Charlotte Hornets @ Los Angeles Lakers
O/U: 227.5
Spread: LAL -2.5
Injury
Charlotte
PJ Washington - OUT
Los Angeles
LeBron James - OUT
Talen Horton-Tucker - OUT
Kendrick Nunn - OUT
Trevor Ariza - OUT
Anthony Davis - IN
MVP/CPT
Anthony Davis, PF/C - Coming into Monday’s game, no team has a worse defensive rating this year than the Charlotte Hornets. They’re also third in pace, which bodes well for opposing teams to maximize their offensive possessions. Davis, on the year, has a 31/9% USG rate and averages 1.5 FP/min without LeBron James on the floor. Charlotte is 28th in rebounding percentage this year to boot, so Davis should be locked into a double-double here.
Russell Westbrook, PG - Westbrook, like Davis, has massive numbers without LeBron James this year. Westbrook is the team leader in USG at 33.2% and second in FP/min at 1.4. He’s coming off one of the worst performances of his career and is poised for a bounce back against the league’s worst statistical defense here.
LaMelo Ball, PG - The best match-up in this game, according to DvP, is the one LaMelo Ball has against Russell Westbrook. Westbrook and the Lakers rank 30th defending point-guards and Ball is in a good groove offensively. He has scored 20+ actual in four of his last five games while putting up 40+ DKP in four of those five games. He’s flashed a near 60 point ceiling too.
Mid Tier
Miles Bridges, SF/PF - Even in a game in which Bridges shoots 7-of-19 from the floor, he gives us 40 DKP because of his ability to stuff the box score. He notched six assists and four rebounds to go along with his 21 points. Bridges has been wildly consistent this year, notching 42 DKP/game. He’s twice given us over 50 DKP this year too, so there’s some upside to go along with the safety as well.
Terry Rozier, PG/SG - Rozier is in a terrible shooting slump right now shooting 36% or worse in three consecutive games and is shooting 31.8% on the year. That said, he isn’t shying away from taking shots as he’s coming off 22 attempts on Sunday. We saw signs of life at the very least on Sunday as he scored 17 actual and 34 DKP. If he gets hot, he could break the slate.
Carmelo Anthony, PF - The Lakers offense is very concentrated but there is room at the table for a third guy and that guy is Anthony. Anthony, with LBJ off the floor, has a respectable 21% USG and averages .9 FP/min. He should see anywhere from 25-30 minutes in a game featuring a 227.5 total, the worst defense in basketball and two of the three fastest paced teams in the league.
Value Tier
Kelly Oubre Jr., SG/SF - When Oubre’s shot is falling, the Hornets will go small and use Miles Bridges at the five like they did a lot of Sunday’s game versus the Clippers. They could be doing the same thing a lot here considering the Lakers use Anthony Davis at center quite a bit. That means there’s a place at the table for Oubre to eat and at just 5K there is a lot of upside here. The first three games of November were a nightmare for Oubre, but last night's Clippers game and the last two games of October were great and if we get that version tonight, he’ll be in most of the winning showdown lineups.
Avery Bradley, SG - With the Lakers getting healthier with each passing day, it’s really hard to trust any of these guys, but Bradley has seemingly found a place in this Lakers rotation. Not to mention he’s just $1,800 on DraftKings and on a slate featuring a lot of star power, someone like Bradley fits our builds nicely. He’s played 23+ minutes in five straight games and has topped 29 minutes in three of four.