NBA Showdown Playbook January 12: Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers DFS Picks
We have a fantastic matchup for the NBA DFS Showdown tonight between two of the faces of the NBA. Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are traveling to Los Angeles to take on LeBron James and the Lakers.
Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, powered by FanJections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools! Let's break down Dylans' top picks of the day for the DFS showdown slate DraftKings and FanDuel!
Injury Report
Dallas Mavericks
Dwight Powell - Questionable
Dorian Finney-Smith - OUT
Josh Green - OUT
Maxi Kleber - OUT
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James - Probable
Troy Brown Jr. - Probable
Patrick Beverley - OUT
Austin Reaves - OUT
Lonnie Walker - OUT
NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks
MVP/Captain
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Luka came back after missing one game with an ankle injury and put up a modest 72.75 fantasy points. This guy is just on a different level than anyone else on this slate, yes even LeBron James. The Lakers do not have a good matchup to throw on Luka tonight. I expect him to have another huge game.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Like Luka, Lebron sat out in his last game resting a sore ankle. Without Anthony Davis on the floor, Lebron is having to carry a massive load on the offensive end. The last time these two teams matched up Lebron went for 38/6/5 and finished with 52 fantasy points. I expect Lebron to have another great game tonight, but he just doesn't quite have the ceiling Luka does.
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
Say what you want about Russell Westbrook as a basketball player, the man can score fantasy points. In his last four games, he has scored at least 43 fantasy in each game. He has recorded at least seven assists in all of those games, playing with the ball in his hands more. With Anthony Davis on the floor, Westbrook has a 27% usage, with him off it jumps to almost 34%. Westbrook should find his way into your showdown lineup.
Utility
Christian Wood, Dallas Mavericks
Wood gave us an absolute clunker in his last outing and just derailed your lineup. He finished with just 18 fantasy points in his last outing. That was his first game under 31 fantasy points in nine games. He absolutely killed the Lakers the last time they played one another with 62 fantasy points. I expect another big game.
Thomas Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Bryant is a must-play on this slate as well. He has six straight games in which he has scored 31 fantasy points. He has done a fantastic job filling in for the injured Anthony Davis. He has double-digit shot attempts in all six of those games as well so he is an important part of this offense.
Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles Lakers
Schroder is coming off an awful shooting performance. He went just 3-13 and 0-5 from behind the arc but still finished with 27 fantasy points. That is a nice floor considering the shot was not falling. He has cracked the 35-point threshold twice in his last four games. The last time these two teams met up he struggled only scoring 18 fantasy points. Schroder is a fine play, but I do not love it.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Hardaway is starting to go on a mini heater. Over his last five games, he is shooting 45% from the floor and 46% from behind the arc. He has scored at least 22 fantasy points in four out of his last five games. The last time Hardaway played the Lakers he finished with 38 fantasy points while jacking up 14 three-pointers.
Dart Throws
Kendrick Nunn, Los Angeles Lakers
Nunn is definitely a dart throw because you do not know what we're going to get from him tonight. He has stepped into a bigger role with Austin Reaves battling an injury, and Patrick Beverley having an illness. Nunn is averaging 16 minutes over his last five while scoring 16 fantasy points per game including a 33-point performance. He could play 20 minutes or he could play five, we do not know.
Jaden Hardy. Dallas Mavericks
With wanting to play Luka in your lineup tonight you might be forced to play Jaden Hardy at $2,000 on DraftKings. He only scored four fantasy points in his last outing but the previous three games were solid scoring at least 15 fantasy points in three straight games. Similar to Nunn, he has no floor, that's why he is a dart throw.
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Player News
Brandin Podziemski had 11 points (3-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist and four steals in Game 4 against the Timberwolves on Monday.
Podziemski was 3-of-14 from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts. His 22.5 field goal percentage in this series is the worst for any player (min. 35 attempts) since Pero Antic shot 16.7 percent in the Hawks vs. Pacers series in 2014, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. Down 3-1 in the series now, the Warriors need Stephen Curry to return from his hamstring injury for Game 5, a miracle or both to get back in this series.
Jimmy Butler had 14 points (5-of-9 FGs), six rebounds, three assists and one block in Game 4 against the Timberwolves on Monday.
Despite the Warriors win in Game 1, Butler warned in postgame interviews that Stephen Curry is the team’s best player and it was going to be difficult to win games without him. After what’s transpired over the last three games, which the Warriors have all lost, he might’ve been underselling it. Butler wasn’t able to fill Curry’s shoes in Game 4. In fact, he was a team-worst -30 in 34 minutes in the seven-point loss. The Warriors will have their backs against the wall facing elimination in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Julius Randle had 31 points (11-of-21 FGs), five rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and four three-pointers in Game 4 against the Warriors on Monday.
Anthony Edwards had 30 points (11-of-21 FGs), four rebounds, five assists, two steals and six three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-110 victory over the Warriors in Game 4 on Monday.
Derrick White had 23 points (6-of-12 FGs), three rebounds, two assists and six three-pointers against the Knicks in Game 4 on Monday.
White was the Celtics second leading scorer in Game 4, but he was the only consistent scorer for Boston outside of Jayson Tatum. The 30-year-old point guard got all of his points on six three-pointers and five free throws. Unfortunately for the Celtics it wasn’t enough as Boston was trailing when Tatum went down with a lower leg injury in the final minutes, essentially taking a comeback off the table. The Celtics will look to stave off elimination with their backs against the wall at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Jayson Tatum had 42 points (16-of-28 FGs), eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, two blocks and seven three-pointers against the Knicks in Game 4 on Monday.