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NBA GPP Picks 2/6
Welcome back to NBA GPP Picks 2/6 and we are breaking down a nine game NBA slate today. Last night we saw the Thunder play with the minimum of eight players. We could see that again tonight depending if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Theo Maledon get cleared. Major news has struck the slate already with Kevin Durant being ruled out for Brooklyn due to health protocols.
These days in the NBA slates can be altered even after lock, keep up with that news in the Discord Chat rooms. I and other Win Daily staff members will be in there to assist you with any questions that you may have. For this article, I will be referring to DraftKings pricing where Luka is the highest salary player at $11,100. I am giving my top two plays at each position based upon my research and the price of each player. Several of these matchups were played very recently so this should be an interesting slate. Enough chit chat let’s get into tonight’s picks!
Point Guard
James Harden – ($10,700)
With Durant already being ruled out many of these Brooklyn players will gain ownership. Harden has a usage rate of 26.5% but his fantasy points per minute in that time is nearly 1.5. In the most recent game that Durant sat, Harden went for 61.5 fantasy points in a blowout with OKC. This defensive matchup is a tough one but we can expect a fast game with Philly ranking sixth fastest and Brooklyn fourth. Both Kyrie and James Harden are viable options in this spot.
Derrick White – ($4,700)
An injury to start the year and a crowded back court have limited White’s time on the floor. With Lonnie Walker ruled out there will be a few minutes up for grabs and White could eat some. Houston ranks as the seventh fastest team along with seventh most fantasy points given up to shooting guards. Minutes have been holding White back because he is averaging a fantasy point per minute. I see White picking up a couple extra minutes here and that should be enough for him to hit at least 6X. May I also add that Dejounte Murray is questionable.
Shooting Guard
Zach Lavine – ($8,600)
I will be right back to Lavine tonight as he faces the same Magic squad he saw yesterday. He put up a mediocre fantasy performance but didn’t shoot the greatest from the field. In fact, I believe he had about 17ish fantasy points heading into the fourth and ended with 45. Lavine’s average usage rate is 29% and he gets a wonderful matchup tonight. Orlando has allowed the third most fantasy points to shooting guards and in the last five games ranks fifth worst defensively. Lavine gets the same juicy matchup and I think we see a better result tonight.
Furkan Korkmaz – ($3,900)
Seth Curry left extremely early last outing due to fatigue from COVID. He said he’s been struggling with it so I believe he sits out another game. Korkmaz played a season high 38 minutes in that game while attempting a season high 14 shots. Korkmaz went 5-14 from the field, 1-7 from three and still scored over 25 fantasy points in that game. A lovely matchup with Brooklyn awaits Korkmaz as the Nets rank fourth fastest along with fifth worst defensively this season. In the last five games Brooklyn ranks dead last in defensive rating. Getting the right pieces of this game could be key for tonight’s slate.
Small Forward
Hamidou Diallo – ($5,900)
With Theo Maledon ruled out last night Diallo was forced into point guard minutes. Which didn’t end in a bad result as he recorded a double-double and scored 36 fantasy points. If OKC has only eight healthy players again Diallo’s floor I feel is too safe. Especially if he is getting point guard run. His usage rate was at 22% last night which was second behind only Al Horford. Diallo is a fantasy point per minute player and he’s shown that in the last two games. Both of those games saw Diallo on the court for 30 minutes and his lowest fantasy output was 31.25. It will be tough to ignore Thunder players if they are short again and you could make an argument to play any of them.
Juan Toscano-Anderson – ($4,200)
Nothing too fancy to cover here other than due to injuries Anderson is forced to play minutes. He has played at least 27 minutes in two straight games while recording 25 of more fantasy points in both those games. Youre going to need to make sure Eric Paschall is out before you play Anderson as Paschall would likely take away a solid chunk of those minutes. With Draymond starting at center if Paschall is out there isn’t anyone to compete for minutes with Anderson.
