This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
TEAM ANALYSIS
Defense To Avoid
Utah Jazz, vs. New York Knicks: The Jazz are still allowing the fewest points per game (96.5) and have held three of their last five home opponents under 100 points. The Knicks are only 11-25 on the road this season and come into Wednesday reeling, having lost seven of their last nine games, including four straight on the road.
Offense To Use
Cleveland Cavaliers, at Denver Nuggets: The Cavs put up 125 points on the Nuggets in their meeting back in Cleveland earlier this season and have scored over 120 points in two of their last four games. They'll check into Wednesday well-rested after having last played Sunday and could be at full health if Kyle Korver makes his return. Meanwhile, Denver gives up the fourth-most points per game (111.0), second-highest field-goal percentage (47.8) and are tied with Dallas for second-highest three-point percentage allowed (37.9) as well.
Teams on a Back-to-Back Set
First game of a back-to-back: Knicks
Second game of a back-to-back: None
DraftKings.com DAILY PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
Kyrie Irving, CLE at DEN ($8,600): Russell Westbrook ($13,100) is naturally an outstanding play and in a particularly appealing matchup, so if you can make it work, by all means have at him. For those who can't afford him, Irving can be had at a nice discount and will face a Nuggets defense that's surrendered the second-most fantasy points (55.8) to point guards on the season, as well as the third-most points (24.4). They also check in as a bottom-five squad in assists and steals surrendered to the position, and a bottom-10 team in virtually every other category against ones. Irving already lit up Denver for 44.5 fantasy points in his one previous meeting with them this season and has scored over 45 fantasy points twice and over 50 once in the last five contests.
Rajon Rondo, CHI vs. DET ($5,700): Gary Harris ($6,300), Avery Bradley ($6,100), Jameer Nelson ($5,600), a particularly underpriced Derrick Rose ($5,400) and Malcolm Brogdon ($5,000) are appealing options at this price tier as well Wednesday, but Rondo has been playing especially well since his return to the starting lineup, and has seen a bump in usage since Dwyane Wade (elbow) was sidelined for the season. He's also averaged 31.9 fantasy points over two games against this Pistons squad and is coming off a 50.25-fantasy point explosion against the Raptors on Tuesday. Rondo has scored 38.5 and 42 fantasy points, respectively, in two other games over the last five, and the Pistons are surrendering a robust 52 fantasy points per game to point guards.
Garrett Temple, SAC vs. MIL ($4,200): The affordable tier has plenty to offer Wednesday as well, including Ish Smith as a same-price pivot from Temple, as well as Jamal Murray ($4,500), Nik Stauskas ($4,100), Brandon Jennings ($4,000), Jeremy Lamb ($4,000), C.J. Miles ($3,800) and Monta Ellis ($3,700). Temple has value as well, as he's been getting consistent minutes whether he's been in the starting five or coming off the bench. The veteran has scored between 21 and 26.75 fantasy points over the last four games, and also has 25.5 and 26.75 fantasy points in two other games since his return to action back on March 5. He's seen well over 20 minutes in all but one of those eight contests and also notably lit up the Bucks for 36.8 fantasy points already this season.
LeBron James, CLE at DEN ($11,100): Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9,200), Jimmy Butler ($8,900) and Paul George ($8,300) are all priced very fairly for their potential upside, so if you're looking for that high ceiling at a savings, they present as a trio of excellent pivots. That said, hard to go wrong with LeBron if you've got the cash, as he's averaged 55.2 fantasy points over the last five games, has over 60 fantasy points in six of the last 10 contests and over 50 in two others. He also scored 54.3 fantasy points over 33 minutes against Denver in the one earlier meeting this season and the Nuggets surrender the fourth-highest field-goal percentage (46.9) to small forwards. Denver is also likely to be without Danilo Gallinari (knee) again Wednesday, leaving young Juancho Hernangomez with a good chunk of the responsibility of following James around.
