RADIO
As you may already know, the world is mourning the loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, as well as the remaining seven involved in the helicopter accident. I am sure it goes without saying, but we all are thinking of the families involved and should continue to celebrate the life and legacy of the Bryant family. That being said, the NBA has postponed Tuesday's marquee matchup between the Clippers and Lakers. The NBA had grief counselors speak with both teams and the postponing of this contest was the ultimate conclusion. This will allow the organizations and city of Los Angeles a few more days to mourn before the Clippers return home on Thursday, followed by the Lakers on Friday.
Segueing into a much lighter note, the Tuesday slate will have one less game for a total of eight on the night. The pool gets much smaller without the studs of L.A., but not to worry as we have some great options here. Looking at the odds over in Vegas, Atlanta at Raptors (-12) and New Orleans (-7.5) at Cleveland have the same projected point total at 233.0. However, the Washington at Milwaukee (-16) game has the highest projected point total with 240.0. Milwaukee has the best defense in the league while Washington has the worst. Of the two, Milwaukee players have a much better opportunity to put up numbers. One game I am actively avoiding is Boston at Miami (spread TBD). Miami has the 10th-best defense at home and Boston has the second-best defense while on the road. Miami is on the second night of a back-to-back and it could be a low-scoring game which leaves a lot of players as a hit-or-miss play.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/28/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
DraftKings DFS Guards
Lonzo Ball - PG, NO @ CLE ($7,400)
The emergence of Zion Williamson and his incredible athleticism has captivated the audiences in such a short amount of time. Lost in the excitement has been stellar point guard play by Ball. In fact, Williamson's play has actually benefited Ball on the court in the first three games together. Ball has played at least 36 minutes in each of those three games and handed out double-digit assists in two of them. Ball has recorded double-digit assists in six of his last nine games and has shined as a passer with the amount of talent surrounding him. His shooting woes continue to an extent, shooting just 36.5 percent from the field over his past five games, yet shooting 40.0 percent from three over the same stretch. Ball and the Pelicans face the Cavaliers who are on the second night of a back-to-back. The Cavaliers have the second-worst defense in the league. As if it couldn't get any worse, the Cavs are the worst ranked defense when playing at home. Ball is a triple-double waiting to happen as he continues to build chemistry with Williamson.
Elfrid Payton - PG, NYK @ CHA ($6,000)
Payton's DraftKings price tag has steadily climbed over the past week after seeing a slight decline in the week prior. Payton has accumulated at least 30.0 DK fantasy points in each of his past five games. This is directly related to the absence of RJ Barrett (ankle) who has been out over this stretch of games. Payton operates much better without Barrett and his assists (8.8 per game over the past five games) has noticeably increased. Barrett is expected to be re-evaluated in a week after transitioning to a walking boot, which allows Payton more run in the short-term. Charlotte has had trouble defending the pass this season. Charlotte gives up the fourth-most assists, yet forces the fourth-lowest amount of turnovers against opposing point guards. This is projected to be a close game which would allow Payton to play more minutes down the stretch. It would not be surprisingly to see Payton hit double-digit assists and, possibly, a double-double in this one.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Kelly Oubre Jr. - SF/PF, PHO @ DAL ($6,900)
Oubre and the Suns come into Dallas to face a team on their second night of a back-to-back which means a possible rest day for Kristaps Porzingis (knee). With Porzingis off the court this season, Dallas opponents have a +2.9 swing in offensive rating, yet Dallas themselves also see a +2.7 increase in offensive rating. If Porzingis does sit, this will turn into a much higher scoring affair. Enter Oubre who has been incredible since the calendar has turned to 2020. In the month of January, Oubre has averaged the most points (20.2) and rebounds (8.1) compared to each of the other months this season. Dallas has also given up the second-most points, second-most field goals made and fourth-most DK fantasy points to opposing small forwards on the season. Oubre will be solid regardless, but should see an increase in value if Porzingis is ultimately held out.
Maximilian Kleber - PF/C, DAL v. PHO ($4,200)
Kleber was originally thought to be the main beneficiary with Dwight Powell (Achilles) out of the season. However, head coach Rick Carlisle has been rolling out three-guard lineups and also acquired big man Willie Cauley-Stein via trade in order to compensate. Despite this, Kleber has still been productive in limited minutes with per-36 averages of 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.4 blocks. As mentioned above, Porzingis is a rest candidate as the team is on the second leg of a back-to-back and Porzingis has only been back in action for four games. Of the ten games Porzingis missed, Kleber played at least 30 minutes in seven of them. When Kleber plays at least 30 minutes, he has averaged 12.2 points on 47.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three while adding 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 threes. Kleber is an excellent value play if Porzingis gets a rest day.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Pascal Siakam - PF/C, TOR v. ATL ($8,200)
Outside of Nikola Jokic headlining the center position at $10,200 and Joel Embiid (finger) possibly returning to the court on Tuesday, there are not many other center options who hold a manageable price and have an above average matchup. Siakam matches this description, coming in at just $8,000 against Atlanta despite being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Over this span, Siakam helped Toronto to a 4-0 record while averaging 23.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 threes over that span. The Hawks are the third-worst rated defense in the league and give up the second-most points off of turnovers, second chance points and points in the paint to opponents this season. If Siakam's price tag is too much for your lineup, also look for the other Toronto big man in Serge Ibaka ($5,400) Marc Gasol ($4,900). Atlanta has given up the most DK fantasy points to opposing centers on the season.
