Dallas Mavericks & Denver Nuggets

Over/Under: 225

Spread: DAL -2

There is a battle of superstars as the Mavericks take on the Nuggets in a late-night showdown!

News to Watch

*Nikola Jokic – Questionable (ankle)

*JaMychal Green – Probably (illness)

*Monte Morris – Questionable (quadriceps)

*Gary Harris - Out

CPT/MVP

1.)Luka Doncic PG DAL ($17,100)

Doncic will be well-rested after Dallas held him out of Thursday’s game on a precautionary basis since they had played the night before. There is more of an emphasis on that tonight as the Nuggets will be taking the court for the second straight day. After appearing in the All-Star game, Doncic picked right up where he left off on Wednesday with a triple-double as he scored 22 points while adding 12 rebounds and 12 assists. It’s not hyperbole when we say that Doncic’s upside is 80 fantasy points, but his average for the season of 56.6 isn’t too bad as a floor either.

2.)Nikola Jokic C DEN ($17,700)

In a vacuum it would be a coin flip between Doncic and Jokic for the captain spot (I know real great analysis, right?) but Denver played last night and Jokic is questionable with an ankle injury he acquired in said game. Ultimately fitting both studs into your lineup should be the objective though as long as Jokic is active. All Jokic did last night was put an “average” game for him as he scored 28 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out seven assists in 36 minutes which was good for 62.8 DK points (his average is 59.7).

3.)Kristaps Porzingis PF/C DAL ($13,800)

Porzingis was also rested on Thursday along with Doncic so he should enter tonight’s game at full strength. Scoring hasn’t been an issue for him this season (20.8 points per game) and his full potential was on display Wednesday as he put up 28 points. Of greater interest is his streak of three games of double-digit rebounds (just over 12 per game) as we look for that to continue.

MID-TIER

1.)Michael Porter Jr. SF/PF DEN ($7,800)

Porter appears to be finding his groove offensively and he is coming off a 24-point performance last night against the Grizzlies. The forward has also been proficient on the boards as of late with 42 rebounds over his last four games. His value is solely dependent on these two categories but he has been good for about 35 DK points a night with the upside for a little more.

2.)Jamaal Murray PG DEN ($8,800)

Ignoring Murray might be short-sighted, but based on the price tonight, it’s difficult to include him along with Doncic and Jokic and among the upper-level options, he would be the first to cut. Generally, Murray is strictly left to cash games as he doesn’t bring much in the way of upside. Despite averaging 21.2 points per game, the fact that he averages just four rebounds and four assists per game keeps his value down. That is especially emphasized on days, such as last night, when Murray didn’t score as he was just 1 of 14 from the field while scoring only three points.

3.)Josh Richardson SG/SF DAL ($6,400)

Richardson generally plays around 30 minutes per game, and has developed into a consistent scorer for the Mavericks. In nine of his last 10 games, Richardson has eclipsed double figures while averaging 14 points per game. At this price point, Richardson offers up solid production in both GPP and cash lineups tonight.

DART THROWS

1.)Paul Millsap PF/C DEN ($5,000)

Millsap will be one of the first Nuggets off the bench tonight regardless of the statuses of Jokic and Green, but that only serves to benefit him. The forward returned last night after missing close to a month of time himself and he picked up right where he left off scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds. It appears that the forward is a lock for 20 to 25 DK points on a nicely basis and he comes in at a nice price tonight.

2.)Dorian Finney-Smith SF/PF DAL ($4,800)

The starting forward plays at least 30 minutes a game for Dallas and he’s generally good for 15 to 20 DK points a night. There isn’t much in the way of scoring upside here but Finney-Smith does have two games of 14 points and one of 12 points over his last 10. In an ideal situation, we would get that level of offensive production with the eight rebounds per game he has been averaging over his last three.

3.)Facundo Campazzo PG DEN ($3,800)

At worst Campazzo will be the first guard off the bench for Denver tonight, and at best he will be elevated to the starting lineup if Morris is sidelined. The guard is coming off a solid performance last night as he scored eight points and dished out four assists in 19 minutes of play and a repeat of that is a reasonable floor.