The same teams. The same city. The Mavericks and Kings go back-to-back tonight in this NBA DFS Showdown Slate, but there is one major difference. Luka Doncic. After a close game last night and two dominant games by Kyrie Irving to start his Mavericks tenure, how will he and Doncic co-exist? That’s the major storyline to watch in this potentially high-scoring game against two teams jockeying for playoff positioning. Here are the NBA DFS top plays we can invest in for our lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings!

 

Dallas Mavericks Injuries

Davis Bertans – OUT

Maxi Kleber – OUT

Luka Doncic - PROBABLE

 

Sacramento Kings Injuries

Malik Monk - QUESTIONABLE

 

MVP/CAPTAIN

Domantas Sabonis (C), Sacramento Kings

In his stretch of playing the Texas teams, Sabonis has been incredibly consistent, scoring between 42 and 47 fantasy points in three straight games. That’s the safety or the floor you are paying for with Sabonis, and he has the potential to pop off for 55+ which he has done five times since the calendar flipped to 2023. With Christian Wood limited or out over the past three weeks, the Mavericks are a bottom ten team against centers in their last seven games. 

De’Aaron Fox (PG), Sacramento Kings

Fox is playing some of the best basketball of the season right now, with at least 46 fantasy points in five of his last six games. He dropped 49 on the Mavericks last night, but the best part was he played 39 minutes in a regulation game. That is the fourth time in his last five games Fox has been over 38 minutes on the court and he is a sure bet to lead the team again assuming no rest on a back-to-back. This is a game where Fox should be looking for his shot as the Mavericks allow the ninth-highest field goal percentage to guards this season (48%). 

Kyrie Irving (PG/SG), Dallas Mavericks

All eyes will be on the Irving-Doncic duo tonight to see how the ball is shared, how the usage breaks down, and who defers to whom when the game is close or a big bucket is needed. But in addition to Irving and Doncic starting and finishing the game together, you can be assured there will be times when both have the floor to themselves without the other. Against a Kings team ranked 25th against point guards in the last 30 games, Irving should have no problem keeping his 40+ fantasy point streak alive even if he takes second chair.

Luka Doncic (PG), Dallas Mavericks

There is certainly a chance that Doncic is limited or hobbled in this game coming back from a heel injury, but in his first game back from an ankle injury, he scored 75 fantasy points in 36 minutes against the Detroit Pistons on January 30th. All we need is news that Doncic won’t have a minutes restriction and he should earn a majority of the shares of your Captain slot tonight. The Kings are a massive pace-up spot for the Mavericks tonight, so this plays right into Doncic’s favor. 

UTILITY 

Josh Green (SF), Dallas Mavericks

With no Dorian Finney-Smith around and Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans hurt, Green is getting a lot of forward minutes lately. That was certainly the case last night as he led the team in minutes played (38) while scoring 17 points with seven assists and four rebounds. Doncic back shouldn’t impact his playing time, especially now that he is a starter on the wing and Christian Wood is the only player resembling a forward that Dallas brings off the bench right now. 

Keegan Murray (PF), Sacramento Kings

Players like Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter have been much too streaky and unreliable for me lately, so I’m sticking with the rookie Murray and counting on a second straight strong game. Last night, in 35 minutes, Murray shot 60% from the floor, 80% from three, and scored 16 points with three rebounds and two blocks. It was his third straight game over 20 fantasy points and he is averaging 21.6 over the last ten days. 

Tim Hardaway, Jr. (SF), Dallas Mavericks

Hardaway has been getting huge minutes lately in the absence of other forwards available for Dallas and, more often than not, it has led to a big fantasy game. Even with Kyrie Irving around the last two games, Hardaway has scored 35 and 38 fantasy points and he hit 35 last night despite shooting just 37% from the floor. Will there be enough shots for him with both Irving and Doncic around? That remains to be seen, but the minutes look to be secure and he is playing the team that allows the most fantasy points to small forwards this season. 

DART THROWS

Terence Davis (SG/SF), Sacramento Kings

Davis is gaining favor with the Kings’ coaching staff lately as he just logged more than 15 minutes in five of his last seven games, including 21 minutes last night. That has allowed him to score about 15 fantasy points per game over the last 10 days, and he is very cheap on both sites tonight. In addition, if we get word that Malik Monk misses this game with an injury, it will likely mean a few extra minutes for Davis on a wing spot. Davis led all bench players in minutes for Sacramento last night. 

JaVale McGee (C), Dallas Mavericks

Christian Wood must be having a harder time recovering from a fractured thumb than the Mavericks are letting on. His minutes decreased for a third straight game last night and he ended the game with only 12 minutes and shot under 50%. The beneficiary of that available playing time is JaVale McGee. He played 19 minutes last night and put up 11 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in that time for 25 fantasy points. At just $1,400 on DK, this is a steal if he gets another 15-20 minutes on the court again. 

 

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