Utah Jazz & Los Angeles Lakers

Over/Under: 214

Spread: UTA -6.5

Rudy Gobert and the Jazz take on the Lakers and Andre Drummond in a late-night showdown!

Injuries

*LeBron James – Out

*Anthony Davis – Out

*Donovan Mitchell – Out

*Rudy Gobert – Probable (Knee)

*Andre Drummond – Probable (Toe)

*Mike Conley – Probable (Knee)

*Dennis Schroder – Probable (Foot)

*Markieff Morris – Probable (Ankle)

*Marc Gasol – Probable (Finger)

Player Breakdown

CPT/MVP

Rudy Gobert UTA ($13,800)

While Mitchell is sidelined, I’m not looking to Gobert here as someone that will pick up the scoring slack. Instead, we look to the center in a game that is lacking in star power for his double-double dependability. Gobert is coming off a 23-rebound performance against the Pacers on Friday and that gives us nice upside potential while knowing he is averaging 13.6 rebounds per game this season. There is similar upside when it comes to blocked shots, seven followed by four in his last two games, with a floor of 2.9 per game. 

Andre Drummond LAL ($12,000)

Let’s stay in the middle and look at Drummond who played through a toe injury without issue on Saturday. Drummond is coming off a 27-point, eight rebound performance against these same Jazz. We have to note though, that Gobert wasn’t in the lineup all things are not equal. On the season, Drummond is averaging 16.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game this season and that level of production is attainable once again on a Lakers’ team that is lacking for offensive upside. 

Jordan Clarkson UTA ($10,800)

Clarkson is still coming off the bench even with Mitchell sidelined, but at close to 30 minutes a game does it really matter? The volume shooter is taking on the offensive burden for Utah and while he won’t take 27 shots like he did on Saturday against Los Angeles, he will be easily in double-figures. If Clarkson gets hot, the production will follow and there is no questioning his role tonight. 

MID-TIER

Mike Conley UTA ($7,800)

After getting a rest day on Saturday, Conley appears to be ready to go for tonight’s game as Utah looks to fill the void left by Mitchell. The offensive upside is limited here and I’m not reading too much into the 26-points Conley scored against the Kings last week, and then there is the issue of assists. Conley is coming off games with 14 and 10 assists and that is a far cry from the 5.7 he is averaging for the season. There have also been multiple nights this season, even recently, where Conley has struggled to find his shot and it’s always tough when you see a player take 16 shots and put up just 19.75 DK points.

Dennis Schroder LAL ($7,600)

We can’t ignore what Schroder did in his last game against the Jazz on Saturday as he put up 50 DK points in one of his best and most well-rounded performances of the season with 25 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. The big thing for Schroder was that the shot volume (24) was there on Saturday, and there was nothing out of the ordinary with his stat line even if he doesn’t consistently play at that level. 

Kyle Kuzma LAL ($7,400)

Someone has to score for the Lakers and the opportunity is Kuzma’s for the taking. The troubling thing though is that in 38 minutes of play on Saturday against the Jazz, Kuzma attempted just six shots from the field. However, that led to 36 DK points so is anyone actually complaining? It is also a far cry from his previous game where 14 field goal attempts left him 20 DK points. 

DART THROWS

Bojan Bogdanovic UTA ($6,600)

Bogdanovic is in the midst of a hot streak offensively, so the absence of Mitchell comes at a good time for him as far as playing time and opportunity goes. The swingman has attempted between 14 and 18 shots in his last four games while scoring between 19 and 33 points. The playing time will continue to be there tonight for Bogdanovic as he will get another 30-plus minute of playing time and the value is certainly there as long as he continues his strong shooting. 

Georges Niang UTA ($2,400)

When given the opportunity to, Niang has shown that he can be a solid contributor as he went for 18 points and 10 rebounds a few games ago in 34 minutes of play. His normal range, even with Mitchell being out, is closer to 20 minutes but given the way Utah plays, there is still room for double-digit shot attempts. In each of his last two games, Niang scored nine points while grabbing five rebounds, but there is 30 DK point upside if his shot from downtown is falling.

Alex Caruso LAL ($4,200)

I’m sorry if I’m boring you here, but there is value in the 20 to 25 minutes Caruso logs each night. Despite efficiency from the field, Caruso doesn’t take many shots on a nightly basis and he is more valuable to the Lakers than our DFS teams most nights, but there is the potential for double-digit scoring to go along with a few rebounds and assists.