Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo drives against Charlotte Hornets' Jeremy Lamb during an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
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Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 30.34 DK - 32.49
Sure, the Thunder stink. But that doesn’t mean we can’t load up on some of their guys in DFS and that’s exactly what we’re going to do here on Saturday. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of the lineup, it’s opened up considerable opportunity down the line and there are players getting a ton more minutes with a high usage rate. One of those dudes is Tre Mann who’s effectively playing shooting guard for this team with Josh Giddey running point. Mann took a team-high 17 shots on Friday in the win over the Pacers though he struggled to make any, knocking down only four and scoring just nine points. That being said, the minutes and opportunity are here for him and the price is right, especially on DraftKings. I’m going back to the well considering how good the matchup is against the Kings.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 42.62 DK - 44.72
De'Aaron Fox has been questionable for something like infinity straight games now so I think, at this point, we just need to operate like he’s out until expressly told otherwise. Fox being out of the mix obviously gives Haliburton most of the opportunity running the offense though the results have been a bit mixed over the short term. He hasn’t found his shot as much recently, a weird trend considering the usage rates he’s had in the past with Fox off the court. But it’s “helped” to stagnate the price some as well. I still think the opportunity should be there if he’s running the points and he does have a 38-point game not too far back in the game log. If Fox is out I’m running Haliburton again with the hope that the shot volume picks up some.
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 39.42 DK - 43.42
Giddey is likely to be a popular play once again, especially on FanDuel where the price is way, way too low. With SGA out he’s running the show on offense and the minutes have been around 36-37 over the last couple of games. It’s harder to generate assists considering the lack of offensive talent on the offensive end, but over the last few games with Giddey at the helm, he’s averaging 15 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds. The Kings have the second-worst defensive efficiency in the league and run the seventh-fastest pace. This is a perfect matchup on this slate for the plucky Thunder team and I think we see their squad having a bunch of ownership.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 32.13 DK - 34.36
One reason that Haliburton’s usage rate has dropped over the last couple of games is that Davion Mitchell has picked it up in terms of scoring since entering the starting lineup. He took a team-high 17 shots in the loss to Golden State on Thursday and finished with 26 points. It’s a welcome addition to the Kings offense which is still trying to figure out exactly how things run. But this kind of usage plays well at his current price points. He’s averaged more than 17 shots a game over the last five, his run as a starter and that should continue here if Fox is out once again. That’s the news we are hoping to hear before lineups lock this evening.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 57.63 DK - 60.94
You definitely need to be concerned about a potential blowout here with the Bucks coming in as nine-point favorites on the road against the (maybe) tanking Portland Trailblazers. But on a slate like this we might just have to take the risk considering all of the spend-up options have a certain level of uncertainty around them. Simply put, Giannis is among the truly elite fantasy guys we’ve ever seen, able to stack up stats like few others in the game have ever been able to do. It’s why the price is through the roof. He’s averaging 29 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on the season while also keeping the minutes in the 35 range when games are closer.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 33.13 DK - 36.56
Barnes, by and large, has been getting more run of late, playing 33 or more minutes in four of the last five games. In that span he’s averaging 20 points and seven rebounds while handing out a few assists as well. The Thunder play slow, but the defense is amazing on the season and I think we can roll Barnes as a higher floor play in this scenario. That hasn’t always been the case this season, but it appears the Kings are fine running him steady minutes, possibly in an effort to boost the trade value heading into the deadline. In all, it makes him a solid cash game play, especially on FanDuel.
Because we are recommending all of the Thunder today, now’s a good chance to say that Luguentz Dort (FD 6800 DK 6400) is definitely in play on DraftKings, and to some degree FanDuel as well.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 43.96 DK - 46.31
The Heat are getting healthy now and Bam is starting to pick things up across the box score. On Saturday, they get a great DFS matchup against the Hornets who run the second-fastest pace in the league with a bottom-third defensive efficiency. Adebayo’s minutes should sit in the 35-36 range in close games, which this one projects to be against Charlotte. The assist numbers aren’t quite the same with Kyle Lowry around, but this is a guy who’s averaging nearly a double-double in points and rebounds over the last month plus. The price on both sites is still very much a value and he’s been able to pile up defensive stats over the course of the season as well, raising the floor considerably.
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 26.59 DK - 25.97
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 30.46 DK - 31.69
Diakite has been in the starting lineup over the last couple of games and last time out he ran 30 minutes in the win over the Trailblazers. He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. The price is still sitting at the minimums on both sites, making him a near-perfect punt play on this slate. Look, we are already overloaded with Thunder guys for Saturday evening. I totally get that. But Diakite’s price sitting so low combined with the opportunity to run these kinds of minutes out of the center slot make him almost a must-play all things considered.
Meanwhile, Bazley drew the start on Friday with the Thunder a little banged up and played 36 minutes in total. He struggled from the field, going 1-6 and definitely didn’t dial up the intensity on that end of the floor. One would have to think that few shots is something of an outlier considering how much time he was on the court, but the confidence (or lack thereof) on that end of the court this season is one of the reasons he originally lost his spot in the starting lineup. That being said, I think I’m fine going back to him in cash here with the matchup looking right and the price still sitting on the lower end of the scale.
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