Tonight’s NBS DFS slate between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns features one team trying to ramp up their star player while another is ramping theirs down before the playoffs. The Nuggets need to win just three more times in their last six games to lock up the one seed in the West while the Suns are desperately trying to hang onto the four seed and homecourt advantage in the first round. We will likely be without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray tonight but should get more minutes and a better shooting performance out of Kevin Durant. Here are the NBA DFS top plays we can invest in for our lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings!

 

Denver Injuries:

Nikola Jokic – QUESTIONABLE

Jamal Murray - DOUBTFUL

Phoenix Injuries:

NONE

NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks

MVP/CAPTAIN

Devin Booker (PG/SG), Phoenix Suns

We don’t really have a sample size for Booker against Denver this season. In his only time to suit up against them this season, he left the game with an injury after four minutes. But he has been monumentally consistent over the last nine days, scoring between 41 and 48 fantasy points in every game. His 60 or 70-point ceiling might be capped when everyone on the Suns is healthy, but Booker averages 45 fantasy points per game on 50% shooting at home this season and the Nuggets might be severely undermanned in this one. 

Kevin Durant (SF/PF), Phoenix Suns

Durant was pretty horrific in his first game back in more than three weeks after suffering an ankle injury. He shot just 27% from the field and played just 29 minutes as he was eased back in. He should crack 30 minutes tonight and I have full confidence the shot will return to form before too long. He is almost $1,000 cheaper in the MVP spot than Booker on DraftKings. That would normally not be the case if they were both at full strength. Over their last 12 games, the Nuggets have tumbled to 20th in defensive rating and it could get worse with no Jokic or Murray. 

Bruce Brown (PG/SF), Denver Nuggets

Yes, backup guard Bruce Brown might just be the best Denver Nuggets player for the MVP slot tonight, especially considering the salary compared to the other top players in this game. Brown is just the ninth-highest-priced player on DraftKings, but plays the second-most minutes when Jokic and Murray are out and has a 25.5% usage rate in those situations. Last night, he played 28 minutes off the bench and scored 34 fantasy points. If Murray and Jokic are both out tonight, those are going to go way up at a very reasonable salary. 

 

UTILITY 

Aaron Gordon (PF), Denver Nuggets

It’s a small sample, but Gordon possesses the highest usage rate (28%) and fantasy points per minute (1.53) on this team when he plays without Jokic or Murray on the floor. We can expect a lot of usage out of Gordon again tonight as well as a lot of time on the court trying to slow down Kevin Durant. In his two games against Phoenix this season, Gordon is averaging 32 minutes and 35.4 fantasy points per game. His offensive and defensive game are going to be relied on heavily in this one if the Nuggets have any shot of staying close. 

Michael Porter, Jr. (SF), Denver Nuggets

The Suns have completely shut Porter down so far this season, as he averages just 19 fantasy points across two games including 35% shooting and nine points and five rebounds. But he does have a 27% usage rate and 1.01 fantasy points per minute when Murray and Jokic are not on the court, so his number will be called a lot in this one. 

Chris Paul (PG), Phoenix Suns

In that game against Denver where Booker left after just a few minutes, Paul absolutely took over, scoring 53.5 fantasy points including 16 assists and two steals to go along with 17 points. He likely won’t get that high tonight, but with no Jamal Murray the ceiling is slightly higher for Paul. The Nuggets are actually a bottom-10 team against point guards this season, allowing 25.7 points and 10 assists per game to the position. In close games, Paul is still playing between 32-25 minutes every night. 

 

DART THROWS

Christian Braun (SG/SF), Denver Nuggets

You may not know much about Christian Braun, but he has been playing big minutes lately as a backup wing player for Denver. Last night, he chipped in 23 minutes and 11 points. He has played at least 16 minutes in each of his last four games and has two double-digit fantasy outputs in that time. This is not someone to plug in expecting 35 fantasy points, but he should get 20+ minutes again with ease, and if the Suns blow out the Nuggets, that number could creep up as high as 30. Braun has several 25+ fantasy point games this season, so the opportunity is there if he gets the minutes. 

T.J. Warren (SF/PF), Phoenix Suns

As Josh Okogie sees fewer and fewer minutes (he has under 30 in five of the last six games), it is T.J. Warren who is reaping the benefits. Warren, who is a capable defender and much better scorer than Okogie, has played at least 20 minutes in four of his last five games and has games of 24 fantasy points and 31 fantasy points in that span, but all of them have been above 13 fantasy points. If this game gets out of hand with so many Nuggets’ injuries, Warren could see an oversized role in this one as well. 

 


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