DFSGhost 
Welcome back, WinDaily family. As the NBA season is coming to a close, we continue to experience teams sitting out key players either before lock, or during the game, where the latter is rather frustrating to see as we did with the Miami Heat yesterday. If you noticed, your tournaments and cash games both likely had most of those players highly owned so it does not impact you as much since it hurts the majority of the field, but we still want to continue finding an edge to get to the top of the leaderboards when someone like Jimmy Butler is roughly 50% owned. Today, we have an NBA slate with arguably the three best bubble players since Adam Silver’s project began, and they’ll all be playing important minutes. Let’s get into it:
The Lock: Damian Lillard, PG ($10,100 FD / $11,200 DK)
What can be said about Dame Time? The guy’s been lights out in the bubble, carrying his team to a 0.5 game lead for the 8 seed and solidifies their position into a play-in for the NBA playoffs. In his last two games, Lillard is averaging 56 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists in just over 40 minutes per game and has shot a whopping 55% from the field and 44.8% from deep. With CJ McCollum questionable with a nagging back injury, look for Lillard to continue his run on showing the league that he’s one of the best.
The Core Gems
Ja Morant ($7,700 FD / $9,000 DK)
With everyone likely looking to pay up for Damian Lillard, Ja Morant may come in at lower ownership than he should be in one of the biggest games of the season for the Grizzlies. 9K is a tad expensive over on DK, but it’s a great leverage spot for someone running an offense, scoring in bunches, and that has collected 8 or more assists in every game since the NBA bubble began. Milwaukee with already be without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to suspension, and if other starters such as Khris Middleton sit out, Morant may explode tonight.
Devin Booker, SG ($8,800 FD / $9,800 DK)
Another player that has been lights out in the NBA bubble, Devin Booker has led his Phoenix Suns to an undefeated record in Orlando. With the Suns tied with both the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, this is a must win for them versus Dallas, where Booker will once again be tasked with leading the offensive charge. He’s dropped 35 points in three straight games and has averaged just under 6 assists per game in that span, shooting with extreme volume without sacrificing efficiency.
Also Consider: Caris LeVert, SG ($8,300 FD / $8,000 DK)
The Value Gems
Milwaukee Bucks Value
Giannis Antetokounmpo serves his one-game suspension tonight and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Khris Middleton sit this one out as well, either before lock, or mid-game where he doesn’t see the floor much or possibly sits out the entire second half. Look for Frank Mason, Pat Connaughton, Kyle Korver, and Sterling Brown to all get significant run in a meaningless game for the Bucks.
New Orleans Pelicans Value
New Orleans are once again sitting their entire starting 5, aside from Lonzo Ball, so there is plenty of value to be had here. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is someone that is intriguing because of his point/$ upside, and he hit 6x last game despite shooting 3/10 from the field. Jahlil Okafor, Josh Hart, Frank Jackson, and E’Twuan Moore all see an uptick in minutes, along with Lonzo Ball of course, and Jaxson Hayes.
Orlando Magic Value
With the Magic sitting out their entire starting 5 other than Nikola Vucevic, look for some great value performances from players such as James Ennis and Khem Birch, while Markelle Fultz will garner heavy ownership whether he starts or comes off the bench.
Utah Jazz Value
Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley are already ruled out for this contest, so this opens up minutes for Tony Bradley in the frontcourt and Jordan Clarkson in the backcourt. With Donovan Mitchell still ruled in at the time of writing, there aren’t as many pieces in terms of raw numbers here, but the quality is there with the two names mentioned.
A Quick Note on NBA DFS
While there are many different sports and various contests pertaining to DFS along with their respective strategies, we focus on the main approaches to build both reliable cash and GPP lineups for a successful NBA night including pace, the projected over/under, one on one matchups (DVP), a player’s usage rate, and a team’s defensive rating. Make sure to stay active when building NBA lineups – if you cannot be in front of a computer, tablet, or on your phone an hour before lock, do not throw your money away! NBA DFS lineups can change at the blink of an eye and are the most variable compared to any other sport in DFS; players get injured, some sit for load management, and others find themselves on the DNP list for other reasons; any of which can sway your lineup and where to find value. Stay alert on the WinDaily Discord chat to follow along with our updated plays. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
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