FanDuel NBA Single-Game Strategy: Nuggets/Clippers DFS Preview
Hello Grinders. FanDuel has a solid single-game offering for tonight’s Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers game. Let’s dive in and see what we can make of this game.
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The Spread
This game opens with a low 218.5 over/under, with the Clippers slight 5.5-point home favorites. Vegas is expecting this game to be on the lower side of the scoring scale, as both teams are solid defensive units. The Clippers rank 5th in defensive efficiency, while the Nuggets are 10th. It’ll be interesting to see if the Clippers can set the tone in terms of pace here, as they are 8th in the league while the Nuggets are all the way down at 29th. Regardless, this feels like a battle of two good, defensive squads.
The Injuries
Amazingly, both teams enter this game relatively healthy and with no notable injuries. As such, we should expect both teams to field their regular starters.
The Options
Nikola Jokic – It’s hard not to love Jokic in this spot against a Clippers team that continues to get smoked by opposing centers. DeAndre Ayton just dropped a 50 burger on the Clippers last game, and it’s not hard to think Jokic can do something similar here. He’s coming off a dud 35 FanDuel point performance but prior to that game, he had reached 45+ FanDuel points in eight straight games. He did score 48 FanDuel points on them back in January and the Clippers’ best chance against Jokic is using Ivica Zubac against him as Montrezl Harrell is a bit undersized against traditional centers.
Kawhi Leonard – From a pricing standpoint, I really wanted to drop down from Leonard to Paul George as my big spend up on the Clippers side and save $1,500, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it if George continues to have his minutes limited. He’s played 21 and 28 minutes in his two games since returning from a hamstring injury, so there’s a good likelihood George finally crosses the 30 minute threshold for this game. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind PG in GPPs if we get word he’s no longer limited, but for $1,500 more, there’s some safety in paying up for Kawhi who has routinely reached the 35+ minute threshold lately. If this game stays close like Vegas expect, there’s a big floor here for Leonard. For the record, I actually prefer Jokic as my MVP as I consider him having the highest ceiling of any player in this game, but Leonard is next on that list.
Marcus Morris – We’re going to need savings somewhere, and I think getting it with a $8,500 Morris is the route. He’s not going to have a huge ceiling on this team simply due to having high usage players like Leonard and George alongside him, but there’s a good enough floor here where if he gets 25+ minutes in a starting role, we could see close to a fantasy point per minute. He’s the cheapest starter we can get in this game and honestly, he’s more appealing to me than a $9,000 Gary Harris or a $9,500 Ivica Zubac, so I’m more than willing to pay down for Morris to jam in the studs.
Paul Millsap – Millsap is the one player in this game I’m most intrigued by because I have no idea what to expect from him. Take a look at his recent game logs: 16.8, 41.4, 10.7, 26.8 and 43.9 FanDuel points. His output has been all over the map lately, and he’s doing it despite getting minutes around the low 20s. The matchup here for Millsap is not one I love as he’ll be covered by Kawhi Leonard, but that along with his up-and-down fantasy scores should keep his ownership relatively low. If I’m taking shots here and can tolerate the risk, I don’t mind Millsap as I think he carries a higher ceiling than guys like Michael Porter or Patrick Beverley in this price range. I wouldn’t go all in on Millsap, but getting exposure to him and hoping for a 40+ FanDuel game is definitely viable.
Thanks for reading, and good luck tonight. May variance be on your side.