Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Grizzlies vs. Rockets 1/13/25

Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a regular season matchup featuring the Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets. Let’s take a look at this game from a Draftkings perspective.

Before we dive into the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets 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 Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzles matchup.

Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks

Captain-Alperen Sengun, Center, Houston Rockets $10,000

Center Alperen Sengun has been the driving force behind the Houston Rockets success on the offensive side of the basketball this season. Analyzing his game data from the 2024 NBA regular season reveals the significant impact that Sengun has made on the team’s overall performance.

In the 37 games that Alperen Sengun has played for the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Sengun is averaging 44.3 Draftkings points a game.

It is noteworthy that these two teams met earlier in the season. Who prevailed? How did Sengun perform in the game? Two days ago, in the Houston Rockets 119-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, Alperen Sengun certainly played at a high level. Let me be more specific. Sengun accumulated a robust 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in the Rockets win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Houston Rockets win over the Memphis Grizzlies just mentioned, Houston center Alperen Sengun tallied a massive 59.5 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.

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 for this one game DFS slate.

In my view, Alperen Sengun appears to be the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in tonight’s NBA regular season game. Consequently, I am selecting Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun as my captain for this single game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest.

Flex Plays

Fred VanVleet, Point Guard, Houston Rockets $8,000

In addition to center Alperen Sengun, point guard Fred VanVleet has been an essential part of Houston Rockets lineup this season.

In the 35 games that Fred VanVleet has played for the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA regular season, VanVleet averaged a respectable 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks a game.

In summary, I fully expect Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet to continue his outstanding play in tonight’s NBA regular season game.

Additional flex plays I like to play well in this evening’s NBA game (Draftkings price noted): Jaen Jackson Jr., Forward (Memphis Grizzlies) $10,200: Ja Morant, Point Guard (Memphis Grizzlies) $9,800.