Garion Thorne breaks down everything you need to know for tonight’s six-game NBA featured slate on DraftKings.
Tonight’s six-game slate doesn’t have as much injury news as you’d expect from a late-March evening of basketball, yet what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. Giannis Antetokounmpo (foot) and Damian Lillard (calf) are out. Jayson Tatum ($11,000; ankle) is doubtful. Nikola Jokic ($12,500; ankle) is questionable. These are massive names with huge DFS implications.
Allow me to help your sort through what it all means.
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Key Injury News
AVAILABLE: RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson
QUESTIONABLE: Nikola Jokic, James Harden, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr.
DOUBTFUL: Jayson Tatum
OUT: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Immanuel Quickley, Cameron Johnson, Marcus Smart, Jakob Poeltl, Kyshawn George, Miles McBride
Click here for the slate’s full and updated injury report
Matchup Analysis
Best Defensive Rating (Last 10 Games)
- New York Knicks vs. LAC (108.6)
- Los Angeles Clippers at NYK (109.3)
- Toronto Raptors at BRK (109.7)
Worst Defensive Rating (Last 10 Games)
- Philadelphia 76ers vs. WAS (123.2)
- Denver Nuggets vs. MIL (122.4)
- Los Angeles Lakers at IND (119.3)
Fastest Pace (Last 10 Games)
- Toronto Raptors at BRK (103.0)
- Washington Wizards at PHI (102.9)
- Indiana Pacers vs. LAL (101.6)
Slowest Pace (Last 10 Games)
- Brooklyn Nets vs. TOR (94.9)
- Phoenix Suns vs. BOS (96.4)
- Los Angeles Clippers at NYK (96.5)
Highest Game Total
- Los Angeles Lakers at Indiana Pacers (236.5)
- Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers (231)
- Milwaukee Bucks at Denver Nuggets (223.5)
Top DFS Pick
PG Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers at Indiana Pacers, $12,000
Doncic’s ceiling hasn’t been quite as high since LeBron James ($10,300) returned from injury, but the former All-Star has still averaged 33.0 points and 53.6 FPTS in the two games with his Hall of Fame teammate back in action. That’s because Luka Doncic is really, really good. In his time with the Lakers, Doncic is producing 1.56 FPTS per minute. He’s also yet to register fewer than 50 FPTS in a start in the month of March. That’s a stretch of 11 contests. Doncic’s combination of floor and upside is unmatched on most slates, and I think he’ll lean more towards the latter in a tilt with an uptempo Pacers squad that ranks first in the league in pace across its last five games (102.6). You can’t pay up for Doncic every night, but Wednesday is one of those times where you must.
Top Value Pick
PF/C Jonathan Mogbo, Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets, $4,200
The Raptors have a pretty set-in-stone tanking strategy. It’s almost like a buddy system. Jakob Poeltl (rest) and Immanuel Quickley (rest) take a seat one game, then RJ Barrett ($7,800) rests, then Poeltl and Quickley again, and so on and so on. Tonight is a Poeltl and Quickley night, so Toronto will be relatively shorthanded — especially at the center position, as Colin Castleton’s second 10-day contract has expired since the team last took the floor. That leaves just Mogbo and Orlando Robinson ($4,500) as bigs on Wednesday. Mogbo has exceeded 28 FPTS in each of the Raptors’ past two contests, averaging 10.5 rebounds in that span. He could very easily be asked to draw his 14th start of 2024-25 and, if that’s the case, I’m having hard time seeing how the rookie doesn’t bring back value at his modest price tag. It doesn’t hurt that the Raptors lead the NBA in pace across their past 10 games, either. The athletic and raw Mogbo thrives in transition.
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