We get a late-night, defense-optional Showdown game tonight to round out our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. We know where the ball will go with the Lakers, but the Rockets side hinges on the availability of Kevin Porter, Jr. If he misses his third straight game, there is a lot of opportunity available for other players on the roster. Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools! Here are the NBA DFS top plays we can invest in for our lineups tonight on FanDuel and DraftKings! 

 

 

 

NBA Injury Report

Houston Rockets

  • Kevin Porter, Jr. - QUESTIONABLE

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Anthony Davis – OUT
  • Lonnie Walker – OUT
  • Austin Reaves – OUT

 

NBA DFS Showdown Picks - Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

MVP/Captain

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (SF/PF)

LeBron James was once again unstoppable last night, just as he has been since Anthony Davis went down with injury and James had to put this mediocre team completely on his back. James scored 64.5 fantasy points which was the fourth game in a row his fantasy points increased. With the Rockets now 28th in defensive rating and undersized on the wings, this has the makings of an explosion day for James, even if he doesn’t play his full allotment of minutes in a blowout. Houston has allowed 5.5 more fantasy points per game to small forwards than any other team in the last 15 games.

Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers (PG)

Since Anthony went down with an injury, Russell Westbrook has been playing at an all-NBA level even though he continues to come off the bench each game. That was especially on display last night as he dunked on the 76ers for 61.5 fantasy points including a triple-double. He still is averaging 34 minutes and 52 fantasy points per game in the last 10 days and has scored below 43 fantasy points in a fully healthy game just once since Christmas. The Rockets are the worst team against point guards this season, allowing 54.99 fantasy points per game, 3.5 more points than any other team.

Jalen Green, Houston Rockets (SG)

If we assume no Kevin Porter again tonight, Jalen Green gets a massive boost almost everywhere, and he proved it last night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Green scored 27 points with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in just 33 minutes which continued a strong run of at least 36 fantasy points in three of his last four games. When Porter is not on the floor, Green has a 32.4% usage rate and scores 1.07 fantasy points per minute. Add in a pace bump from the Lakers (2nd) and this is a great spot for the young shooting guard.

 

Utility 

Thomas Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (C)

Bryant should have a much clearer path to fantasy points tonight than he did last night trying to slow down Joel Embiid. He only played 20 minutes last night, but Bryant now consistently plays between 30-34 minutes every game and is averaging 36.3 fantasy points per game the last 10 days. Over their last three games, the Rockets have allowed the 12th-most points in the paint to opponents and are just 22nd in defensive rebound percentage.

Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets (C)

Sengun, once thought of as a boom-or-bust guy, has transformed into one of the most reliable fantasy producers this calendar year. Since the beginning of January, he has between 32 and 46 fantasy points in every game but he is still just $800 more than Thomas Bryant. The Lakers are behind only Charlotte and Utah in terms of fantasy points allowed to centers, and Sengun is now routinely crossing 30 minutes per night. When Porter is not on the floor, he scores 1.25 fantasy points per minute.

KJ Martin, Houston Rockets (SF/PF)

Playing increased minutes the past three games with Porter out, Martin has gone crazy in two of them and was a bust in the other. But the playing time will be secure if Porter sits as Martin has a 31-minute average over the last three. When Porter does not play, Martin has the most minutes of any other Rockets player this season and we can always count on him to take good shots. In three of his past four games, Martin has shot better than 60% from the floor and better than 33% from three.

 

Dart Throws

Josh Christopher, Houston Rockets (SG)

If Kevin Porter should miss another game, Christopher is likely to get the same 18-19 minutes he has seen in the past two contests. He only has 25 total fantasy points across those two games, but at just $1,000 (the minimum) on DraftKings, he will easily get 10x on his salary, and the price lets you get all the way up to any of the studs you might want. Christopher’s minutes in this game would likely come against the Lakers’ second team, and with no Lonnie Walker or Patrick Beverley, that should make life easier on Houston guards.

Juan Toscano-Anderson, Los Angeles Lakers (PF)

Toscano-Anderson was in the winning lineups in many Showdown contests last night as he scored another 14.5 fantasy points in 22 minutes. That has been a common line for him after a recent lineup shakeup. He was inserted in as the power forward and now is seeing close to 20 minutes per game over the last two weeks. JTA has never been a dominant fantasy scorer, but he does have double-digit fantasy points in four of his past five games and should continue to see 20 minutes per night as a starter. The Rockets are a bottom-10 team against power forwards in their last seven games.  

 

 

 

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