NBA DFS Showdown Playbook January 19: Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Top Picks
Happy Friday in the NBA my friends! We have a very intriguing matchup for the NBA DFS Showdown slate tonight. The Brooklyn Nets led by Mikal Bridges continue their West Coast trip taking on Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are starting to find their stride winners of two straight games while the Nets have lost four straight games.
Finding some of the NBA DFS top picks could be, easier if you look at Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Projections, powered by FanJections. Let’s dive into the complete breakdown for tonight’s showdown slate between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Total: 227
Spread: Lakers (-7)
Brooklyn Nets Injuries:
- Mikal Bridges - Probable
- Dariq Whitehead - OUT
- Ben Simmons - OUT
- Day'Ron Sharpe - OUT
Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
- LeBron James - OUT
- Anthony Davis - Probable
- Cam Reddish - OUT
- Gabe Vincent - OUT
NBA DFS Showdown CPT/MVP Top Plays
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis is the best play at the captain spot tonight because he has the best floor and ceiling. It is just a question if you want to pay for him because he is $1,200 more expensive than his teammate LeBron James. He is worth the price of admission for me tonight. He has scored at least 59 fantasy points in four of his last five games. He will match up with Nic Claxton tonight who is lengthy and could cause some issues, but I feel AD will be just fine.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron has been doing LeBron James things as of late. He has gone crazy for some time but has been extremely solid. He has scored at least 40 fantasy points in five of his last six games. Unfortunately, when you have to pay $10,600 for him he isn't quite hitting the value we would like. LeBron is in play tonight because of who he is and this game is in primetime. But because of the price, he isn't someone I am jamming into my lineup if I can not afford to.
Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets
After an underwhelming beginning of the month, Bridges has started to catch fire over his past four games. He has scored at least 21 game points in four straight games including a 42-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers a few games ago. He has shown his ceiling over the past four games scoring over 50 fantasy points in two of those games. If Brooklyn is going to win this game and snap their losing streak, it will be on the back of Mikal Bridges.
NBA DFS Showdown Utility Top Plays
Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets
Claxton just continues to be solid for the Brooklyn Nets as the only true five-man on their roster at the moment. He has kept his double-digit rebound streak going to six games after posting a 12-12 double in his last game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He gets a tough matchup against Anthony Davis tonight which could cause him to struggle on the offensive end. His floor is solid though because of his rebounding. If he adds a couple of stocks as well, he should be solid once again.
D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
I really like D-Lo at his price tonight going against his former Brooklyn Nets team. He is just sitting at $7,200 which is very solid with how aggressive he has been on the offensive end as of late. Over his last five games, he has gone over a 30% usage in two of those games. He also has taken at least 12 shots in four of those games as well, including two games with over 20 attempts. With Russell being this aggressive and showing that his ceiling is within reach, against a Nets defense that ranks in the bottom third of the NBA.
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
Austin Reaves is now under 7k after just being fine as of late. With Russell taking a lot of the load on the offensive end, Reaves has been a bit quiet. What has kept him afloat though is the fact he has dished out at least six assists in four of his last five games. Reaves should continue to stay solid tonight and should float around the 25-30 fantasy points night in a good matchup against the Nets.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
After two straight games of Can Thoms checking up shots, Thomas took a backseat in the last game. He played just 22 minutes and scored eight points on seven shot attempts. Not the best showing from him. If Thomas gets in the game early and starts knocking down shots, he can really put his stamp on the game. It's hard to take him out of the game when that happens even when he is poor on the defensive end like he was in their last game. I am going back to the well with Thomas tonight.
NBA DFS Showdown Value Top Plays
Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets
Dorian Finney-Smith is a volume play because he is playing around 30 minutes each night. The Nets are very small with Day'Ron Sharpe out with injury meaning DFS has to play a lot of small ball-center. This is a game in which Nic Claxton could get into early foul trouble and DFS could see an even more extended run. He isn't a great fantasy, points-per-minute guy. However, at his price of $5,000, you will gladly take 25 fantasy points.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Los Angeles Lakers
Even with Cam Reddish sitting out with injury the Lakers elected to play Jarred Vanderbilt. They they opted to start Taurean Prince but Vanderbilt played 26 minutes to Prince's just 21. If the Lakers elect to match the Nets small ball lineup at any point tonight I would expect Vanderbilt to be the best candidate at that over Christain Wood. Vanderbilt is a hustle guy and should grab a solid amount of rebounds in this one. At just $3,400 I expect Vanderbilt to smash that value in this one.
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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.