Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with an NBA regular season matchup featuring the Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Sacramento Kings 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 this evening’s Kings vs. Nuggets matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,000
Talented center Nikola Jokic has been the leader in the paint that the Denver Nuggets have needed to win games in 2025. With that said, how has Jokic performed from a statistical standpoint this season? Let’s review the veteran center’s relevant player data from the 2025 NBA season to answer that question.
In the five games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2025 NBA regular season, Jokic has averaged 20.4 points, 14.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the five games that Nikola Jokic has played for the Nuggets this season, Jokic has averaged a whopping 62.7 Draftkings points a game.
More recently, in the Denver Nuggets convincing 133-111 win over the Phoenix Suns last month, Nikola Jokic certainly played at a high level. More specifically, in the Nuggets defeat of the Suns, Jokic amassed 14 points, 14 rebounds, 15 assists and three steals.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my opinion, Nikola Jokic is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this NBA regular season game. For that specific reason, I am backing Denver Nuggets center at the captain position for this one game NBA DFS Showdown slate.
Flex Plays
Christian Braun, Guard, Denver Nuggets $5,400
In addition to center Nikola Jokic, guard Christian Braun has been a key contributor for the Denver Nuggets this season.
In the five games that has Christian Braun played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2025 NBA regular season, Braun has averaged 11 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks a game.
Examining the data just presented more closely, in the five games that Christian Braun has played for the Nuggets this season, Braun has compiled a 48.9% field goal percentage, an 18.2% three-point percentage and a 90% free throw percentage a game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA regular season game (Draftkings prices noted): Russell Westbrook, Guard (Sacramento Kings) $7,000: Keon Ellis, Guard (Sacramento Kings) $2,800.