Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Nuggets vs. Jazz 12/30/24
Draftkings picks and predictions for tomorrow night's Nuggets vs. Jazz matchup.
Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
December 30, 2024 9:00 pm EDT
Tomorrow night, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a regular season matchup featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz 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 tomorrow evening’s Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
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. Having stated that, how has Jokic played from a statistical perspective in 2024? Let’s review Jokic’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA regular season to answer that question.
In the last 27 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Jokic is averaging a robust 67.1 Draftkings points a game.
More recently, in the Cleveland Cavaliers 149-135 victory over the Denver Nuggets two days ago, Nikola Jokic certainly played at a high level. Jokic compiled an impressive 27 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, three steals and one block in the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Denver Nuggets.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Nuggets just mentioned, Denver center Nikola Jokic tallied a whopping 74.1 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.
I believe Nikola Jokic is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in tomorrow evening’s NBA regular season game. Having stated that, I am backing Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the captain for this single game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest slate.
Flex Plays
Jamal Murray, Point Guard, Denver Nuggets $8,800
In addition to center Nikola Jokic, point guard Jamal Murray has certainly been a key contributor to the Denver Nuggets offense this season. Let’s review Murray’s recent game data to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the 24 games that Jamal Murray has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA regular season, Murray is averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks a game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA regular season game (Draftkings price noted): Russell Westbrook, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $7,400: Lauri Markkanen, Forward (Utah Jazx) $8,200: Walker Kessler, Center (Utah Jazz) $7,200.
