This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to avoid: Utah Jazz, vs IND. The Jazz are first in the NBA in least production allowed to opposing guards, first against opposing forwards and third against opposing centers this season, according to the DraftKings scoring system.
Offenses to Use: Charlotte Hornets, vs BKN. The Nets are the opposite of the Jazz, ranking last against opposing guards, last against opposing forwards, and third-from-last against opposing centers this season. Barring a blowout, every Hornets player has a good match-up on Saturday.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Nuggets, Suns
Second game: Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Rockets, Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, 76ers, Trail Blazers, Kings, Jazz
Kemba Walker, CHA vs BKN ($8,000): Walker is having a good week, averaging 26.3 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 boards and 1.3 steals over his last three games. On Saturday, he faces a Nets defense that is last in the NBA in production allowed to opposing point guards.
Darren Collison, SAC at CHI ($5,300): This one is a bit outside the box, as Collison is coming off of a terrible game on Friday. Will Barton has been playing well and has a good matchup with the Clippers on Saturday, so call him the safer pick here. But Collison is playing on a team with a scoring vacuum to fill due to Rudy Gay's absence, he is facing a Bulls team that is 29th in the NBA at defending opposing point guards in the last 10 games, and he's dual-eligible position-wise in the backcourt. Plus, Collison has a low enough price tag to take a chance on.
Joe Ingles, UTA vs IND ($4,400): Ingles has averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.5 boards, 2.5 treys and 2.5 steals in 36 minutes per game in the two contests since Rodney Hood went down. These numbers are very similar to what Ingles has done in the other handful of games that Hood missed earlier this season. As such, he makes a good value play on Saturday against a Pacers defense that is relatively weak against opposing wings (23rd against shooting guards on season, 24th against small forwards over last 10 games).
Jimmy Butler, CHI vs SAC ($9100): Butler had a quiet game on Friday against the Hawks, but in the three before that he dominated to the tune of 22.7 points, 8.3 boards, 8.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks against strong defenses like Memphis and Dallas. He should bounce back on Saturday against a Kings team trying to adjust to life without Rudy Gay.
Kristaps Porzingis, NY vs PHO ($6,800): This rec is all about relative health, price and upside. Porzingis, when healthy last month, was a dominant player. He's struggled with the sore Achilles for most of this month, and either sat or played below his level. He returned on Thursday, coming off the bench, and looked better physically than he had for a while. As a result, he gets the call here due to his low price and his good matchup against a Suns defense that ranks 23rd in production allowed to opposing power forwards.
Dario Saric, PHI at ATL ($4,700): Saric is productive in the minutes that he's given, averaging 10.4 points with 6.8 boards, 2.2 assists, 2.0 treys and 1.2 combined steals/blocks in 23.8 mpg over his last five games. On Saturday he should be in for a larger role on the second half of a back-to-back, with Joel Embiid sitting against a Hawks defense that ranks 18th against opposing power forwards over the last 10 games.
DeAndre Jordan, LAC at DEN ($7,800): Jordan has averaged 17 points, 17.4 boards and 2.3 blocks in the month of January, and upped that to 24 points and 17 boards in his last three games, as he's had to take on more offensive responsibility sans Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. On Saturday, he faces Nikola Jokic and a Nuggets defense that has ranked 26th in the NBA in production allowed to opposing centers over the last 10 games.
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs IND ($6,900): Gobert has had a massive week, averaging 21.3 points, 20.3 boards and 2.7 blocks over his last three games capped by a 27/25 career night on Friday against a strong Mavericks defense. On Saturday, he faces a Pacers defense that ranks 21st in production allowed to opposing centers.
Tyson Chandler, PHO at NY ($5,200): Chandler is in the midst of another one of his monster rebound runs, averaging 17.2 boards to go with 10.3 points over his last six games. After sitting out on Monday against the Jazz, he bounced back with a 22 points/16 boards game against the Cavs. On Saturday, he faces his former team, the Knicks, that ranks 27th in production allowed to opposing centers this season.
