Saturday features an eight-game NBA slate. The action gets underway with the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. ET, and it wraps up with a pair of contests at 10 p.m. ET.
One of those late games features the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sacramento Kings, which is the featured showdown contest on DraftKings.
Let’s take a look at some showdown options to get your lineup started.
(NOTE: All salaries are in the utility spot unless otherwise indicated.)
Set your DraftKings lineup here: NBA Showdown $80K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (MIL vs SAC)
Showdown Strategy
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have been one of the best offensive teams in basketball this season, and they should be able to do plenty of damage tonight vs. the Kings. The Kings rank dead last in terms of defensive efficiency, and the Bucks’ implied team total of 122.75 is the top mark on Saturday’s slate.
Of course, the Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), who is coming off a massive performance yesterday. He racked up 72.5 DKFP thanks to 47 points and 12 rebounds, and he should be able to put together another big game on Saturday. The Kings don’t really have anyone capable of matching his combination of size and athleticism – very few teams do – and Giannis should have a field day on the interior. The Kings give up the most points in the paint per game in the league, and that’s where Giannis does most of his damage.
Khris Middleton ($8,800) and Jrue Holiday ($8,400) are Giannis’ top running mates, and both players have some appeal in this matchup. Middleton has been the more productive fantasy asset this season, but Holiday has outproduced him on a per-minute basis over the past month. Holiday has scored at least 47.0 DKFP in each of his past three games, which gives him arguably a slightly higher ceiling despite the lower price tag.
After the Bucks’ top three, the production falls off quickly. Donte DiVincenzo ($7,000) is next up on the pricing spectrum, but he seems a bit overpriced at the moment. He’s scored 28.75 DKFP or less in each of his past six games, so he’s priced too close to Middleton and Holiday to warrant consideration. I’m also not particularly interested in Brook Lopez ($6,400) or Bobby Portis ($6,200).
Pat Connaughton ($5,000) is probably the next Milwaukee player I’m actually considering. He’s struggled a bit recently, scoring 17.25 DKFP or less in each of his past three games, but he’s still seeing plenty of playing time. He’s a nice buy-low option.
The Bucks also have a few punt plays worth considering. Bryn Forbes ($2,400) is always capable of knocking down a few open 3-pointers. He’s shooting 45.1% from 3-point range this season, and he only needs to drain a couple of those to pay off his current salary.
Jeff Teague ($1,000) is also interesting at the absolute minimum. He played 13.3 minutes in his first game with the Bucks, and while that’s obviously not a ton of playing time, Teague has averaged 0.79 DKFP per minute. That means he can rack up points quickly in this matchup.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings should also provide solid fantasy value in this matchup. The Bucks have not been the same defensive team this season that they’ve been in the past, but they still play at one of the faster paces in the league. Overall, there should be plenty of points scored on both sides.
The Kings have also played a tight rotation recently, with most of their starters logging heavy minutes. That includes De’Aaron Fox ($9,600), who leads the team with an average of 1.30 DKFP per minute over the past month. He also owns arguably the top individual matchup on the team, with the Bucks struggling at times this season vs. opposing point guards.
Richaun Holmes ($8,000) stands out as one of my favorite targets on this slate. He’s played some of his best basketball of the season recently, scoring at least 37.5 DKFP in four of his past five games. The lone exception was yesterday’s game vs. the Lakers, but Holmes played just 24.3 minutes in a blowout loss. He should return to his usual workload today, and I like his chances of returning value in this matchup.
Harrison Barnes ($7,400), Tyrese Haliburton ($7,200) and Buddy Hield ($6,600) round out the Kings’ starting lineup, and all three players bring different skillsets to the table. Barnes is the safest investment of the trio, and he led the team with 26 points yesterday vs. the Lakers. That said, he doesn’t typically provide much of a ceiling.
Haliburton and Hield have more upside. Haliburton is the more balanced player – he’s capable of filling up the box score – but Hield has the potential to get one from deep. He shot just 1-9 from 3-point range yesterday, so this could be a nice buy-low opportunity.
Delon Wright ($5,600) was acquired from the Pistons before the trade deadline, and he’s the Kings’ top option off the bench. He’s averaged 0.93 DKFP per minute over the past month, which gives him solid upside at his salary. That said, he doesn’t figure to play a ton of minutes if this game stays competitive, so I’d rather find the extra money for Hield or Haliburton.
As far as punt plays go for the Kings, Terence Davis ($2,000) stands out as the best of the bench. He was acquired from the Raptors before the trade deadline, and he’s averaged a solid 0.94 DKFP per minute this season. He struggled to find consistent playing time with the Raptors, but he’s playing around 18-20 minutes per game with the Kings. That’s enough for him to potentially return value.
The Outcome
My strategy for this contest is to go with a stars-and-scrubs approach. I like the idea of using either Giannis Antetokounmpo ($17,100 CP) or Richaun Holmes ($12,000 CP) at the Captain spot, depending on exactly how many stars I want to jam in. Going with Giannis means you’ll likely have to dip into the punt plays, but I have no problem rostering Forbes, Teague or Davis.
Final Score: Bucks 124, Kings 120
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