This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to avoid: Portland Trail Blazers, vs PHO: There are no dominant defenses on the main Saturday slate, and not even really any good ones. But, the Trail Blazers are playing high level basketball right now, at home, after a night off while the Suns are lottery bound and on the second night of a back-to-back. The Trail Blazers have allowed the fewest fantasy points to guards and the sixth fewest to centers over the past 10 games, but they've allowed the fifth-most to forwards and are now without center Jusuf Nurkic.
Offenses to Use: Minnesota Timberwolves, vs SAC: The Kings have allowed the most fantasy points to forwards, and the sixth-most to centers, but only the 12th-fewest to guards. The Timberwolves have been playing well from top-to-bottom, with two centers, a small forwards and two guards all potential value plays.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Hawks, Nets, Bulls, Lakers, Suns
Second game: Magic, Kings
Damian Lillard, POR vs PHO ($9,700): Lillard has averaged 49.3 fantasy points over his last six games, with a min of 43.5 and a max of 58.5 in that stretch. On Saturday, he faces a Suns defense that he has averaged 47.3 fantasy points against in three meetings this season.
Devin Booker, PHO at POR ($7,500): Booker has a tough match-up on Saturday, against a Trail Blazers defense that has allowed the fewest fantasy points to shooting guards in the last 10 games. However, outside of Jimmy Butler (listed here as forward), Booker is playing with the most explosive potential right now of any shooting guard playing on Saturday. And his two recent detonations (96.5 and 51.5 fantasy points in two of last three games) came against Celtics and Clippers defenses that have allowed the seventh and eighth-fewest fantasy points to shooting guards, indicating that Booker is match-up proof when he's in the zone.
Kris Dunn, MIN vs SAC ($4,500): Dunn has scored between 22.5 and 33.3 fantasy points in four straight games. He's become a big part of the team's game plan of late, and that should continue on Saturday against an average at best Kings perimeter defense.
Jimmy Butler, CHI vs ATL ($9,600): Butler has averaged 53.1 fantasy points with a min of 44.5 and a max of 68.8 in his last four games. On Saturday, he faces a Hawks defense against whom he is averaging 49.3 fantasy points in three games this season.
Nikola Mirotic, CHI vs ATL ($6,200): Mirotic has averaged 40.1 fantasy points with a min of 24.0 and a ceiling of 47.5 over his last four games. On Saturday, he faces a Hawks defense that has allowed the 16th-most fantasy points to power forwards.
Maurice Harkless, POR vs PHO ($4,300): Harkless popped for 35 fantasy points in his last outing, his best game since the start of March. Harkless' decline in production roughly corresponded with the rise in prominence of Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic is injured and out on Saturday, which may open up room for Harkless to produce again.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at Sac ($10,400): Towns has averaged 47.9 fantasy points in his last five games, despite that period including a 21-fantasy-point clunker against the Trail Blazers. He has bounced back with two big performances, and will look to capitalize on his next opportunity against a terrible Kings interior defense.
Dwight Howard, ATL at CHI ($8,000): Howard has averaged 44.3 fantasy points in his last five games, with a min of 36.5 and a max of 56. On Saturday, he faces a Bulls squad that he has averaged 34 fantasy points against in three games this season.
Gorgui Dieng, MIN vs SAC ($6,200): Dieng is higher-priced than "affordable", but none of the real affordable centers are trustworthy. Robin Lopez, Alan Williams or Marquis Chriss have upside, but also big downside. Dieng is less than $1K more than Chriss, but has four straight games between 32.5 and 46.3 fantasy points. And he's facing a Kings defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to centers in the last 10 games and the most to power forwards.