Nicolas Batum, CHA at ORL ($6,900): Gordon Hayward ($7,400) and Robert Covington ($7,300) are also great choices if you can afford to spend up a bit, while Khris Middleton ($6,200), Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,100) and Aaron Gordon ($5,600) are appealing value plays. Batum lands in the middle, has averaged 40.1 fantasy points over three games against the Magic this season and faces an Orlando defense that's surrendered the third-most fantasy points (50.4) to shooting guards over the last five games. Batum seems to be fully recovered from a scary, multi-day episode with migraines as well, as he's scored 26.5 and 28.5 fantasy points in his first two games back while playing 27 and 31 minutes, respectively.
Thabo Sefolosha, ATL at WAS ($4,300): Skal Labissiere ($4,900) and Juancho Hernangomez ($4,700) are emerging young players also worth considering, while Thaddeus Young ($4,600) and Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,300) are certainly viable as well at this level, especially for GPPs. Meanwhile, Sefolosha can fill out the stat sheet on any given night and stands to be more involved than usual with both Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore already ruled out with their respective knee injuries. He's averaged 21.8 fantasy points over three games against this same Wizards squad this season and has eclipsed 30 fantasy points thrice and 20 fantasy points twice in the last 10 contests. The veteran has even been a tad better on the road (19.9 fantasy points over 27 games as compared to 19.1 over 31 home contests) and should see the same bump in usage that helped produce 30.5 fantasy points against the Hornets on Monday when Millsap and Bazemore also missed.
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. NY ($7,700): There's a lot to like at the upper tier at center Wednesday, as a case can be made for Nikola Jokic ($10,000), Andre Drummond ($7,900) and Kevin Love ($7,800). Meanwhile, it's nearly impossible to decide between Gobert and Nikola Vucevic ($7,900) who's an excellent pivot considering his matchup and recent production. However, Gobert has been one of the most reliable cash or GPP plays all season long and now draws a Knicks defense that's surrendered a whopping 65.1 fantasy points to centers over the last five games, third-most in the NBA, along with the second-most points on the season (22.8). Gobert has also been over 50 fantasy points thrice and over 40 on another three occasions over the last 10, while averaging 43.9 fantasy points over the last five games overall.
Myles Turner, IND at BOS ($5,700): The mid-tier is loaded as well Wednesday, so if you need to save even more, pivots such as Greg Monroe ($5,300), Enes Kanter ($5,100), Steven Adams ($5,000), Tristan Thompson ($4,800) and Cody Zeller ($4,600) also make for very strong plays. However, Turner shouldn't be overlooked despite his price being a bit higher, as he's averaged 30.1 fantasy points over two games against the Celtics and has scored between 32.25 and 41.25 fantasy points in three of his last four games. He's also been at 22 or more in four other games in the last 10 and over 30 on another occasion. Boston has surrendered 53.6 fantasy points to centers over the last 10 and checks in as a bottom-10 unit in rebounds (15.1) and assists (3.4) given up to the position as well.
Georgios Papagiannis, SAC vs. MIL ($3,400): At the higher end of the affordable scale, Marcin Gortat ($4,600) and Robin Lopez ($4,100) are certainly viable value plays at their prices, while Papagiannis' teammate Kosta Koufos ($3,900) is also a consideration. However, for those needing to save a few hundred more and willing roll the dice a bit while doing so, the Greek seven-footer could be one of the sneakier bargain plays of the night. Papagiannis has scored 34.25 and 22 fantasy points, respectively, in his last two as coach Dave Joerger has afforded him 22 and 24 minutes in those contests. That's a big bump up from the single-digit and 12-13 minutes that the big man had seen in his previous eight games, so this is strictly a tournament play. However, there's a definite youth movement afoot in the Kings' frontcourt post-DeMarcus Cousins, and with the Bucks giving up the sixth-most fantasy points on the season (52.4) and seventh-most (55.7) over the last 10 to centers, he's a dart throw worth considering.
INJURY REPORT
For the latest news on injured players heading into the games, check out our Injury Updates page.
