Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best Last-Minute NBA DraftKings Picks for Jan. 31
There are 11 games on Saturday's NBA schedule, and as many teams are in the second half of a back-to-back. Tired legs should create an opportunity for a few standout performances by fresher opponents.
Here are five players who could blow up in your DraftKings lineup.
Kevin Love, $9,000
In his return to Minneapolis, Love is set up to have a huge performance. He's coming off a 23-point, 10-rebound game on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings.
Aside from playing well lately, Love also has a favorable matchup against his old team. The Minnesota Timberwolves are ranked 20th in rebounding and 29th in opponent's three-point shooting percentage.
Love knows the Wolves fans are going to let him hear their disdain every chance they get. Per NBA.com, he's ready for the firestorm.
The Timberwolves' biggest issues just happen to give place to Love's biggest strengths. Charged and motivated by the boos he's sure to hear, Love will respond with a big game.
Klay Thompson, $8,500
Few players have scored the ball as spectacularly as Thompson over the last week. On Friday night in the Golden State Warriors' 110-100 loss to the Utah Jazz, Thompson took a bit of a break from his torrid scoring pace and produced just 12 points in a losing effort.
Prior to that, Thompson had averaged 37.6 points per game and shot 17-of-32 from three-point range in a three-game span.
Friday's game marked just the 10th time this season that Thompson failed to score at least 18 points. With the high-octane and defensively challenged Phoenix Suns lurking, it's the perfect opponent for Thompson to explode against.
The Suns are 28th in the NBA in opponent points per game. Thompson will make several splashes on Saturday. Make sure your DK team gets a little wet.
Al Horford, $7,700
The Atlanta Hawks just keep winning. On Friday, the team won its 18th straight and get set to host the woeful Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Horford has stayed healthy this season, and he's been an anchor on the inside for the Hawks on both ends of the floor. His muscle on the inside and his ability to find open teammates tore the 76ers to shreds in the teams' last meeting.
On Jan. 13, Horford messed around and had a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Philly is ranked just 21st in opponent's points per game, thus many teams this season have been able to put up gaudy scoring numbers.
While both teams played on Friday night, the Hawks will be at home once again. They didn't have to travel and should be the fresher team. Look for Horford to have another big game.
John Henson, $4,100
Henson was recently moved into the starting lineup, and he has taken advantage of the opportunity. On Friday night, he had 12 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots in 24 minutes against the Orlando Magic.
With Zaza Pachulia expected miss time, per Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Henson should continue to get opportunities to play.
In fact, it wouldn't be a shock to see his playing time increase. The Portland Trail Blazers offer a few tough matchups for the Bucks, but Henson's hustle and length should allow him to become a DK bargain over the next week.
Marcus Morris, $3,500
When two of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA meet, you have to find a way to get at least two players from that game in your starting lineup. The smaller of the Morris twins is the pick from the Suns.
He's been shooting the three with great accuracy over the last two weeks. During the current six-game stretch, Morris has connected on 11 of 25 attempts from downtown.
In a game against the Warriors that figures to be high-scoring, Morris is a solid bet to be a strong contributor off the Suns bench.
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