Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Nuggets vs. Pelicans 12/22/24
Draftkings picks and predictions for tonight's Nuggets vs. Pelicans matchup.
Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans
December 22, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans a regular season matchup featuring the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans game let’s review the rules for Draftkings single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for this evening’s Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,400
Center Nikola Jokic has been the driving force behind the Denver Nuggets success on the offensive side of the basketball this season. An analysis of Jokic’s game data from the 2024 NBA regular season reveals the significant impact he has had on the team’s overall performance.
In the last 22 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Jokic is averaging a robust 68.7 Draftkings points a game.
Earlier this month, in the Denver Nuggets convincing 141-111 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Nikola Jokic certainly played at a high level. Let me be more specific. Jokic compiled an impressive 48 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block in the Nuggets win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Denver Nuggets win over the Hawks just mentioned, Denver center Nikola Jokic tallied a whopping 85 Draftkings points. It has to be said, those are the type of DFS numbers I need to see from a player that I select at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.
In my opinion, Nikola Jokic is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in tonight’s NBA regular season game. Therefore, I am rolling with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic at the captain position for this single game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Jamal Murray, Point Guard, Denver Nuggets $8,400
In addition to center Nikola Jokic, point guard Jamal Murray has certainly been a key contributor to the Denver Nuggets offense this season. Let’s review Murray’s recent game data to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the 32 games that Jamal Murray has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Murray is averaging 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks a game.
In summary, I fully expect talented Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray to continue his outstanding play in tonight’s NBA regular season matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this evening’s NBA game (Draftkings price noted): Dejounte Murray, Point Guard (New Orleans Pelicans) $9,800: Russell Westbrook, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $7,400: Trey Murphy III, Forward (New Orleans Pelicans) $7,600: Christian Braun, Guard (Denver Nuggets) $6,400.
