Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Rockets vs. Clippers 4/9/25
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers
April 9, 2025 10:30 pm EDT
Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a regular season matchup featuring the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets 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 Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Alperen Sengun, Center, Houston Rockets $9,800
Center Alperen Sengun has been the leader in the paint for the Houston Rockets this season. Let’s analyze Sengun’s game data from the 2024 NBA regular season to reveal the significant impact that the talented young center has made on the team’s overall performance.
In the 75 games that center Alperen Sengun has played for the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Sengun is averaging a rather impressive 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks a game.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the 75 games that Alperen Sengun has played for the Rockets this season, Sengun has compiled a 49.6% field goal percentage, a 23.3% three-point percentage and a 69.2% free throw percentage.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Sengun perform in the two teams most recent matchup? In the Houston Rockets 125-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in November, Houston center Alperen Sengun tallied 16 points, ten rebounds, ten assists, two blocks and two steals. It should also be mentioned that in the Rockets victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Sengun amassed a massive 56.1 Draftkings points.
It should be noted that the Houston Rockets have officially listed Alperen Sengun as questionable for this evening’s game. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my view, Alperen Sengun is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in this NBA regular season game. Having stated that, I am backing Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun at the captain position for this one game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest slate.
Flex Plays
Amen Thompson, Guard, Houston Rockets $9,400
In addition to center Alperen Sengun, guard Amen Thompson has been a key contributor for the Houston Rockets this season.
In the 68 games that guard Amen Thompson has played for the Houston Rockets this season, Thompson has averaged a robust 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks a game.
Examining the data just presented more closely, in the 68 games that Amen Thompson has played this season, Thompson is averaging 35.2 Draftkings points a contest.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in tonight’s game (Draftkings price noted): James Harden, Point Guard (Los Angeles Clippers) $10,600: Ivica Zubac, Center (Los Angeles Clippers) $8,800.
