Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers 12/26/24

On Thursday night, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a regular season matchup featuring the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers. Let’s take a look at this game from a Draftkings perspective.

Before we dive into the Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers 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 Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers matchup.

Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks

Captain-Lauri Markkanen, Forward, Utah Jazz $9,200

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has certainly played a pivotal role in the team’s offensive achievements this season. Having stated that how has Markkanen played from a statistical perspective? Let’s examine Markkanen’s game statistics from the 2024 NBA regular season to answer that question.

In the 23 games that Lauri Markkanen has played for the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA regular season, Markkanen has averaged 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.8 steals a game.

Last week, in the Utah Jazz’s convincing 126-119 win over the Detroit Pistons, Lauri Markkanen played exceptionally well. Let me be more specific. Markkanen compiled an impressive 34 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and one block in Utah’s victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Looking closer at the data just presented, in Utah’s victory over the Detroit Pistons just mentioned, Markkanen accumulated a robust 33.2 Draftkings points.

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.

In my opinion, Lauri Markkanen is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this evening’s NBA regular season game. For that specific reason, I am rolling with talented Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.

Flex Plays

Deandre Ayton, Center, Portland Trail Blazers $8,400

Center Deandre Ayton been an essential part of the Portland Trail Blazers lineup this season. Let’s review Ayton’s recent statistical game data to better illustrate my previous statement.

In the 20 games that center Deandre Ayton played for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2024 NBA regular season, Ayton is averaging an impressive 14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals a game.

In conclusion, I fully expect Trail Blazers forward Deandre Ayton 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): Keyonte George, Point Guard (Utah Jazz) $7,800: Collin Sexton, Shooting Guard (Utah Jazz) $8,000: Deni Avdija, Small Forward (Portland Trail Blazers) $6,600.