To start the second half of the NBA season, the Spurs and Mavericks will go head-to-head tonight for a divisional matchup in Dallas. DraftKings is offering up some huge showdown GPPs for this contest and below I give you some of my favorite options to attack for the format.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $150K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st] (SAS vs DAL)
Luka Doncic ($18,900 CP)
Doncic missed the Mavs’ final game before the All-Star break with a back issue, but he has been lifted from the injury report and will be a full go for Wednesday’s divisional matchup vs. the Spurs. Despite having a former All-NBA Second Team defensive player in Dejounte Murray at the one, San Antonio has been dreadful at defending point guards this year. They have yielded the most DKFP per game to the position by a wide margin, and a point guard facing the Spurs is the second-most friendly matchup in fantasy basketball this season, regardless of position.
In his first meeting with the club back in January, Doncic posted 66.25 DKFP and he will be at home on Wednesday, where the superstar has provided 58 DKFP per game in 2020-21. This is a 4.7 DKFP increase from when Doncic has been on the road this season and it’s almost guaranteed that the MVP candidate produces the most DKFP in this Texas tilt.
DeMar DeRozan ($14,700 CP)
In that first clash between San Antonio and Dallas two months ago, DeRozan recorded 47 DKFP. He closed out the first half of the season with 43.3 DKFP per game in his final four contests before the All-Star break and the consistent forward has eclipsed 40 DKFP 58% of the time this season. Furthermore, the Mavericks rank 24th in defensive efficiency and the Spurs are only 4.5-point underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook. When the line has been under five points this year, DeRozan is averaging 40.5 DKFP per game.
The remaining players on both the Spurs and Mavs lack serious upside and I wouldn’t go past DeRozan or Doncic when choosing a captain for this showdown slate.
Derrick White ($6,200)
After missing the past five games because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, White practiced Monday and has been removed from the Spurs’ injury report ahead of this date with the Mavericks. The extended rest should have helped the combo guard get back to full strength after dealing with a nagging toe injury for essentially this entire season, and we should see White handle close to 30 minutes on a nightly basis from here on out. The last time he was active, which was back on Feb. 14, the 26-year-old went off for a season-high 43.5 DKFP against the Hornets.
He is scoring exactly one DKFP per minute this year and this is a depressed price for a fully healthy White.
Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,800)
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle’s rotations can be tough to predict at times, but Finney-Smith’s role has been rather steady as of late. Prior to the break, the forward had logged at least 30 minutes in 11 straight games. When the Florida product has received over 30 minutes this year, he is generating 22 DKFP per game.
Finney-Smith isn’t a perfect play, but his solidified role makes him one of the better values for this single game format.
Maxi Kleber ($4,600)
Similar to Finney-Smith, relying on Kleber’s solid playing time makes sense for this showdown slate. He has obtained over 25 minutes in 10 of his past 13 games and this Spurs defense has been weak at defending power forwards this season, allowing the seventh-most DKFP per game to the position.
The O/U game total of this inner-state rivalry is at 221 points on DraftKings Sportsbook and when the total has been 220 points or more this year, Kleber has averaged 19.7 DKFP. The Spurs are giving up rebounds at the sixth-highest rate this season and Kleber should eclipse 20 DKFP vs. San Antonio.
Lonnie Walker IV ($5,800)
Walker was playing big minutes before the break, but his role is going to diminish with the Spurs all the sudden the healthiest they have been in weeks. White and Rudy Gay will be returning from five-game absences and LaMarcus Aldridge will also be back with the team after missing the past two with an illness. The last time all three of these Spurs were active, Walker only saw 16 minutes of work.
He was priced up in case San Antonio remained shorthanded, but with that not being the case, Walker is now rating as one of the worst values in this matchup.
Even though the Spurs have all their weapons back, I still believe the Mavericks will get the job done on their home floor. They were rounding into form before the break, winning nine of their previous 11 and Dallas has come out victorious in seven of their past eight home games.
As noted above, Doncic has been more productive at the American Airlines Center in 2020-21 and he should dominate coming off the extra rest. He has won four of his past five meetings with the Spurs and while I am expecting a competitive affair, Doncic and the Mavs should kick off the second half of the season with a win on Wednesday night.
Final Score: Mavericks 114, Spurs 109
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