We have an early Christmas present this Saturday, December 23rd in a DFS dream matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams are top-12 in pace and bottom-12 in defensive rating. The implied total of this game is 235 points, so there should be no shortage of DFS options to choose from. Here are the NBA DFS top plays we can invest in for our lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings!

 

 

NBA Showdown Injuries

Charlotte Hornets

 

Los Angeles Lakers

 

NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks

MVP/Captain

LeBron James (SF/PF), Los Angeles Lakers

With still no Anthony Davis tonight (foot injury) we should be set up for a LeBron James explosion game that will make it very hard to keep him out of the MVP spot in this Showdown matchup. When Davis does not play, James has an insane 35% usage rate and 1.52 fantasy points per minute. Also when Davis does not play, James’ per-minute numbers in rebounds, threes, and blocks also jump up significantly. Since Davis went down, James averages 57.8 fantasy points over the last 10 days. 

 

Thomas Bryant (C), Los Angeles Lakers

Playing Thomas Bryant tonight should be equal parts obvious and popular. There are a couple of fundamental rules in DFS. One of them is: play your big men against Charlotte. Especially when they are just $10,200 in the MVP spot. With Anthony Davis out, Bryant is in line to draw the start and he should get plenty of minutes in this role. When Bryant plays without Davis, he gets a huge boost in rebounds, usage, and fantasy points per minute. His 1.18 fantasy points per minute in these situations is third on the team behind only James and Westbrook. The Hornets allow three more fantasy points per game to centers than any other team in the league. 

 

LaMelo Ball (PG), Charlotte Hornets

The only team worse than the Lakers against point guards is the Houston Rockets as Los Angeles allows top-five numbers in points, assists, and steals to the position. As Ball continues to get healthier, his performances also continue to improve. Beginning with his second game back from injury on December 16, his fantasy points have improved each game from 40 in that first game to 64 on Tuesday against the Clippers. I can’t reasonably call for 70 fantasy points in this game, but there is no better matchup and game environment for Ball to absolutely go crazy. 

 

Utility 

Russell Westbrook (PG), Los Angeles Lakers

Westbrook may not be starting these days, but he has taken that demotion in stride and is excelling right now in a sixth-man role. He has over 50 fantasy points in three of his last five games, crossing the 30-minute mark in each of those. But even when he does not reach 30 minutes, he is still productive. Westbrook hasn’t scored less than 26 fantasy points in almost a month yet his UTIL salary is $2,000 less than the top players on this slate. The Hornets are 27th in defensive rating and 11th in pace this season, so this should be one of those fast-paced, loose defense games where Westbrook excels. 

 

Kelly Oubre (SG/SF), Charlotte Hornets

With players like Gordon Hayward, Dennis Smith, Terry Rozier, and LaMelo Ball in and out of the lineup this year, Oubre has been a consistent force on both ends of the floor despite normally coming off the bench. He averages 35 fantasy points per game over his last 10 including three of his last six over 40 points. On the season, the Lakers are the second-worst team in the league against small forwards as Lonnie Walker has been a real liability on the defensive side of the ball.

 

Mason Plumlee (C), Charlotte Hornets

The Lakers are only slightly better against opposing centers than the Hornets, which is to say they are both atrocious against the position. The Lakers allow the fourth-most points to the position, they are 22nd in rebound rate, and are 25th in points in the paint allowed. Even though he never exceeds 26 minutes, Plumlee has put up over 30 fantasy points in six of his last eight games. 

 

Dart Throws

Kendrick Nunn (PG/SG), Los Angeles Lakers

Kendrick Nunn is very the definition of a dart throw tonight considering both the basement-level salary ($1,000 on DK) and the volatility of his play. Nunn has been getting minutes lately with Davis on the shelf and Austin Reaves banged up. But in his last two games, he had NEGATIVE fantasy points in 11 minutes and 21 fantasy points in 20 minutes. The chance of him getting negative points again is unlikely, as there is a much greater chance he just doesn’t play at all. But for $1,000, Nunn allows you to get all of Ball, James, Bryant, Oubre, and Westbrook in the rest of your roster. 

 

Nick Richards (C), Charlotte Hornets

The former second-round pick out of Jamaica has been playing some excellent minutes lately behind Mason Plumlee and his role appears to be increasing. Richards has seen at least 19 minutes on the court in five of his last six games and scored over 23 fantasy points in four of those contests. We already know the Lakers are a good spot to play big men, and Bryant is 43rd among all NBA centers in defensive plus-minus this year. 

 

 

 

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