Tonight should truly be billed as the battle of the point guards, but ultimately that will depend on whether or not Damian Lillard takes the court for Portland. Lillard is dealing with an ankle injury, and while it certainly did not hold him back on Thursday, it is something to keep an eye on with the Trail Blazers also playing on Sunday. His counterpart, Luka Doncic truly needs no introduction, but you might need a loan to fit him into your lineup although his reputation precedes him. There are some high-priced questionable options tonight in Lillard and Christian Wood, so it will be critical to monitor their statuses with the potential value making things easier to fit Doncic. As you work through your NBA DFS Showdown Slate lineup, let us take a look at all of the options to consider. Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools! 

 

 

 

NBA Injury Report

Dallas Mavericks

 

Portland Trail Blazers

 

NBA DFS Showdown Picks Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers

MVP/Captain

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Can I take a loan out here? What about teasing the salary cap up? At this point, do we really need to detail Doncic’s upside and what the guard is capable of? Doncic had triple-doubles in two of his last three games, seeing him hit 80 DK points is no longer surprising in the least, and he is pretty close to averaging a triple-double on the season with 34.3 points, nine rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game. Do I need to say anything more? While you are going to want exposure to Doncic both in the Captain spot and overall, he is costly so roster construction is important.

 

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Lillard’s ankle injury did not slow him down at all on Thursday as he went off for 50 points while ignoring all other aspects of his game finishing with just three assists and two rebounds, but at that point, does anyone really care? I do bring it up though as the majority of Lillard’s production is coming from what he is doing offensively, but Portland will need all of it in attempt to counterbalance what Doncic is capable of. While he is listed on the injury report, I am expecting Lillard to play. While Anfernee Simons is already on our radar, welcome to chalk city if Lillard is in fact ruled out as he becomes the clear pivot.

 

Christian Wood, Dallas Mavericks

I love everything about Wood’s last game on Thursday with the main thing being that he played 47 minutes. Wood made those minutes count as he finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and five blocked shots while apparently injuring his ankle during the double-overtime affair. Prior to Thursday, Wood played 39 and 35 minutes so I am not concerned with volume, but we do need to stay on top of the news here.

 

Utility

Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers

Nurkic is currently working on a streak of four straight double-doubles while averaging 14.4 points and 13.4 rebounds per game over his last five. The center has been incredibly consistent this season while also showing the ability to score at a higher level based on game flow or should Lillard be sidelined.

 

Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks

Hardaway is a little cheaper than his peers in the same range of role and skill set tonight and that makes him a little more attractive since this is very clearly, a top-heavy slate. In his last four games, Hardaway has scored between 18 and 22 points with the high end of the range being his 11th time breaking the 20-point mark this season. 

 

Reggie Bullock, Dallas Mavericks

Remember what I said about saving money, right? Bullock has not played less than 24 minutes in his last five games, but at the same time, he has not scored more than nine points in that stretch. The thought process here is to follow the minutes knowing that Bullock can very easily get hot and knock down a few shots. 

 

Dart Throw

Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks

Powell is averaging 5.6 points and five rebounds per game over 18 minutes in his last five and the injuries to Kleber and Finney-Smith have resulted in a larger role. If Wood is unable to go, that will only increase, but Powell figures to be a factor regardless.

 

Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks

There is some concern as Hardy only played six minutes on Thursday, but he did play between 15 and 27 minutes in his previous four games. In two of those games, Hardy scored 15 points, and it does not get any cheaper tonight which cannot be overlooked.

 

Gary Payton II, Portland Trail Blazers

While Payton did not attempt a shot in his 21 minutes of action on Thursday, we do know it was only his third game this year and his season high in minutes after returning from the Injured List. Lillard does dominate the shot selection, but I would not expect Payton to go scoreless again tonight, and the workload was very encouraging as is the min price. While Simons will be the clear pivot should Lillard be held out, Payton could be a very intriguing name to watch. 
 

 

 

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