When the 6-17 Brooklyn Nets travel to Los Angeles to take on the 10-17 Los Angeles Lakers, three will be three groups of people paying close attention: Nets fans, Lakers fans and daily fantasy basketball players. Brooklyn vs. L.A. is a dream matchup in terms of DFS, as both teams are top four in the NBA in pace and bottom three in defensive rating. When they met in November, there were 243 total points scored. Brook Lopez dropped 30 and 10. Bojan Bogdanovic poured in 29. Julius Randle triple-doubled. D'Angelo Russell had 32 points, eight rebounds, seven threes and three steals. Even Timofey Mozgov got into the mix, scoring 20 points. There are plenty of other intriguing games on Wednesday's 10-game slate, but this should be the first one you look at when filling out your lineup. With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my ideal DraftKings lineup, or you can click here for more NBA DFS strategy and analysis. (Getty)
PG: Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn Nets
Opponent: vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Price: $5,600
Lin played just 20 minutes in his return from a month-long absence (hamstring) on Monday, so there may be some concern about how much time he sees on the court. Nevertheless, he poured in 10 points, seven assists and 28.25 DraftKings points in those 20 minutes, he's been an extremely efficient producer when healthy (1.25 DraftKings points per minute), and as we just mentioned, the matchup doesn't get much better. Even in 25 minutes, Lin can put up big numbers here. (Getty)
SG: James Harden, Houston Rockets
Opponent: vs. Sacramento Kings
Price: $12,000
Deciding between Westbrook and Harden is usually a difficult one, but with the former on the second night of a back-to-back against a Jazz team that is 29th in pace and fifth in defensive rating, I'll go with Harden. His matchup is much more favorable, as the Kings rank 21st in defensive rating and give up more than 10 three-pointers per game. (Getty)
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks
Opponent: vs. Detroit Pistons
Price: $3,900
Finney-Smith has logged at least 30 minutes in each of the last three games, averaging 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks and 25.58 DraftKings points during that stretch. It's obviously a small sample size, but he appears to have nailed down a solid role as a starter for as long as Dirk Nowitzki is sidelined. The minutes alone make him worth consideration for under $4,000, while his ability to hit threes, rebound and pick up defensive stats is especially compelling. (Getty)
PF: Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers
Opponent: at Brooklyn Nets
Price: $5,900
Randle struggled on Monday against the Kings, but this is the perfect spot for him to bounce back, as he racked up 17 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and 52.5 DraftKings points during the first meeting between these teams. I wouldn't go in expecting another triple-double, but he's the Lakers' best bet for 30-plus minutes--and thus big production--in what should be an up-tempo affair. (Getty)
C: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets
Opponent: vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Price: $6,800
Lopez took an astounding 25 shots in the first matchup against the Lakers, piling up 30 points, 10 rebounds, four threes, three assists and three blocks. Jeremy Lin didn't play that game, so it's safe to expect fewer shot attempts, but Lopez had a whopping 31.7 usage percentage despite Lin's return Monday, so the big man will still be heavily involved in this dream matchup. (Getty)
G: Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings
Opponent: at Houston Rockets
Price: $5,300
The arrow was already pointing up for Collison, who is averaging 16.0 points, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals over the last three games. And now he gets to go up against a Rockets team with shaky defensive play, plus his offensive role could be significantly bigger if Rudy Gay (hip flexor strain; questionable) is out. (Getty)
F: Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets
Opponent: at Washington Wizards
Price: $6,900
Batum has struggled a bit in the last couple of games, so I think he could be an intriguing low-ownership play. Even with his recent mini cold streak, he's still a triple-double threat against a defense that ranks 21st in the NBA in points per game allowed. (Getty)
UTIL: J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
Opponent: at Memphis Grizzlies
Price: $3,500
With LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love all sitting this one out, there is tons of potential value on the Cavaliers side of things. Ultimately, the majority of the offensive load should fall to Smith, who poured in 23 points and six three-pointers against the same Memphis team on Tuesday night. He'll be popular, but he could take 20-plus shots in this one, and at $3,500, that makes him pretty much a must-play. (Getty)
DraftKings NBA December 14: Optimal Lineup Picks & Preview