Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Clippers vs. Nuggets 4/21/25

Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a Western Conference featuring the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.

Before we dive into the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets game let’s review the rules for the 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 tonight’s Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets matchup.

Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks

Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,600

Denver center Nikola Jokic has certainly established himself as one of the best players in the National Basketball Association today. Having stated that, how has Jokic performed from a statistical perspective this season? Let’s examine the veteran center’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season to answer that question.

In the 71 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA season (including playoffs), Jokic is averaging 67.8 Draftkings points a game.

These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Jokic play in the most recent meeting? In the Denver Nuggets thrilling 112-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers two days ago, Denver center Nikola Jokic certainly played at a high level. More specifically, Jokic amassed 29 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists, one block and three steals in the Nuggets victory over the Clippers.

Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Denver Nuggets win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver center Nikola Jokic accumulated a robust 67.25 Draftkings points. It has to be said, those are the type of DFS numbers that I need to see from a player that I select at the captain position.

In my opinion, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in this evening’s NBA playoff season game. For that specific reason, I am rolling with Nikola Jokic as the captain for this single game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest slate.

Flex Plays

James Harden, Point Guard, Los Angeles Clippers $10,000

In the 80 games that point guard James Harden has played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Harden is averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.

Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 80 games that James Harden has played this season, Harden has compiled a 41% field goal percentage, a 35.2% three-point percentage and an 87.4% free throw percentage.

Additional flex plays I like to play well in tomorrow afternoon’s NBA game (Draftkings price noted): Kawhi Leonard, Forward (Los Angeles Clippers) $10,600: Ivica Zubac, Center (Los Angeles Clippers) $9,600: Russell Westbrook, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $6,800.