Getty JaVale McGee of the Los Angeles Lakers drives for a dunk.
The second game of the NBA’s opening night features a budding rivalry between the two Los Angeles teams. The Lakers and Clippers both feature a new look heading into the season and with superstars aplenty on both sides, should prove to be one of the more exciting matchups this season – and a great way to get your DraftKings season started!
Both sides are dealing with injuries as the Clippers are down Paul George while the Lakers are out Kyle Kuzma for their opening night tilt.
Rules & Scoring
- Pick six players (one captain, five utility players)
- Captain costs 1.5x standard salary
- Captain scores 1.5x fantasy points
- Able to select players from any position
- $50,000 salary cap
Lakers vs. Clippers: DraftKings DFS NBA Showdown Lineup Picks
Anthony Davis shake-and-bake to Caruso 😳
Captain: Anthony Davis, $16,200
Utility: LeBron James, $10,200
Utility: Lou Williams, $7,800
Utility: Danny Green, $6,200
Utility: JaVale McGee, $5,000
Utility: Dwight Howard, $4,600
The thought process behind this lineup is to essentially stack the Lakers’ frontcourt heavily – as they should pose a major mismatch for the likes of Montrezl Harrell and Ivica Zubac.
Captain: Anthony Davis always has the chance to go nuclear and considering this is his first regular-season game for the purple and gold with a juicy matchup on paper, things don’t get much better than this. He is the most expensive option but don’t overthink this too much, instead pay the extra premium to get Davis in your lineup as the captain – you won’t regret it.
Utility 1: LeBron James draws an awkward matchup as he is likely to have Kawhi Leonard harassing him the entire game, however, we really only have the money to choose one of Leonard or James. While Leonard is coming off an epic run in the playoffs and is undoubtedly one of the game’s best players, LeBron is a walking 27/7/7. Kawhi will almost certainly have a big night but nobody in the league can consistently fill up a box score like James (except maybe Russ).
Utility 2: Lou Williams has carved himself out one of the steadiest DFS roles in recent years. Serving as the primary bucket-getter off the bench, Williams typically will see around 30 minutes per night with a high volume of those minutes featuring the ball in his hands. While Lou Will will rack up a few assists here and there, his biggest value comes from the fact that he’s a dominant scorer who finds a way to get his even on nights where his shot is off. His price has dropped a bit compared to last year (due to Kawhi and PG entering the fold) but don’t expect his role to actually change all too much.
Utility 3: Danny Green is a bit of a hit or miss option here but considering he should see the court for roughly 30 minutes and is going to be the recipient of numerous wide-open looks from deep, he seems to be worth the flier here. Green is undoubtedly the third option out on the court but in a dynamic offense featuring two elite playmakers in Anthony Davis and LeBron James, he should find himself with more than enough looks to justify his somewhat spendy price tag.
Utility 4: JaVale McGee is far from a sexy pick here but given the mismatch, the Lakers have down low, becomes almost a must-play. At an extremely affordable price and set to see some sizeable minutes, McGee has the chance to gauge the Clippers on the glass and pile up some big fantasy numbers in the process. Ivica Zubac lacks the mobility to get up and down the court with McGee while Harrell is nearly four inches shorter – not to mention both will be having to occasionally slide over to offer help on Anthony Davis.
Utility 5: Similar to McGee, Howard isn’t a sexy pick but he should be more than able to produce. Especially given his $4,600 price tag, Howard has the opportunity to offer tons of value. Even if he only sees 15-20 minutes on the evening, Howard has the chance to pile up big rebounding numbers and chip in points extremely quickly – in his final preseason game, he poured in 13 points and seven rebounds in only 15 minutes.