Griffin Wong dives into Wednesday’s 14-game NBA featured slate to find three players you need to put in your DraftKings lineups.
Wednesday, February 12 is an NBA day, with all 30 teams in action, all but 10 for the last time prior to the All-Star Break.
A 14-game featured slate — all but the Clippers–Grizzlies game at Intuit Dome — means that DFS players on DraftKings will have nearly unlimited choice while filling out their lineups. Here are three must-start players for February 12:
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C Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, $12,500
With every team in action, the best player in the NBA is, obviously, a must-start. Jokić’s numbers are simply ridiculous and there seems to be no opponent capable of slowing him down. If there’s any knock, it’s that his shooting accuracy has dipped slightly in recent games; in his last 10 appearances, Jokić is just 21-for-54 (38.9%) from beyond the arc, which is still elite efficiency but has dropped him out of the league lead in three point percentage. Still, he scored 40 points and added seven rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and a block in just the first three quarters in his most recent game, a 146-117 game against Portland on Monday night.
The Trail Blazers’ hot form has somewhat been halted with two consecutive comfortable losses, to Minnesota and to Denver. In the first game, they couldn’t score — shooting just 40.2% from the field and 20% from deep — and in the second game, they couldn’t defend, allowing the Nuggets to shoot 65.9% from the field. To make matters worse, Portland had Deandre Ayton ($6,600) in Monday’s loss, and he won’t be available tonight with a calf injury. Perhaps Robert Williams III ($4,200) — arguably the best defender on the roster — will be able to suit up, but if the Trail Blazers are relying on rookie Donovan Clingan ($4,600) alone, they’ll be in for a long night.
PG Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks, $8,400
I could’ve easily just gone for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800) and Luka Dončić ($10,700), selecting the three best players in the league (with Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,700) out) and calling it a day. But what’s the fun in that? Instead, I’ll choose the player who has been the second-best point guard in the league this season — accounting for Dončić’s health issues, as Nico Harrison clearly did — and go with Brunson. The six-foot-two southpaw had a rare true off night yesterday against the Indiana Pacers, scoring a season-low eight points and being whistled for five fouls (19.5 FPTS), limiting him to just 23 minutes. He simply won’t produce two poor performances in a row.
He should especially be fine against the Hawks, given that they play at the league’s second-fastest pace and have a merely average defense. This season, Atlanta has allowed the fifth-most points, 11th-most rebounds, and sixth-most assists to opposing players, and the fifth-most fantasy points to point guards. The Hawks have been significantly better on defense since introducing Onyeka Okongwu ($6,100) into the starting lineup; in the 13 games since making that change, Atlanta has allowed only the 10th-most points, 13th-most rebounds, and ninth-most assists, although it is just 4-9 across that span. Still, Trae Young ($9,600) continues to be a below-average defender who shouldn’t resist Brunson much.
C Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans, $9,500
I’m truly not sure how Sabonis didn’t replace Anthony Davis on the All-Star team; with no disrespect to Kyrie Irving ($9,300), a fantastic player in his own right and more in line with the “OG” theme that Shaquille O’Neal’s team follows, Sabonis has simply been better this season. He’s leading the league in rebounds, averaging more than 20 points and six assists per game, and is shooting 45.8% from beyond the arc this season, the fourth-best among 182 players who have played at least 40 games and attempt at least two three-pointers per game. His usage has dipped a little bit since introducing the ball-dominant Zach LaVine ($7,300) to the fold, as he’s taken 10 or fewer shots in three of LaVine’s four games with the team, so maybe commissioner Adam Silver is suffering from a little bit of recency bias.
Still, he should have no problem producing against a Pelicans team that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. In what continues to be a lost year, New Orleans has allowed the fourth-most points, third-most rebounds, and sixth-most assists per game to opposing players and recently lost Dejounte Murray ($3,000) and Herbert Jones ($3,000) for the season. It has fallen back to last place in the Western Conference, even though Zion Williamson ($8,500) has played pretty decently since his return. In his last outing against the Pelicans, Sabonis scored 27 points and snagged 16 boards (51.0 FPTS) as the Kings made a late comeback to earn a 123-118 victory.
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