Top NBA Plays 8/3 | The New Normal

It's been a great 1st weekend of the return of the NBA. Better yet, for DFS purposes there's been some points scored. The Grizzlies and Blazers combined for 275 points on Friday and the Mavs and Rockets broke 300 (!) later that night in a 153-149 Rockets win.

There are 6 games on tap for Monday, although the Raptors vs. Heat game with the early 1:30 PM ET start is off the main slate for DraftKings. That's alright though, it's still a nice little 5-game Monday with afternoon hoops. If that's "the new normal," I'll take it.

Tonight's DFS Headlines

Nuggets vs. Thunder (-6) , O/U 219

4:00 PM ET

1.5 games separates four teams in the Western Conference from seeds 3-6. That makes today's game between Denver and OKC kind of important. The Nuggets lost their opener by 20 as Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Will Barton all missed the game. The Thunder beat the Jazz in their first game and actually got healthier over the break with the return of Andre Roberson.

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Pacers (-8) vs. Wizards, O/U 228

4:00 PM ET

The Wizards will be the first team to play a back-to-back in the NBA bubble after dropping a 118-110 contest to the Nets on Sunday. Washington is now 0-2 in the restart after falling to Phoenix in their first game. T.J. Warren ($7.4k) will try to regain his hot hand for Indiana after nailing 9 three-pointers on Saturday en route to 71 fantasy points. Victor Oladipo (knee) is doubtful for Indiana.

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Grizzlies vs. Pelicans (-4.5), O/U 237

6:30 PM ET

One of the weird rules of the restart is that the 9th place team will get a chance at a play-in game as long as they are within 4 games of the 8 seed. That makes today's game huge, as the Pelicans are 3.5 back from Memphis right now. New Orleans still has San Antonio and Portland to jump but a win here definitely helps their cause.

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Spurs vs. 76ers (-7), O/U 227

8:00 PM ET

Philadelphia definitely struggled vs. the small forward position on Saturday, giving up a 70 fp burger to the Pacers' T.J. Warren. Joel Embiid ($10.3k) did go for 41 points and 21 rebounds in that bubble-opening loss and should be a target vs. a Spurs team missing LaMarcus Aldridge.

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Lakers (-6.5) vs. Jazz, O/U 217

9:00 PM ET

Anthony Davis ($9.8k) is a risky target tonight, as he took just 7 shots in 35 minutes in a 15 point loss to the Raptors on Saturday. L.A. tries to get back on track vs. a Jazz team also coming off a big loss by 16 points to the Thunder last time out.

Guards

Ish Smith DK $4.7k | FD $5.4k

There's a great chance for 6X value on Ish Smith tonight, as he's gone for 30+ fp in both games back from the restart. What you really like is that Smith is averaging 15 shots per game the last two. What you don't like is that he's doing it in just 27.5 minutes per game. Washington is up against the Pacers who have the 4th best scoring defense in the league, but gave up 121 to Philadelphia the 1st game. There were only 4 points from the Sixers starting back court in that game but hey, that just drives the ownership for Smith down.

The Pacers have a solid defense but can be a bit vulnerable vs. PG reserves, especially with injuries to Oladipo, Brogdon, and Lamb.

Dillon Brooks DK $5.1k | FD $5.1k

The shots haven't necessarily fallen for Dillon Brooks since the restart but the good news is that they've been there. Brooks is 6-16 and 7-20 from the floor in two games in the bubble but has a favorable matchup with the Pelicans tonight. Memphis is on the back-to-back and did play 36 minutes yesterday, but New Orleans is 28th defensively vs. the SG position. Donovan Mitchell and Paul George have both gone for 40+ fp vs. the Pelicans in Orlando.

There's not a whole lot of defense being played in the Pelicans back court.

Jordan Clarkson DK $4.9k | FD $4.7k

The Jazz want to see where they stand among the Western Conference elite tonight in a game vs. the Lakers. Jordan Clarkson has upside for the price, as he's taken 17 shots in both games since the restart. Clarkson also made the perfect lineup on Thursday vs. the Pelicans. Plus, the Lakers traded Clarkson to Cleveland in 2018 - wouldn't you want a little revenge if your company transferred you from California to Ohio?

Forwards

T.J. Warren DK $7.4k | FD $6.7k

T.J. Warren can't do that again...can he? The common sentiment would probably be to fade the Pacers forward who went 20-29 and 9-12 from three point range en route to a 71 point DFS night.

There are reasons to still like Warren tonight though. For one, Indiana is playing the Wizards who rank 29th in the league in points allowed per game. Also there's not a whole lot of other people to take shots for Indiana. Domantas Sabonis didn't join the bubble while Victor Oladipo (knee) and Malcolm Brogdon (neck) probably won't play against the Wizards.

JJ Redick DK $3.7k | FD $4k

You have to throw out the last game for J.J. Redick, as the Clippers were up by as many as 42 points over New Orleans on Saturday. As a result, Redick played just 17 minutes and went a measly 2-6 from the field. Redick was 7-15 in the bubble opener though, with a 31 fp night.

It's a huge game for New Orleans as they try to close the gap on Memphis for the 8 seed. The Pelicans play that Grizzlies team in what is a matchup of the #2 and #4 teams in pace with a betting total of 237, the highest of the night.

Memphis vs. New Orleans is definitely a game to target on Monday.

Tobias Harris DK $8.6k | FD $6.8k

There's great value on Tobias Harris on FanDuel tonight at under $7k after going for 46 fp on Saturday. That included taking 29 shots while also grabbing eight rebounds. Philadelphia has San Antonio tonight and the Spurs are a) on the back-to-back after beating Memphis by two on Sunday and b) short in the front court already, as LaMarcus Aldridge and Trey Lyles didn't join the bubble.

Harris had a great opener against a good Pacers defense.

Center

Steven Adams DK $5.4k | FD $6.4k

LineStar chat user @WowHow said it best with comment "Prepares for the Embiid to the locker room tweet." It's undeniable that the Sixers big man is the main target on the slate after his 81 fp bubble debut. Let's pivot away from Joel Embiid and find some value in Steven Adams though.

Adams' ownership is way down there, even after 36fp in 28 minutes in his bubble opener. The thing to really like from the Thunder big man is the matchup with Denver tonight. Adams went for 18/14 and 19/17 in two meetings with the Nuggets this season for a 48 fp average.

Not many people big on Adams tonight

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You can follow me, Carl Taylor (@dailydogsports), on Twitter for more daily fantasy and sports betting talk and make sure to check out the LineStar chat.

Freeroll

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🔥 SuperDraft Multiplier Must-Play

Today's SuperDraft multiplier must-play is TJ Warren at 1.5X. Warren likely won't shoot as good as his 9-12 debut from three point range but the Pacers do have a favorable matchup vs. Washington. Warren also shot 29 times on Saturday.

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Terms: Partnership offers do NOT renew. See SuperDraft landing page for full terms and conditions. Must be a new user to SuperDraft and deposit and play a minimum of $10 to qualify. If you have an existing LineStar Premium subscription you get a Hat/Tee/Pen combo instead of the 3-months.