NBA DFS Showdown Playbook April 8: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Published: Apr 08, 2022
Oklahoma City Thunder & Los Angeles Lakers
Spread: Lakers -5
Total: 226.5
Injuries:
Oklahoma City Thunder:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Out
- Josh Giddey – Out
- Lu Dort – Out
- Tre Mann – Out
- Darius Bazley – Out
- Kenrich Williams – Out
- Ty Jerome - Out
Los Angeles Lakers:
- LeBron James – Out
- Anthony Davis – Out
- Russell Westbrook – Out
- Carmelo Anthony - Out
*Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.
MVP/CPT
While I don’t want to be dramatic here, sometimes it’s good to go with a name you know. I’m not implying that the players on this slate are anonymous to me, or you for that matter, but I don’t think you’d get an argument by saying the best five players on the slate will all be watching in street clothes. Malik Monk took 17 shots last night, making eight of them, in 37 minutes on his way to a 24-point, seven-rebound, four-assist performance. We should get similar production tonight.
Isaiah Roby continues to score in double figures on a nightly basis and in his last six games, he is averaging 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. In a theme you will notice across all positions for both teams, there shouldn’t be much resistance tonight for Roby to make an impact and the big man’s role appears to be secure.
This might be the cheapest option I’ve ever recommended for the captain spot; even in cases where I was actively trying to differentiate from the field to save some cap space. Talen Horton-Tucker is in a great spot offensively with the Lakers' top three, and four of five, best players sidelined tonight. Even better, Horton-Tucker scored 40 points last night against Golden State.
Util
It’s clear that the Thunder are looking to tank, but even with that being the case, someone has to take the floor for them. Over the past week, they have been leaning heavily on Jaylen Hoard. That has especially been true over his last two games in which he scored 24 and 23 points, respectively. While Hoard will also get you some rebounds, don’t go crazy looking for the 21 he grabbed a few nights ago.
Before we go any further, we need to come to grips with one very critical factor tonight – ignore the salary cap. Based on the players we have at our disposal and the pricing, the salary cap likely won’t come into play. Plus, perhaps more importantly, it is critical to simply pick the best six players and don’t fret at how much cap space is left on the table. We are hunting minutes, and last night, Austin Reaves played 32 of them. Although he failed to make much of an impact, he scored 12 points to go along with three rebounds and one assist.
I know I mentioned it before, but if you are going to tank, you might as well do it well. For the Thunder that means giving Zavier Simpson the start in each of his last two games, and I would expect another heavy workload for him tonight (39 and 44 minutes in his first two games). Simpson didn’t get to the free-throw line in either game, and he struggled from the field shooting a combined 7-for-22. Sill, with three rebounds and eight assists per game, the overall value is there.
We have to keep an eye on what the Lakers do with Dwight Howard after they played last night. He only played 25 minutes, though, so there should be something left in the tank. Howard certainly was efficient against the Warriors, as he scored 16 points while grabbing 12 rebounds, and I wouldn’t expect him to meet any resistance.
The rookie is getting a chance to show what he can do as we close out the season, averaging 36 minutes in his last two games. That has translated into 14 points per game for Georgios Kalaitzakis and, even without much other production, he is still worth a look based on the expected playing time.
I guess we are back to Stanley Johnson as an option? The forward was on the court for 35 minutes last night and, while he scored just eight points, Johnson did grab six rebounds and post a solid DFS performance – despite turning the ball over six times.
Wenyen Gabriel has had flashes of success this season, and tonight he should play a minimum of 20 minutes – if not more. Last night all we got out of Gabriel was six points and three rebounds, so we could make the argument that this really is more of a dart play.
Dart Throws
In the interest of clarity tonight, there are question marks about everyone else once we get past the captain spot options. While there are players I like more than others, you get into dart-throw territory pretty quickly and none of the options are cost-prohibitive. So, all of my value picks are included above.
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Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.