Nets cheap small forwards
These guys are still really cheap with Durant ruled out already. I didn’t want to list specifics because I’m not sure what Brooklyn plans with Shumpert. Is it possible he plays with Durant out? Yes. Is it possible he remains out to get in shape and acclimated with the system? Also, Yes. These guys are risky but one of them is going to crush value.
Power Forward
Demar DeRozan – ($7,200)
The main beneficiary with Aldridge and Walker out is this man who sees a usage increase of almost 6%. That increase brings DeRozan’s usage rate to 29.7%. When those two are off the floor Demar records 1.3 fantasy points per minute. Last game when Aldridge was absent, Derozan went for 48 fantasy points while playing 40 minutes! Big minutes and usage are typically a recipe for success so I will load up on Demar against a fast-paced Houston team.
Isaiah Roby – ($3,700)
It looks as the Thunder will be thin yet again unless SGA or Lou Dort return. If they are at the minimum eight players again, you’re going to want your share of those guys. Last night every player got at least 5X according to their given salary. Roby was much more than that as he scored 34.25 fantasy points while playing 34 minutes. Other than Horford taking the biggest chunk of usage several OKC players saw around a 20% usage rate with Roby being one of them. If a guy is under 4K playing and should play 30 minutes against the Wolves how do I say no?
Center
Nikola Vucevic – ($8,900)
Sheesh, did Vucevic put up a crazy fantasy line last night for his standards falling one rebound shy of a 40-point 20 rebound game. Chicago only used a true center for 11 minutes last night and that led to Vucevic dominating. If Chicago rolls Thad Young at center again, I wouldn’t expect a different result from the Orlando big man. His usage rate last night was nearly 38% due to the mismatch in the paint. Facing Chicago in general is a fantastic spot as they rank third fastest along with fourth worst in team defensive rating. It will be hard to fade Vucevic in this spot regardless of who matchups up on him.
DeMarcus Cousins – ($6,300)
I actually like that DraftKings has him priced up here to keep ownership somewhat in check. Cousins has played at least 30 minutes and scored 36 or more fantasy points in the last three games Wood was absent. When Wood is absent Cousins sees a usage rate of 25.4% to go along with his 1.3 fantasy points per minute. A great matchup awaits Boogie as well as San Antonio has given up the fifth most fantasy points to centers along with the most made three pointers to centers. That may not seem huge but Cousins attempted at least six threes in those last three games Wood was out. I don’t see a reason Cousins won’t get minutes and pay off this salary.
Monkey Knife Fight
Bulls vs Magic
Zach Lavine – 24.5 points – More – With Orlando missing more pieces such as Aaron Gordon they have gotten worse defensively. In the last five games they rank fifth worst in defensive rating. They have given up the third most real points to shooting guards to go along with that. Lavine is the main offensive threat for Chicago with a near 30% usage rate as well.
Nikola Vucevic – 23.5 points – More –As mentioned above Aaron Gordon has been out and boy does Vucevic love that! Last night he saw nearly a 38% usage rate, while scoring a career high 43 real points. Chicago played with a true center for just 11 minutes which is what allowed Vuce to dominate. If they do that again this 23.5 should be an easy number.
Closing NBA GPP Picks 2/6
Thank you for tuning into my article NBA GPP Picks 2/6. We broke down this nine-game slate that has DAL vs GSW, BKN vs PHI, and TOR vs ATL as some of the top scoring games. As Durant is sidelined Brooklyn will be a popular target and it’s tough to argue. With no Durant we do have some value in Brooklyn along with value in OKC for this slate.
Many teams tonight are on the second leg of a back-to-back so be sure that you’re at least in Discord Chat to keep up with news. Keeping up with news and adjusting appropriately is key in NBA DFS. I will be busy in Discord with NBA and MMA tomorrow so check in and ask me any questions you have. Enjoy your Super Bowl weekend and win some green!!
