty, but notoriously inconsistent when it comes to shooting. Luckily, he fills the stat sheet as most point guards should, but without scoring, he usually turns into a useless pick.
Based on price and matchup, he should be good for 20 FPTS assuming he plays another starters-worth of minutes, there is no real reason Rivers can't find his shot against the Kings. Look for the Rockets to do their usual thing against a defense that has not shown any signs of being able to stop James Harden, or any isolation scorer for that matter.
J.J. Redick - SG/SF, NOP vs SAS ($4,100)
The Spurs might have started to peak at the right time, but their defense is still struggling to contain shooters. Natural scorers have had no problem dissecting the San Antonio defense, and most wing shooters, like Redick, have had a field day when they are playing along someone is able to get them the space they need. While the Pelicans, on paper, don't stick out as an offense that "dissects" defenses, players like Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, and Brandon Ingram have been carrying the offense lately in terms of playmaking.
Redick has done an excellent job shooting the ball and has momentum built from each game. He should get plenty of chances Sunday, so his price and Zion Williamson already being labeled out means the offense is coming from five places, one being Redick.
Luguentz Dort - SG/SF, OKC vs WAS ($3,800)
Targeting the Wizards has been a viable strategy lately, mainly because Thomas Bryant has managed to hold his own in the paint and keep the game generally close despite poor shooting from his teammates. Rui Hachimura and Troy Brown Jr. have improved drastically since returning, but the Thunder are still far better in multiple aspects. While Luguentz Dort will have his hands full with Hachimura and Brown, his offense lately has been his strongest asset. He's starting, playing the minutes and backing up his play with hard statistics. Until he goes into a shooting slump, a sub-$4,000 for Dort is un-passable.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Darius Bazley - PF, OKC vs WAS ($3,400)
Similar to Dort, Darius Bazley has been a focal point of the Thunder second unit. With how things have been playing out lately, the Thunder are set to win this game, although the breakdown between these teams favors the length and size of Washington. Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are going to carry the offense and create problems for the Wizards defense off the start, so unless the Wizards can shoot the lights out, something their team has failed to collectively do as a team, look for the Thunder to run away with this one. Bazley doesn't have the upside of Dort, but his price is significantly cheaper and can be the perfect pivot to any Thunder-Wizard stack.
Lonnie Walker IV - SG/SF, SAS vs NOP ($4,300)
If you read me talking bad about the Spurs defense, then you know the Pelicans defense is going to be a heavy target in terms of stacking favorable matchups. Unfortunately, that means you would have to potentially stack the Spurs, and if you ask any experienced DFS player, that is a nightmare strategy. On a normal night, Derrick White, Dejounte Murray, Patty Mills, and DeMar DeRozan carry value, but these aren't normal nights. Last game, the second unit saw extended run and specifically, Lonnie Walker IV saw over 30 minutes for just the second time since the restart.
The Spurs are 3-0 in games Walker's played over 25 minutes, so while getting him on the court isn't the golden strategy, there is something to playing an athletic, defensive-minded, hybrid guard that makes it tough for opposing teams to win. He tends to be point-dependent which is a problem for nightly play, but whenever he gets the minutes, Walker finds ways to contribute. Since the Pelicans don't have that type of defense to stop taller, athletic guards, as long as Walker can get the minutes, no New Orleans player will be able to keep up with the other Spurs AND Walker.
Gordon Hayward - SF/PF, BOS vs ORL ($6,800)
Even with the Magic going through some struggles, it still shouldn't be enough to lead to a blowout. The Celtics frontcourt is severely lacking size and rebounding, but they have the skill to burn Orlando's defenders, so that's where most of the value will lie. Nikola Vucevic will be talked about later, but Daniel Theis won't be able to anchor the paint on his own. Interior defense might not be Hayward's strong suit, but when asked to help with that, he manages to make the most of it and turn it directly into counting stats.
Regardless if he decides to help out on rebounds or leak for fast break points, the Magic are too riddled with injuries to contain all the Celtics pieces. Hayward has the price and upside Sunday to make him someone most players will gloss over.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic- C, ORL vs BOS ($8,200)
The Celtics defense is held down by Daniel Theis, which despite Theis' attention to defense, he doesn't have the size to stop the All-Star Nikola Vucevic. If the rest of the Magic aren't contributing, which has been a trend this bubble, Vucevic will be stuck in no man's land. Seeing how it's been a night-to-night basis with Orlando and who is going to contribute, there is a good chance Vucevic will be heavily-faded with so many other options available. This game has a good chance of getting overlooked, but the blowout chances are slimmer than most people think. Expect the high-scorers and stat-leaders in this game to be near the top at the end of the day, not to mention Vucevic' 25% usage rate should only go up the less other Magic players contribute.
Robert Williams - C, BOS vs ORL ($3,500)
With the Celtics lacking some serious rebounding ability and size, there is one player on Boston's bench that can change the game. Robert Williams is not just a stat-hog when he gets minutes, but he impacts the game with his paint presence. Getting minutes is still up for grabs as it usually will be with him, but if the Celtics are giving up any playing, Williams is sure to make the most out of the court time. Since the price can't hurt you, wait for a pregame update before finalizing Williams in any rosters. This is simply a sleeper, pivot, what-if pick.
