Adam Strangis NBA DFS: Gems with Ghost and Adam 01/21
The bizarre NBA schedule this week moves forward and tonight we have 11 games on tap (before another three on Saturday). There are a few really great spots tonight to go over in the NBA DFS: Gems with Ghost and Adam 01/21 so let’s not waste any time!
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
Nets at Spurs
Nets – The Nets are on the road so Kyrie Irving is active and he’s still under $10,000. That makes him a lot easier to play than James Harden and their sample together without Kevin Durant has been interesting so far. Of course, it’s small at just 67 minutes so far but Kyrie has the lead in usage at 29.1% to 27.8% and points per minute at 1.32 to 1.07. At $2,000 less expensive, it’s hard to make the case that Harden would have the upside worth paying the extra $2,000. Another bonus is both teams are in the top 10 in pace and that is reflected in the highest total of the night and a tight spread of just 2.5 points. I’m at least moderately interested in LaMarcus Aldridge since he’s barely over $5,000 and he’s back to playing 32 minutes. The Spurs are just 26th in rebounds allowed in the paint and the Nets have minimal presence on the interior to deal with Jakob Poeltl from San Antonio.
Spurs – Dejounte Murray is coming off a triple-double in just 30 minutes and the Murray/Kyrie stack in GPP settings has my attention. He has 1.37 fantasy points per minute and a 26.2% usage, which is perfect for this matchup. The Nets don’t have the most intimidating perimeter defense, to say the least. If the Spurs keep this game close like it is expected, Murray is going to have to have a big game. The rest of the Suns are tough to get behind other than Poeltl (really getting expensive although the Nets are 15th in points allowed in the paint) and Derrick White. The minutes have been a little low for White in the past three games but he’s been coming out of health protocols and there have been blowouts. On the year, White has 1.02 points per minute so if you can’t get to Murray, White makes sense to get exposure to the game.
Rockets at Warriors
This game is one that you can consider stacking to an extent, but the Rockets continue to be tougher to predict. It’s best to stick to the main cogs like Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. while the Warriors defensive rating falls by about 10 spots when Draymond Green is off the court. I do like the matchup for Wood because the range he has and the athleticism should give the Warriors interior some fits tonight, but that would be strictly GPP.
On the Warriors side of the equation, they will be down Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala for sure tonight. Steph Curry has a 33.1% usage when Green and Klay are off the floor this season and the Rockets continue to lead in pace and be dead last in defensive rating. Curry has incredible upside in this game even in three quarters of play, and Jordan Poole is a nice mid-range target as well. He’s over 1.01 points per minute in this scenario and we could see Jonathan Kuminga continue to be a very chalky option as he’s under $5,000. I will keep playing him until the salary dictates I shouldn’t especially in this matchup.
Grizzlies vs Nuggets
Grizzlies – Memphis is going to be shorthanded once again in this game and Ja Morant barely came off the floor last time out. He played 40 minutes and had a massive game and we should expect much of the same tonight. Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, and Tyus Jones are all still out so Morant is going to be “guarded” by the likes of Monte Morris and others. Sure, Jan. Morant is second in points scored driving to the hoop by 0.1 points and Denver is just 13th in points allowed in the paint. One of the main reasons I may not end with Kyrie is Morant has a slightly higher ceiling and he would be my main focus from this side. Brandon Clarke, Jaren Jackson Jr., and John Konchar are all in play along with De’Anthony Melton. Everyone but Clarke played over 30 minutes last game and Memphis is missing a lot of depth players.
Nuggets – He added on in overtime but Nikola Jokic was sublime last game and he should be considered the front-runner for MVP right now, and I said what I said (Giannis is right behind him). He’s going to eat Steven Adams alive and is still second in post-up points per game behind Joel Embiid. What is very impressive about Jokic is he’s under 5.5 free throws per game and the talent is just crazy. He’s flirting with 2.00 fantasy points per minute when Michael Porter Jr. is off the floor while Memphis is just 16th in points allowed in the paint. I typically don’t go with any other Nugget player but Monte Morris is cheap enough to consider with 0.85 points per minute as Memphis should force the Denver side to play faster than they like tonight.
Honorable Mention – OKC vs CHA, POR vs BOS
Teams To Monitor
Jazz – I fully expect one of the lynchpins of our lineups to be Jordan Clarkson as Donovan Mitchell is still out and Clarkson is still under $6,000 on DraftKings. His usage without Michell is over 31% and he’s still too cheap considering the spot. Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Royce O’Neal are all options as well, although the first three in that group are getting up there in salary.
Lakers – Just be careful with this squad because Russell Westbrook was benched to close the game against the Pacers due to poor defense. LA is past the point where they care about feelings and need to start winning more consistently, so LeBron James is about the only safe player.
Heat – Yes, I will go right back to Jimmy Butler even though he got ejected last game as he’s still under $9,500. Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry are both still out, so we can consider Bam Adebayo as well who saw his salary go down after his massive game. He’s playing his normal minutes and with potentially no Clint Capela for Atlanta, the interior is considerably weaker.
You can find us on Twitter @DFS_Ghost and @Bucn4life
