The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a Western Conference playoff matchup featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 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 Oklahoma City vs. Denver matchup.
Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,000
Center Nikola Jokic has been the leader in the paint that the Denver Nuggets have needed to win games this season. With that said, how has the talented center performed from a data standpoint? Let’s review Jokic’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games) to answer that question.
In the 79 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA season Jokic is averaging 29.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 79 games that Jokic has played this season, Jokic is averaging a robust 67.1 Draftkings points a game.
It should be noted that these two teams have met multiple times this season. How has Jokic performed? In the Denver Nuggets thrilling 121-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic certainly played at a high level. More specifically, Jokic amassed 42 points, 22 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal in the Denver Nuggets defeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Nuggets victory over the Thunder, Denver center Nikola Jokic tallied a whopping 83.1 Draftkings points. What did we learn for the information just provided? Clearly, Jokic can post a high number of DFS points on any given night. I fully expect that trend to continue in this evening’s Western Conference playoff matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In my view, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in tonight’s playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing Nikola Jokic as the captain for this single game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest slate.
Flex Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Point Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder $11,800
Veteran point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has quickly established himself as one of the best point guards in the National Basketball Association today. Let’s examine Gilgeous-Alexander’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games) to better illustrate his contributions to his team.
In the 81 games that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a whopping 32.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks a game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this Western Conference playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Jalen Williams, Forward (Oklahoma City Thunder) $9,600: Jamal Murray, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $8,800: Aaron Gordon, Power Forward (Denver Nuggets) $7,800.