Draftkings Best NBA Showdown Picks: Nuggets vs. Kings 4/9/25

Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a 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 tonight’s Denver Nuggets vs. Sacramento Kings matchup.

Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks

Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $11,600

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 regular season to answer that question.

In the 55 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Jokic is averaging 67.6 Draftkings points a game.

These two teams have met multiple times this season. How has Jokic played in his matchups with the Kings? In the Denver Nuggets 132-123 win over the Sacramento Kings in January, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic played exceptionally well. Let me be more specific. Jokic amassed 35 points, 22 rebounds, 17 assists, two blocks and one steal in the Nuggets victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Denver Nuggets win over the Sacramento Kings just mentioned, Denver center Nikola Jokic accumulated a massive 99.1 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.

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 opinion, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in this evening’s NBA regular 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

DeMar DeRozan, Small Forward, Sacramento Kings $7,600

Small forward DeMar DeRozan has been a key contributor for the Sacramento Kings this season. In the 74 games that small forward DeMar DeRozan has played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2024 NBA regular season, DeRozan is averaging 22.5points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks a game.

In conclusion, I fully expect Sacramento Kings small forward DeMar DeRozan to continue his outstanding play in tonight’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets.

Additional flex plays I like in this NBA regular season matchup (Draftkings price noted): Russell Westbrook, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $7,800: Zach LaVine, Guard (Sacramento Kings) $8,000.