RADIO
It's a busy eight-game Friday in the Association, at least on the surface. The surface doesn't tell the whole story. We only have three days left in the 2020-21 regular season, and even the teams that still acted like they cared don't anymore. We know Russ cares. I have no clue about the rest. We need to look at who still has something to play for. The injury report looks like John Wayne Gacy's rap sheet. It's that long. We'll just concentrate on the teams that have something to care about. There aren't many.
The Wizards need a win to guarantee a spot in the play-in. In a perfect world they could also move up to the 8th slot and host the play-in, so you know they're paying attention. The Nuggets are locked into the four spot in the West. The Clippers are locked into the 3 spot. Philly could still lose the 1 seed in the East with the Nets breathing down their necks. The Jazz need a win or a Suns loss to lock up the 1 seed in the West. Dallas is barely clinging to the 6 seed in the West, so they need a win to stay out of the play-in. The Kings have an outside shot at the play-in. Memphis is playing for the 8 slot and a home game in the play-in. The Warriors are fighting for that same slot. By my count, seven of the 16 teams playing tonight have a vested interest in the outcome. Yikes!
This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 5/14/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks!
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Russell Westbrook - PG, vs. Cleveland ($12,800)
Russ hasn't been under 5x value in May and has been over 6x value all but one of those games. You know all the reasons to play him. I'm going to switch it up tonight and tell you the reasons why you might be able to get away with a fade. The last time Russ was under 5x value, even at this exorbitant price, was on April 30 against Cleveland. Actually, Russ has struggled in both games against Cleveland this year. The price is just high enough that you can probably get away with fading in GPP formats. In cash, it's still a massive risk.
Ja Morant - PG, vs. Sacramento ($8,400)
This is the only game between two teams that have something to play for, so you could probably talk me into an entire game stack of this one. I really don't expect Curry to play considering the Warriors are still in the driver's seat right now and the Pelicans only have eight players. That leaves Morant, who has shown the ability to turn it on from time to time. Even if Fox returns, I would bet he is in a strict minutes limit. That leaves Delon Wright to try and guard Ja. This is a great spot for Morant in a game that both teams need. I would hope he steps up in this situation.
Jordan Clarkson - PG/SG, vs. Portland ($7,800)
Clarkson has five straight games of more than 20 real points. On top of that, he's been hauling down some rebounds and most games has decent assist numbers. Clarkson's shot attempts have also been way up. I've been waiting to see this from him since both Conley and Mitchell went down. DraftKings raised the price right away, but Clarkson is finally paying off that steep tag. He has at least 40 DraftKings points in four of the last five games. Utah could use a win here and the Thunder mailed it in about six weeks ago. This is a superb matchup for Clarkson.
Terence Davis - SG/SF, at Memphis ($6,200)
Davis has at least 25 DraftKings points in five straight and over 30 in three straight. He has increased his output in each of the last four contests, finally clearing 40 on Tuesday against the Thunder. This is another favorable matchup and the Kings are literally fighting for their season. If Fox returns, it may be enough to keep me off of Davis, but even then, the Kings might elect to run Davis with Fox since he's been on a tear lately. Keep an eye on the Fox situation, but if Davis has a clear path to big minutes again, it's hard not to click the draft player button.
Bonus Guards: Luka Doncic ($10,800), Collin Sexton ($8,300), Andrew Wiggins ($6,900), Jalen Harris ($4,100)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Luka Doncic - PG/SF, vs. Tampa-ronto ($10,800)
The cRaptors mailed it in, oh, about six months ago. Dallas still needs to win to stay out of the play-in. Hey, that's a big deal. Forward is completely decimated on this slate. It's a barren, dystopian, Road Warrior type of destruction. The next "healthy" forward is PorzinGOD, and I use the healthy term loosely when it comes to that guy. I'll keep this simple: The Raptors gave up. Dallas needs a win. Luka is going to dominate until they take him out.
Kelly Olynyk - PF/C, at Lakers ($8,200)
Olynyk has been one of the few bright spots for the Rockets with John Wall and Christian Wood both out. Olynyk has at least 43 DraftKings points in five straight games. 5x value seems to be his floor right now. You can't say that for a lot of guys on this slate. The status of Christian Wood doesn't much matter. This is what they told us Kelly Olynyk could be coming out of Gonzaga in 2013. It took a few years, but the boy who just turned 30 is playing basketball like a larger-than-life man right now. Enjoy it. Who knows if it will carry over into next year or not.
Kevin Love - PF/C, at Washington ($6,100)
Love partied (and played basketball) like it was 2011 on Wednesday, putting up 59 DraftKings points in what was by far his best performance of the last three seasons. I would say that he can't do that again, but then I looked at the schedule and saw that they are playing the Wizards. I wouldn't be surprised if Love did another kegstand off of the Fountain Of Youth and turned in another 2011-like performance tonight. He can rest for a few months after the weekend. We could see another nice game from Love.
Chimezie Metu - PF/C, at Memphis ($4,300)
Metu is another one of those pieces that is getting extended run due to injuries and apathy. The Kings still have an outside shot at the playoffs, but at this point, it seems as though Metu is more valuable to them on the court. He has at least 26 DraftKings points in three straight, including 28.75 against this same Grizzlies team on Wednesday. Metu is a solid value even if the ceiling isn't all that high.
Bonus Forwards: Brandon Ingram ($8,200), Kenyon Martin Jr. ($7,000), Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,000), Davis Bertans ($4,200)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, at Detroit ($11,000)
This is a good, but not great, matchup for Jokic. So what tips the scales? The absence of both Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray. Jokic is quite literally the only accomplished scorer on the court, by far the best rebounder, and likely the best passer, though rookie Facundo Campazzo can hang with him in that category. Denver's starting lineup promises to be ugly, but that should mean a really beautiful stat line for Jokic.
Jonas Valanciunas - C, vs. Sacramento ($7,900)
Jonas put up his fourth straight game of more than 45 DraftKings points against this same Kings team on Wednesday. This should be another hotly contested game as Memphis is trying to make sure they only need to play one game in the play-in tournament. The Kings just want the invite, but those hopes are quashed with a Memphis win here. They should get it behind Jonas.
Dwight Powell - C, vs. Tampa-ronto ($4,200)
Porzingis is going to cut into Powell's production again, but honestly, Powell is still good for 5x value most nights. Toronto is throwing anyone out there in a uniform right now. They haven't played "starters" is about a month or so. The rotations are haywire and Dallas will take advantage, cruising to a much-needed win. Somewhere in that process, I expect Porzingis to become a spectator, which should lead to another solid minutes load for Powell.
Bonus Centers: Joel Embiid ($10,400), Rudy Gobert ($8,200), Willy Hernangomez ($5,700), Daniel Gafford ($3,600)
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