RADIO
Eight games total today but DraftKings only has four games on the main slate. Unfortunately, they choose the wrong four games because all the early games contain a majority of the upside. That being said, the Magic have been playing just better basketball lately and even on the second night of a back-to-back, should be perfect options heading into tonight. Only Toronto, Washington, and Minnesota didn't play a game yesterday and the Wizards and Timberwolves might seem like the favored teams, I would suggest stacking Toronto against the Pistons.
The Pistons can keep games competitive through Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, but they don't have the depth to just outright beat the best teams. So yes, the Pistons could play very well and win this game, but all signs point away from that, and the Raptors just running through a potentially fatigued Detroit bench. Luke Kennard played extremely well yesterday and that needs to be acknowledged because a big game from him seems like a work in the making. He was bound to have a big game based on his confidence level recently, so make sure you ride the hot hand for the next game or two.
For the rest of the article, I have provided my daily fantasy basketball lineup for DraftKings on 3/2/19. As always make sure to check the status of players before the opening tip. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG/SG vs. NY ($3,600)
Hooray for the Knicks being all-around terrible outside of Mitchell Robinson. That is going to cap some of his upside, but Alexander won't be contesting Robinson in the paint all game if at all. Despite all the upside I said wasn't worth it in standard fantasy leagues, he offers so much in DFS contests. The Knicks are susceptible on defense and especially in their backcourt, whereas Alexander has seemingly gotten better and better with every game.
The only drawback of this pick is that Alexander usually plays better against better teams and the Knicks are not one of those teams. He will be able to dominate any matchup they throw at him, but if the Clippers are up 20 by the third quarter, they won't waste the minutes on a player who has already proven himself in situations like this. His price is incredibly low for his upside so play him with confidence, but there is a blowout warning lingering over this pick.
DeAndre' Bembry - SG/SF @ CHI ($3,200)
According to the box score, everyone played well the last time the Bulls and Hawks met. There is no way this game will follow the same pattern in terms of overtime, but Deandre Bembry is bound for a much better outing. He played 36 minutes which is not a strong sign seeing how the game went on for so long, but by the end of the game he was making significant plays.
The chances the same type of production happens from both teams best players should be expected. Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, Trae Young are all good to go and there was no sign of them slowing down at any point in the game. Yes, they might have experienced some fatigue and missed some jumpshots, but that's where I think Bembry fits in perfectly. Since he didn't do much outside from playing a role last game, expect him to try and interject himself into this game and force production in terms of hustle stats.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
P.J. Tucker - SF/PF @ BOS ($3,900)
Not many reasons to play P.J. Tucker unless you know he is bound for a big game. While I think Tucker plays much like Marcus Smart in which they both play well in important games, that's completely ignoring both's incredible inconsistencies, specifically shooting.
Lately, Tucker has had no sign of having a productive night, but this game is going to be competitive. James Harden should have no problem doing what he needs to, but he will need players like Tucker to hit if they want to win. The Celtics won't let one player beat them and even though they haven't been playing well as of recently, they need a tough game like this against the league's best to try and get them on track. This might seem like I'm making it out that the Celtics will win, but in reality I think the Rockets slap the nonsense out of them and Tucker just has one of those nights.
Danilo Gallinari - SF/PF vs. NYK ($6,200)
There is almost no reason not to play Danilo Gallinari here. He lives up to the moment so playing in Madison Square Garden should only boost his upside, not to mention the Knicks are still just as bad as when I talked about them in the Gilgeous-Alexander blurb.
His price is low and is offering the same type of upside as a lot of other players tonight. When it comes to value plays, Gallinari might not check off the "super-cheap-value box," but he does offer a ton of potential with barely any setback in terms of salary. Over the past week, his usage was floating around the 30% mark. He probably won't be needed in this game as much as we like, he is still going to produce like he does every game. The chances he goes off are very high seeing how Gallinari's minutes don't really shift in terms of who the Clippers are playing.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Alex Len - C @ CHI ($3,600)
Alex Len was literally pulling three's in that semi-historic game. He wasn't really hitting shots, but he for sure shot a corner three with confidence and hit nothing but net. It seems like when the game got into the later stages, the Hawks starting throwing out some different schemes, one being using Len as a spacer.
Seeing how that was somewhat working during overtime, there seems to be little reason why Atlanta would abandon that, seeing how it actually worked. There is a chance he could miss this game, giving plenty of upside in Dewayne Dedmon, but until he is officially ruled out, I can't see the Bulls simply stopping him just cause.
