RADIO
The Thursday NBA DFS slate will tip-off at 7:30 EST with a small player pool of four games to dissect. Remember that ownership percentages can often be extremely lopsided on these small slates. If a play seems obvious, expect to see that player in the lineups of competitors. I'm not saying to avoid the best plays on the slate, but choose a few spots to be different if you are considering large-field tournaments.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/19/19. 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.
A high-level overview of this four-game slate is that it features two marquee match-ups of NBA title contenders with LAL/MIL and HOU/LAC. The former is yet to have a point spread or vegas total posted - most likely due to the status of Anthony Davis being unknown at the time of my writing. Regardless, we can expect a small spread with Milwaukee being a home favorite. The latter screams fantasy production in what should be an up-tempo game to close out the slate at 10:30 EST. The current vegas total is 233 points, and the Clippers are favored by five. The Utah Jazz will head to Atlanta to start the slate in an appealing matchup against the Hawks, who allow the third-most points in the NBA. This spread currently sits at just 6.5 due to Atlanta being the home team, and the total is 224.5. Lastly, the BKN/SAS matchup has a total of 219 and owns the smallest spread of the evening with the Spurs being a two-point home favorite. Time to get into the selections for the NBA Thursday slate!
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Spencer Dinwiddie - PG/SG, @ SAS($7,900)
Coach Kenny Atkinson has low-key put together an incredible case for coach of the year this season when you consider the circumstances surrounding the Brooklyn Nets. Keeping this team above .500 is quite a feat when you view this roster without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Caris Levert due to injuries. Much of this success can be attributed to the play of Spencer Dinwiddie, who has proven that he can be everything from the 6th man on a deep roster to carrying a team offensively. Dinwiddie has been underappreciated for much of his career, but injuries have allowed him to put together an all-star worthy season thus far. While Dinwiddie is close to being priced out relative to his ceiling, he still makes for a solid cash-game play. Until injuries clear up for the Nets, Dinwiddie will continue to be the focal point of this offense with plenty of scoring and playmaking opportunities in the high pick and roll.
Patrick Beverley - PG/SG, vs HOU ($4,400)
Watching Patrick Beverley in play-off atmosphere matchups like this is always exciting. We wish we could say the same about fantasy and DFS, but Beverley is usually a guy that we are playing for salary relief. Will he get in a fight with Russell Westbrook? This is always possible but I'm willing to lose my money if it happens. Jokes aside, Beverley is a glue guy that all contending teams need. While this does not translate to fantasy production, Beverly is more than capable of pushing 30 minutes of action and exceeding the value of this price tag.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Bojan Bogdanovic - SF/PF, @ ATL ($6,700)
After an underwhelming start to the season for the revamped Utah roster, this Jazz team is looking to continue the momentum from winning four of their five most recent match-ups. While he is not a household name, Bojan Bogdanovic could be one of the most underrated scorers in the NBA. Additionally, Bogdanovic has established his role as the primary complementary scorer to star, Donovan Mitchell. I want to attack the poor defense of the Hawks on this small four-game slate and will look to Bogdanovic and Mitchell to do so. Remember that Mike Conley continues to be sidelined with a hamstring injury resulting in the Jazz leaning heavier on the scoring ability of both of these guys.
Kris Middleton - SG/SF, vs LAL($6,300)
The veteran sharpshooter, Kris Middleton, and the Bucks will face one of the toughest challenges of the 2019-20 season tonight in a matchup with Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams share a record of 24-4 and sit at the top of the conference standings. Middleton will face tough perimeter defense from the wings of the Lakers, but the Bucks will be without a key starter in Eric Bledsoe. The absence of Bledsoe and the price-tag of just $6,300 more than overcompensates for the tough matchup in my opinion. Middleton is a guy that scores in bunches and Milwaukee should need his scoring in this game. Additionally, we have seen consistent production from Middleton with him exceeding 34 DK points in six of his last seven games.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Lakers Frontcourt Situation - Dwight Howard ($5,000)/JaVale McGee ($4,600) (pending Anthony Davis news) @MIL
I am going with a different approach here because I believe there is more value in discussing this instead of giving out a play that becomes outdated by the time the slate begins. First, Kyle Kuzma, a key bench scorer has already been ruled out for this game. Next, the bigger news is the status of all-star, Anthony Davis. I probably do not have to tell you that LeBron James will become a stronger play if Davis sits. However, his absence in the lineup would make Dwight Howard and Javale McGee two of my favorite Center options on the slate. I would be careful about playing them both, but this news would result in me using one of the two in the majority of my lineups. Howard has looked great this year with clear changes to his game, but my selection of the two will ultimately come down to how much/little I need the salary savings. If Davis suits up, my interest level will significantly drop for both. Feel free to reach out to me on twitter @DrewDeen for other options when we get the news.
