Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Spread: LAC -7.0

Total: 221.5

 

Injuries:

Minnesota Timberwolves

None

 

Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard – OUT
Marcus Morris – OUT
Jason Preston - OUT

 

MVP/Captain

Paul George LAC, SF – At a jaw-dropping $19,200, George is the most expensive player in this showdown slate, but it’s worth it considering the high-level consistency. George basically has one red mark in his ledger, a single game under 39 DraftKings points this year. He is over 51 DK points per game in his last seven and now faces a team ranked 16th in defensive efficiency and allows the seventh-most fantasy points to small forwards.

Karl-Anthony Towns MIN, C – Towns and Co. are all on the second night of a back-to-back on the road, but they did not have to travel, playing the Lakers on Friday night. Towns was the best player on the floor in Friday’s blowout of Los Angeles (48.75 DK points), and certainly worth of the $18,600 MVP salary he demands tonight. His game log before Friday also included four out of five games with at least 45 DK points. But because of salary, he may be well behind the popularity of the other two players listed here, so Towns makes for a strong leverage MVP play.

Anthony Edwards MIN, SG/SF – For more than $3,000 less salary than Towns, Edwards is worth a shot in the MVP spot after we saw his ceiling on Wednesday against Golden State. His 67 DK point explosion is unlikely to be repeated, but seven of his nine other games have gone for more than 40 DK points this season. Despite Friday’s dud, Edwards is sixth in the NBA in minutes per game, providing a very safe floor at a reasonable MVP salary.

 

UTIL

D’Angelo Russell MIN, PG/SG – With the emergence of Ant-Man for the Timberwolves, Russell has become the third offensive option for this team. While he may not be worthy of your MVP spot barring any injuries or rest situations, he has shown 53-point upside as recently as Monday and scored 41 on Friday. His standard stat line of 18 points, seven assists, a couple rebounds and a steal is a realistic expectation. 

Nicolas Batum LAC, SF/PF – A couple weeks ago, Batum was barely cracking $3,000 in these showdown slates. After a stretch scoring at least 26 DK points in seven of eight games, he is now up to $7,000, third-highest on the Clippers. Beyond the scoring, Batum has really stepped up his rebounds (six per game in his last five) and steals + blocks (13 in his last five) as he continues to contribute up and down the box score. 

Eric Bledsoe LAC, PG/SG – While Reggie Jackson is also a tremendous play on this slate, Bledsoe comes in just as hot and is $2,200 less than his Los Angeles backcourt partner. Bledsoe has been above 28 DK points in three of his last four, including back-to-back games over 31 DK points. The Timberwolves actually are the best team in the league against opposing point guards, but allow the seventh-most fantasy points to shooting guards, making Bledsoe an ideal pick at this salary. 

 

Dart Throws

Naz Reid MIN, PF/C – If you are looking for the best possible 10x option in the Showdown, look no further than Reid. He has scored more than 16 DK points in each of his last four games but his salary is only $1,800 on Saturday. If Towns is rested or limited on a back-to-back, Reid is a lock-it-in play in all of your rosters. 

Isaiah Hartenstein LAC, C - Hartenstein is going to give you somewhere between 15-18 minutes every night, but he is making the most of every opportunity on the floor in recent games. He has scored more than 14 DK points in five of six games, which is consistency worth the bargain-basement $2,800 salary. Hartenstein does have 25-point upside if he ends up logging additional minutes as the Clippers try to figure out how to slow down Towns.