This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
PHI (-1) vs. NYK, O/U:
GSW (-9) vs. OKC, O/U: 224
LAL (-4.5) vs. SAS, O/U:
HOU vs. DAL (-11), O/U: 220
DEN vs. UTA (-7.5), O/U: 219.5
The Rockets-Mavericks matchup is an intriguing one to target with plenty of talent in the mid-tier and a couple reliable higher-tier picks in Luka Doncic of the Mavs and Christian Wood of the Rockets. The young Rockets squad is full of firepower with rookie Jalen Green and Kevin Porter offering huge potential upside, while Jae'Sean Tate, Eric Gordon and Daniel Theis can also offer good value at lower salaries. On the other hand, Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway and Dorian Finney-Smith all have the capability to out-perform their price tags as well.
Another contest to take a good look at is Nuggets-Jazz, as it is full of reliable and reasonably priced options. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert lead the pack for the Jazz and both should be able to perform well based on their individual matchups, while Nikola Jokic's ability to spread the floor and facilitate will help him produce even up against a tough interior defender like Gobert. Michael Porter is also a player that can put up some monster numbers for the Nuggets with a reasonable salary for his upside. When looking at the mid-tier range, the Nuggets offer a good selection with Monte Morris, Will Barton and Aaron Gordon, while the Jazz offer even more choice with guys like Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Injuries to Monitor
Andre Drummond (ankle), Joel Embiid (knee): Questionable
Drummond was sidelined for the Sixers' last contest Sunday, which opened up more playing time for Matisse Thybulle and Georges Niang. Meanwhile, Embiid has been listed as questionable for the last two games but has pulled through each time and put up strong numbers. However, if Embiid is to be sidelined, it will mean a boost to Tobias Harris' value and also major minutes for Thybulle and Niang.
Shake Milton (ankle), Ben Simmons (personal): OUT
With two of the Sixers' top guards remaining out, it will continue to mean extra minutes and key roles for Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey, while Furkan Korkmaz and Danny Green will also continue to see extra value.
James Wiseman (knee), Jonathan Kuminga (knee): OUT
With the two forwards remaining sidelined, it continues to put more responsibility on Kevon Looney to hold it down in the paint, while Otto Porter, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica will be picking up extra minutes in the frontcourt.
Derrick Favors (rest): OUT
With the veteran big man sidelined, the Thunder keep the focus on their young core in the frontcourt, namely Darius Bazley and Isaiah Roby, while Aleksej Pokusevski and Mike Muscala will also see some extra minutes trickle down.
Elite Players
Guard
Stephen Curry ($11,000)
Although he goes up against a strong defender in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Curry has proven many times over that no matter who is guarding him, he can be virtually unstoppable. Curry has been on a tear to start the season, averaging 31.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals, over his first three games.
Luka Doncic ($10,900)
Doncic faces off against a young Rockets squad that has plenty of potential on the offensive end, but no one capable of locking up an elite backcourt talent. Doncic has yet to have one of his signature huge triple-doubles or 30-point games, but he is averaging 22.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game, which should be easily achievable here.
Donovan Mitchell ($8,700)
Mitchell and the Jazz will be playing host to a Nuggets team that will be on the second night of a back-to-back after coming off a home loss Monday. Mitchell is averaging 21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.0 steals as the Jazz remain undefeated after two games. He will have a better matchup on the offensive end than the other primary scorers in the Utah lineup, which could mean that he steps up for a big night.
Forward/Center
LeBron James ($9,400)
LeBron is the Lakers' leading scorer and has his hands in almost everything they do offensively, even with the star-studded roster. He goes up against a Spurs team that lacks a great wing defender and may find himself guarded by Doug McDermott at least part of the time, which would be an easy matchup for James, or will cause the Spurs to send doubles. With LeBron's great court vision, he will just rack up the assists in that case.
Anthony Davis ($9,200)
Davis has been off to a good start to the season, averaging 25.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He is going up against the Spurs, who simply do not have the personnel to matchup with him one-on-one. Davis will be going up either against smaller defenders or Jakob Poeltl, who does not have the agility to keep up, especially when Davis steps outside.
Expected Chalk
Anthony Davis
The Spurs do not have the size or agility to guard Davis when he looks to score the ball and thus, he should be an obvious offensive option for the Lakers to focus on early. He will have a chance to find his rhythm early in the contest and could end up racking up a big points total. Despite their frontcourt being a little thin, the Spurs have good backcourt talent and, of course, good coaching that can help them stay in the game and keep it competitive long enough for AD to put up solid numbers all around. In the case that the Lakers catch fire early and lean towards a blowout, it will likely be at the hands of Davis anyway, as he poses the biggest mismatch on the court. He impacts the game on both ends and the combination of rebounds, steals and blocks, along with his point totals, should make him a worthwhile pick, especially coming in below $10,000.
Value Picks
Lonnie Walker ($4,200)
The Spurs are going to have their work cut out for them going up against the Lakers, who pose all kinds of matchup problems as mentioned above. This could lead to foul trouble for the Spurs' starters or a blowout, which would both benefit Walker.
Furkan Korkmaz ($3,800)
Korkmaz has benefitted from some extra minutes and touches early on, as the Sixers remain short-handed in the backcourt with Ben Simmons and Shake Milton sidelined. Korkmaz is averaging 13.7 points on 48 percent shooting in 19.0 minutes per game over the 76ers' first three contests.
Isaiah Roby ($3,700)
The Thunder will be resting Derrick Favors on Tuesday, which likely means Roby will get the start, and definitely means he will see a few extra minutes and touches. The Thunder go up against the Warriors, who are not too big up front, which should allow the young big man some room to spread his wings.
Facundo Campazzo ($3,600)
With the Nuggets playing on the second night of a back-to-back, it can be expected that they might lean a bit more on their bench. If their conditioning catches up to them and they end up on the wrong side of a lopsided score, then Campazzo will have a chance to tack on some extra stats.
Matisse Thybulle ($3,500)
The absences of Simmons and Milton from the 76ers lineup results in a ripple effect that gives more minutes to Thybulle, who provides necessary utility as a solid perimeter defender. If Joel Embiid ends up sidelined as well, then Thybulle is almost a must-pick, as the Sixers will need even more from him.
