It’s a big 10-game slate tonight for DFS NBA and the Lakers and the Warriors played last night. Something to be mindful of going into tonight’s action is that the Lakers could be possibly without both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. There will be a lot of shots to go around if both are officially ruled out tonight. Keep your eye on the injuries because more often than not, we will be in for a few surprise additions to the injury report shortly before roster-lock. We can always count on the NBA for surprising injuries popping up.
PG: Cole Anthony: As good as the Hornets start to the season has been from an offensive standpoint, their defense has been among the worst in the league as they let up over 117 points per game. Through four games, Anthony has taken the most shots per contest for Orlando and he’s been playing 32 minutes a night. As the Magic’s prioritized shooter and scorer as he leads the team posting 15.2 points per game, he’s in a strong spot against LaMelo Ball. The Hornets have been one of the weakest teams in the league at stopping guards from producing against them. Anthony has grabbed eight rebounds and dishes nearly six dimes per contest. He’s grabbed at least one steal in his last three games. This game is also a major pace-up spot for the Magic and you can get away with stacking them cheaply in this monster slate. Jalen Suggs is in a terrific match up as well and he’s even cheaper than Anthony.
SG: Anthony Edwards: Edwards plays a lot of minutes and has had an incredible start to the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to have to keep an eye on the mobile Karl-Anthony Towns all game and Edwards should have opportunities to torch the Bucks from the mid-range. Both of these teams play a quick back and forth style of tempo and this game total on sports books is second highest on the entire slate. Things can definitely shift a bit in the coming weeks, but Edwards has taken 22 shots per game, over 2 more field goals attempted than Towns. Edwards has shot nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc this season and he pulls down 8 rebounds per contest, which ranks 2nd on the team behind Towns. He’s also grabbed a steal and dished at least three dimes in every game so far. He’s given us at least a 5x return in just about every game on both FanDuel and DraftKings and being that he’s been the prioritized scorer, the price point is very fair. He’s been playing deep into games as well playing at least 37 minutes in his last 2 battles.
SF: Desmond Bane: The match up with the highest total among sports books for tonight with the Memphis-Portland game and Bane has been taking 15 shots per game and he’s shooting nearly 48 percent from the field. Portland’s mid-court defense has been garbage and while Bane will look to fire from long-range a good amount, he’ll still look to attack the rim when the lane is open. Bane has taken the second most shots per game for the Grizzlies and he leads the team in steals swiping 1.3 balls per game. He’s been playing 30-plus minutes per outing and between his strong shooting and safe shooting floor in the Grizzlies rotation, he’s an excellent play tonight. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been struggling shooting from the field and Bane has been given more shots than him per contest. Bane has also grabbed five or more boards in his last two games. The pace will work in the Grizzlies favor as the Blazers have played at the fastest pace in the league. Bane continues to be cheap and on a double-digit game slate, he’ll be very valuable once again in a very beatable match up.
PF: Jayson Tatum: The investment in Tatum may be a bit lower tonight being that Jaylen Brown is back in full force after he had a monster game against Charlotte the other night and while Brown may lead the team in scoring, Tatum has been taking the most shots per game on Boston with 24. Since he shot poorly in New York in the Celtics first game of the season, Tatum has shot 50 percent from the field or better in his last 3 games. He grabs 8.3 rebounds per game and he’s blocked at least 1 shot in every battle this season. While the Wizards have dropped a bit off the pace chart since last season and they have shown signs of improved defense, tonight will be a tough task for Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to stop the dynamic Tatum. He’ll also have time to bring up the ball and he’s been contributing 4.5 assists per game as well. He’s played 37 minutes or more in every game except one this season.
C: Bam Adebayo: Adebayo is three for three in producing double-doubles and Brooklyn’s frontcourt defense remains pretty suspect and we’ve seen slashing big men have success against them. There will be times when Durant monitors Adebayo to make sure he doesn’t get in the lane. Adebayo has tremendous ball-handling skills and doesn’t need to operate only out of the post. He can get the ball at the elbow and take it inside himself. He’s grabbed 13 or more boards and a steal in every game so far this season. It is a minor pace up spot for Miami. The Heat have had had two blowout wins in which Adebayo played fewer than 30 minutes, but tonight with the spread on the game being close and the Nets being able to put up points, it should be competitive and Adebayo should absolutely hit the 30-minute mark and we should expect him to play closer to 35 minutes. He’s received the third most shots on the Heat per game and he’s been shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.