Happy Friday, everybody. Tonight, there are nine NBA games to attack, and if you haven’t by now, you need to check out DraftKings’ new Snake Draft format! Below, we break down some of the best targets for tonight’s DraftKings NBA Snake slate.
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NBA Snake Rank: 4th
In his first start after being snubbed for this year’s All-Star team, Young lit the Celtics up for 51.0 DKFP on Wednesday night. His usage has been at a ridiculous level of 37.2% in his last five, lifting him to 58.5 DKFP per game during this impressive run.
He and the Hawks travel to Oklahoma City on Friday night, and this Thunder defense has been very vulnerable to point guards this season. They are currently allowing the fourth-most DKFP per game to the position and starting center Al Horford will get a day off for rest. Even at 34-years-old, the veteran is a key piece to the Thunder’s defense and in the ten contests he has sat this year, OKC has yielded 118.8 points per game. Expect Young’s redemption tour to continue in this plus spot with a minimum of 50.0 DKFP.
NBA Snake Rank: 12th
We should see a point guard duel between Young and Gilgeous-Alexander tonight. The latter went off for a season-best 61.0 DKFP against the Spurs on Wednesday and is now amassing 51.0 DKFP across his past three. On top of Horford, the Thunder are shorthanded in their backcourt, with George Hill (thumb) and Hamidou Diallo (groin) out.
Gilgeous-Alexander will be relied on heavily and going head-to-head with Trae Young is always optimal for the opposition. Of 83 eligible point guards this season, the 22-year-old ranks dead-last in real defensive plus/minus. Gilgeous-Alexander should get anything he wants in this matchup and is well worth an early round investment.
NBA Snake Rank: 7th
Butler was brilliant Wednesday, posting 62.0 DKFP in a huge win vs. the Raptors, but we shouldn’t be chasing that score tonight with the Jazz coming to South Beach. Utah possesses the best record in the NBA at 26-6 and it is mostly due to their elite defense. With two-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert at the helm, the Jazz rate as the best defense in the NBA this month and they also play at the fourth-slowest pace.
The Heat are no slouches themselves on the defensive end (seventh in efficiency this season), and this should be a low scoring slugfest. Butler’s upside is certainly capped in this type of environment and there’s no way we should be targeting him at his high pre-draft ranking.
NBA Snake Rank: 29th
With the forward starting in all of their first 31 games of the season, the Pistons decided to load manage Grant on Wednesday. With extra rest under his belt, the 26-year-old, who is having a career season, will return to a dream matchup against the Kings on Friday. They rank dead-last in defensive efficiency and just let the Knicks score 140 points on them last night. After this embarrassment and a night of traveling from New York City to Detroit, this Kings’ defense should be even worse than usual and Grant should produce an excellent stat line in this glorious spot.
Per the DraftKings Sportsbook, the Kings are favored by 1.5 points tonight and when Grant has started in a spread under five points this year, the promising talent is supplying 39.3 DKFP per game.
NBA Snake Rank: 34th
The highest O/U game total of Friday night belongs to the Warriors vs. Hornets at 232 points on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Green comes into this matchup fresh off a 45.25 DKFP showing vs. the Knicks and then 47.75 DKFP against the Pacers. He was one rebound away from a triple-double in Wednesday’s win over Indiana and Green should stuff stat sheet against this Hornets’ defense that ranks 20th in efficiency.
DraftKings’ scoring system, one that rewards players for reaching double-doubles and triple-doubles, is perfect for Green’s skillset, and I am expecting him to contribute his third straight effort of 40-plus DKFP on Friday.
NBA Snake Rank: 101st
When Horford has been inactive this season, Roby has been the player who takes his place in the starting five. There’s no reason why this wouldn’t be the case again tonight and in the nine starts he has made for Horford this year, Roby is generating 26.3 DKFP in 26.2 minutes per game. Plus, when Horford, Hill and Diallo have been off the court, Roby has seen a 1.7% bump to his usage rate and has scored exactly 1.00 DKFP per minute.
The Hawks have been soft on the defensive end, rating as the fourth-worst defense in the league over their last ten, and Roby is simply ranked too low for life without Horford.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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