This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to Avoid:
Miami Heat at Washington Wizards
The Heat are elite at defending the backcourt, ranking third and fourth at limiting production to opposing point guards and shooting guards, respectively. They are also sixth at defending the power forward, though they rank only 19th against opposing small forwards and 14th against opposing centers.
Offenses to Use:
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets
It was really hard not to pick from the Suns vs. Lakers game, as there are some epically bad defenses on display there in what should be a high-scoring game. However, Portland is the pick because the Nuggets are pretty uniformly friendly across positions outside of center (28th, 22nd, 20th, 19th, and seventh defending PGs, SGs, SFs, PFs and Cs, respectively) and the Nuggets will be on the second half of a back-to-back. There is also less blowout potential than there is in a Lakers game, which could go sideways quickly and result in starters sitting in the fourth quarter.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Heat, Trail Blazers, Raptors
Second game: Nuggets, Suns
Daily Player Recommendations
Point Guard
Jordan Clarkson, LAL vs PHO ($5,300): Thus Suns have the worst defense against opposing point guards in the NBA. The Lakers have several potential point guards of interest, including D'Angelo Russell and Lou Williams, but Clarkson gets the call for being the more consistent starter. Clarkson is averaging 25.4 fantasy points per game this season, 26.7 over his last seven games and 29.3 over his last three.
Other suggestions: Brandon Knight, PHO at LAL ($7,400), Jeff Teague, ATL at NYK ($6,500)
Shooting Guard
Dwyane Wade, MIA at WAS ($6,900): The Wizards are 29th in the NBA at defending opposing shooting guards. Wade had a down game Friday due to an illness, but he was still able to be productive even in limited minutes and is expected to be good to go Sunday. Wade had scored between 36 and 41 fantasy points in three straight games before Friday.
Other suggestions: Will Barton, DEN vs POR ($7,300); C.J. McCollum, POR at DEN ($8,100)
Small Forward
T.J. Warren, PHO at LAL ($5,100): Warren has started the last two games in place of Jon Leuer and has averaged 24 points, seven boards, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 38.5 minutes per game. Leuer came off the bench Saturday and could be ready to rejoin the starting lineup by Sunday, but even off the bench Warren has been productive since Eric Bledsoe (knee) went down. On Sunday, Warren faces a terrible Lakers defense, and if he keeps that starting job, he is a high-upside value play.
Other suggestions: Otto Porter, WAS vs. MIA ($6,000); DeMarre Carroll, TOR vs. CHI ($4,900)
Power Forward
Bobby Portis, CHI at TOR ($4,300): Portis has settled in as a consistent impact player for the Bulls. In his last three outings he has played at least 26 minutes, averaging 13.3 points, 8.7 boards, 1.3 assists and 0.7 combined steals and blocks per game. He has scored between 25.25 and 32.5 fantasy points in each of those three games.
Other suggestions: Paul Millsap, ATL at NYK ($8,000), Darrell Arthur, DEN vs. POR ($3,900)
Center
Jonas Valanciunas, TOR vs. CHI ($5,100): Valanciunas and Bismack Biyombo have been splitting the center minutes fairly evenly since the former's return from injury. But the Bulls are particularly vulnerable to large, scoring centers because their frontline is a bit undersized. Thus, Valanciunas is the more dangerous of the two Raptors centers Sunday, though either one makes a good play.
Other suggestions: Marcin Gortat, WAS vs. MIA ($7,000), Bismack Biyombo, TOR vs. CHI ($5,200)
Injury Report
Out
Joakim Noah, CHI (shoulder)
Mike Dunleavy, CHI (back)
Josh McRoberts, MIA (knee)
Cleanthony Early, NY (knee)
Eric Bledsoe, PHO (knee)
Bradley Beal, WAS (leg)
Gary Neal, WAS (quad)
Alan Anderson, WAS (ankle)
Nene Hilario, WAS (calf)
Game-Time Decision
Tiago Splitter, ATL (calf)
Derrick Rose, CHI (hamstring)
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN (knee)
Emmanuel Mudiay, DEN (ankle)
Kobe Bryant, LAL (shoulder)
Justise Winslow, MIA (ankle)
Lou Amundson, NY (back)
Damian Lillard, POR (foot)
Mason Plumlee, POR (illness)
Kyle Lowry, TOR (ankle)
Drew Gooden, WAS (calf)
DeJuan Blair, WAS (knee)
Kenneth Faried, DEN (neck)
