For tonight’s NBA DFS Showdown breakdown, we’re looking at the late-night hammer between the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. There are plenty of storylines heading into this game, none bigger than Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in this year's draft, making his NBA debut for Portland. Of course, the likes of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook are polarizing and the Clippers are big favorites against the young Blazers. Still, it is opening night for both teams and anything can happen in this wonderful sport of basketball that we love. Finding some of the NBA DFS top picks could be made easier if you take a look at Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Projections, powered by FanJections. Let’s dive into the complete breakdown for tonight’s NBA DFS showdown slate on DraftKings and FanDuel.

 

Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers

Total: 226

Spread: LAC -9

 

Portland Trail Blazers Injuries

  • Ish Wainwright - OUT

Los Angeles Clippers Injuries

 

NBA DFS Showdown CPT/MVP Top Plays

Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers

When Paul George is healthy, there are few players in the league that do more from a fantasy standpoint on a nightly basis. This match-up against a young Portland roster profiles so well for George. He can do everything offensively, but George averaged nearly two steals/blocks combined last year and the one thing we know about a young offense is that they can definitely be turnover-prone. George and Leonard are likely the two highest-owned captains, so guessing which one is the key.

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

Leonard was arguably playing his best basketball of the year in the Suns series this past postseason before the injury. Another guy we constantly are saying “is he healthy” about, but he’s entering the season healthy, so all systems go. Leonard, like George, can dominate the game from every angle. Leonard shoots the three far less than George, but man was he a sniper last year shooting 42% from beyond the arc. If he ups that volume and keeps the efficiency, Portland stands no shot here.

Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers

What’s the blinding light? It’s Simons’ green light when he’s on the floor. Last year, with Damian Lillard off the floor, Simons averaged 27.9 points on 20.5 FGA per game across 11 contests. 20.5 shots! Now, Scoot Henderson was drafted third overall and he’s an offensive-minded player first, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the offense still runs through Simons. When you take a look at Simons’ numbers last year without Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic they’re really impressive. He saw an 8.9% USG bump to a team-high 34.6% while averaging 1.15 DKP/game. If Portland keeps this game competitive it’ll largely be because Simons has caught fire.

NBA DFS Showdown UTIL Top Plays

Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers

Say what you want about Russell Westbrook, but for a guy who was crushed at every turn, he averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game for the Lakers and Clippers last season. Those are pretty damn good fantasy numbers, especially for a guy priced at $7.2K in the UTIL spot. If you don’t want to go all the way down the value tier tonight, an easier approach at CPT is, in fact, to use Westbrook. He almost made the cut. He’s a very safe showdown option tonight.

Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers

We saw it during the preseason, but Henderson is going to attack the basket a LOT and there are going to a lot of ups and downs with that. He’s not a polished shooter and is not going to shoot a high percentage from three. He excels as a playmaker but this might not be the best spot to showcase those abilities. The Clippers' defense keeps me from vaulting Henderson into CPT territory.

Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers

2022-’23 was a career year for Zubac who played the most minutes per game of his career (28.6) and averaged career highs in points and rebounds. In fact, he fell .1 rebound shy of averaging a double-double! He used to be taken off the floor a lot more but even when the Clippers traded for Mason Plumlee, Plumlee averaged just 19.9 MPG. Zubac is a double-double threat in this game and should play 30 minutes in a competitive setting here.

NBA DFS Showdown Value Plays

KJ Martin, Los Angeles Clippers

What the Clippers do with their fifth starter tonight is the biggest mystery but even if Martin doesn’t start, which isn’t expected, he should have a role considering Terance Mann is ruled out. Martin’s a very high-energy, athletic wing, that could thrive playing alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. He’s a punt considering we don’t know how many minutes he’ll play here. He should, however, be on the floor in a blowout situation too, and this game has the largest spread of the slate. 

Robert Covington, Los Angeles Clippers

Although Covington was ultimately beaten out by Terance Mann for the last starting spot, his being in that discussion says a lot. The expectation is he’ll be a regular in the rotation despite the team still having Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum in town as well. Covington is cheaper than both of those guys and was the best three-point shooter of the bunch as he shot 39% last year. If he starts tonight he’ll likely be the chalkiest punt of the slate.

Matisse Thybulle, Portland Trail Blazers

I don’t love Thybulle’s upside, but they’re begging us to play him at a sub-2K price point when he’s already been announced as the starting small forward. He’s a defensive stalwart who has essentially no offensive game, which is why he’s priced the way he is. In his defense, he did shoot 36% from three last year and that, ultimately, provides the Blazers more spacing than Shaedon Sharpe, who’s coming off the bench. If Thybulle knocks down a couple of threes and shows his defensive prowess, this is an EASY way to fit all the top-priced guys.

 

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball, and Fantasy Basketball content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!

Dominate your NBA DFS Showdown contests today using our Player Projections that you can use specifically for Showdown!