NBA Showdown Playbook January 6: Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers
For the second time in three days, we get the Lakers as part of the NBA DFS Showdown Slate, but the difference tonight is that it appears LeBron James will be making his return. The good news is that James’ absence was tied to an illness and not the ankle injury he is working through. There figures to be a lot of offense tonight as we have an over/under of 242 and those efforts will be led by James, Trae Young, and Dejounte Murray. Ultimately, what combination of those players you have and how to build the remainder of your roster is what will determine the fate of tonight’s slate. Let us take a look at some options to consider for tonight’s NBA DFS Showdown Slate.
NBA Injury Report
Atlanta Hawks
Clint Capela - Out
Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis – Out
LeBron James – Probable (ankle)
Russell Westbrook – Probable (foot)
Lonnie Walker IV – Out
Austin Reaves – Out
Troy Brown Jr – Out
NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks
MVP/Captain
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
I am not in the business of taking James lightly or underestimating him, and it is a favorable matchup for him tonight against Atlanta. That sentiment applies to players on both sides of the court as the pace will be fast, and I am not sure how much defense we will really see and the over/under of 242 also takes this into account. Especially with Anthony Davis out, things are really running through James offensively and in his last four games, he is averaging 36.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
It was a very interesting game for Young against the Kings on Wednesday as he was efficient shooting 58% from the field, but he only took 12 shots in 32 minutes. Young, once again, had issues with turnovers as turned the ball over five times but he does make up for it by averaging 27.3 points and 9.9 assists per game while eclipsing 20 points in eight straight games.
Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
Compared to Young, we do get a little bit of a discount with Murray, but we are also losing about seven points per game offensively from the former. In his last five games, Murray is doing a solid job of filling the stat sheet with 20.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game and we know that there is upside here as well to go along with the consistency we have seen from him.
Utility
Thomas Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Bryant continues to perform at a high level since both returning from injury and stepping in for Anthony Davis. There is a benefit to Bryant with Clint Capela being out for Atlanta tonight as he looks to get back on the double-double train. After two straight double-doubles, Bryant came a rebound shy on Wednesday while he continued his offense success with 21 points. Over his last five games, Bryant is averaging 18 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks
Okongwu has done a great job stepping in for Capela and he has proven to be up to the 30 minutes of playing time he has been getting per night. With 13 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in his last five, Okongwu has been a strong option with clear double-double potential.
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
Westbrook’s foot didn’t slow him down on Wednesday as he took full advantage of James being out against Miami while flirting with a triple-double and finishing with 21 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. It was the third time in his last four full games that Westbrook flirted with a triple-double, and even with James returning, he should still have another strong game tonight.
De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
Hunter has been strong in the two games since his return from an ankle injury averaging 19.5 points and six rebounds per game. The opportunity should be there tonight for Hunter to continue performing at a similar level and the price is right.
Dart Throw
AJ Griffin, Atlanta Hawks
Griffin is back to the bench and playing around 15 to 20 minutes per night, but in a game like we are expecting tonight, he very easily could get hot and put up some points in a hurry.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, Los Angeles Lakers
Toscano-Anderson is going to get our attention tonight as he figures to get about 20 to 25 minutes of playing time with the Lakers missing a few key rotation pieces. At the same time, we do need to have caution as he only took two shots and finished with just 8.75 DK points in 23 minutes of action on Wednesday.
Wenyen Gabriel, Los Angeles Lakers
Gabriel was impressive in 20 minutes of action on Monday and finished with 10 points and four rebounds. While it might not jump off the page from a production standpoint, it does from a value standpoint and it was the third time in four games that he scored in double figures.
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Player News
Ivica Zubac had a productive outing, finishing with 27 points (11-of-15 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), five rebounds, one assist and two blocks in the Game 5 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Zubac continued to score the ball well, finishing with a series-high in points on efficient shooting. However, Zubac’s usual impact on the glass was absent, securing just five rebounds in Game 5 after tallying at least nine in the previous four, with his one assist also tying his lowest output of the series. Down in the series 3-2, the Clippers head back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday, where they face a must-win situation to keep their season alive.
James Harden concluded Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets with 11 points (3-of-9 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 35 minutes.
Harden had a quiet night on Tuesday, barely cracking double figures in scoring and failing to register double-digit shot attempts. The 2018 NBA MVP has faced a stifling Nuggets defense that, over the last few games, has forced the ball out of his hands, leading to inferior performances compared to earlier games in the series. Harden will look for a bounce-back performance on Thursday as he tries to lead the Clippers to a season-saving victory in Game 6.
Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, posting 20 points (8-of-15 FGs, 3-of-7 FTs), nine rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
Leonard did a little bit of everything for the Clippers in Game 5. The two-time NBA Finals MVP posted a series-high in assists and also hit the glass hard, resulting in a near-triple-double. Leonard has scored at least 20 points in all five games of this series. However, the Clippers may need even more from him going forward as they look to extend their season beyond Thursday’s Game 6 at the Intuit Dome.
Nikola Jokic earned a triple-double in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win on Tuesday over the Clippers, finishing with 13 points (4-of-13 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
The three-time NBA MVP had a relatively quiet game by his standards, but still came away with his third triple-double of the series. Jokic struggled with shooting efficiency, and his scoring output was the lowest of the series. Yet, his points were not as necessary in this game, given how well the rest of the Nuggets shot the ball. Nevertheless, Jokic will be in line for another big performance on Thursday when the Nuggets face the Clippers in Game 6.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench and produced 21 points (8-of-15 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), one rebound, one assist and three three-pointers in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win over the Clippers on Tuesday.
Westbrook was electric in his first game back in the lineup following a foot injury that kept him out of Game 4. His second-quarter scoring ignited the crowd and helped set the table for what would be his highest-scoring game of the postseason. The 2017 NBA MVP has had himself a nice series thus far from a scoring standpoint and will have a chance to end his former team’s season on Thursday in Game 6.
Jamal Murray had a dominant Game 5 performance in the Nuggets’ win over the Clippers on Tuesday, tallying 43 points (17-of-26 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), five rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block and eight three-pointers.
Fresh off a series-low 13 points in Game 4, Murray exploded for a series-high on Tuesday. He totaled nearly as many three-pointers in this game as he had in the previous four combined, while still managing to dish out seven assists. Murray got hot early in this one and never cooled off, and now has provided his Nuggets the opportunity on Thursday in Game 6 to eliminate the Clippers for the second time in the last five seasons.