The second half of the season has produced some riveting basketball, making NBA DFS contests even more fun than usual. With 10 more games lined up for the Tuesday slate, we're jumping right back into the fray and assembling a DraftKings lineup for this evening.
We've been rolling through February with a bunch of DFS success, most recently led to the cash by a scintillating 71-point effort by Damian Lillard on Sunday night. Big Game Dame put up a whopping 93 fantasy points for us, and six of our seven other draft picks scored between 29 and 40. Our final score: 313.75 — a recipe for success in basically any modestly-sized GPP tournament.
Let's keep the good times rolling like the Nuggets at home and get to our DraftKings squad for Tuesday night's slate!
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Made three-point shot (+0.5 points), rebound (+1.25 points), assists (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+2 points), double-double (+1.5 points -- max one per player) and triple-double (+3 points -- max one player).
NBA DraftKings Picks 2/28: DFS lineup for Sunday's GPP tournaments
Sunday night main slate — $50,000 budget
PG Damian Lillard, Blazers at Warriors ($11,500)
Nobody in the NBA has enjoyed a hotter 2023 than Dame Dolla — or maybe we should say "Dame 71 Dolla." The six-time All-NBA selection has been on a scoring rampage with Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic on the shelf and Josh Hart traded to New York. He's not just scoring boatloads of points -- he's doing so efficiently from all three levels and barely turning the ball over despite insane usage rates. Even without gathering many defensive stats, Lillard has been a fantasy god during this stretch. Just take a look at his numbers over the past 19 games.
| Opp | PTS | FPts | FG | FGA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV |
| CLE | 50 | 61 | 16 | 28 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DAL | 36 | 60.3 | 11 | 20 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DAL | 40 | 56.3 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| @DEN | 44 | 61.8 | 12 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| PHI | 25 | 57 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| LAL | 24 | 49 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| SAS | 37 | 61.8 | 12 | 19 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| UTA | 60 | 89.3 | 21 | 29 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| TOR | 30 | 38.5 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| ATL | 42 | 56 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| @MEM | 42 | 72 | 11 | 22 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| @WAS | 29 | 42.3 | 9 | 20 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| @CHI | 40 | 56.8 | 12 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| MIL | 28 | 43 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| GSW | 33 | 66.5 | 8 | 21 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| OKC | 38 | 56 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| LAL | 40 | 59.5 | 13 | 23 | 8 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| WAS | 39 | 63.5 | 14 | 30 | 5 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| HOU | 71 | 93 | 22 | 38 | 13 | 22 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| AVG: | 39.4 | 60.2 | 11.5 | 22.3 | 5.1 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 4.9 | 7.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.8 |
Those averages are simply outrageous, and it seems ludicrous to even consider moving away from Dame right now. Expect more of the same against the undermanned Warriors, who have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to point guards this season, as the Blazers keep their sights on moving into playoff positioning. As long as Lillard is priced under $12,000, we're drafting him during this torrid stretch.
SG Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks vs. Wizards ($4,600)
Bogdan has been heating up of late, and we have a sneaking suspicion that new Hawks head coach Quin Snyder will unlock his outside shooting abilities even more as he gets situated in ATL. We know what we're getting with Bogdanovic — scoring, three-point shooting, strong free-throw numbers, light assists, and occasional steals — so there's plenty there to merit a draft selection for $4,600.
SF Khris Middleton, Bucks at Nets ($6,400)
We have a theme taking hold today — strong shooters and pure scorers with limited defensive ability. Middleton serves as yet another player heating up of late, and his usage should only increase now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is banged up with wrist and quad injuries. Even with Giannis listed as "probable," we see Middleton getting more looks than the two-time MVP against the Nets. The blazing-hot Bucks should have this game wrapped up by the end of the third quarter. Fire 'em up, Khash Money!
PF Kelly Olynyk, Jazz vs. Spurs ($5,600)
Another veteran who has produced as of late, Kelly O has produced top-80 fantasy value over the past two weeks. He's averaging 16/10/4 while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the line during that span. He has also knocked down two triples per game in February, and he's averaging a steal and a block over the past week. This Kell is on fire! He's a great pick against a young Spurs team that struggles to defend and rebound.
C Kevon Looney, Warriors vs. Blazers ($5,000)
Looney has been the most underrated source of dependability in the NBA this season, and he's one of the main reasons Golden State has kept from fully unraveling without Steph Curry. He's been an absolute beast on the boards, hauling in 14.8 per game over the past two weeks, and he's even scoring in double-digits semi-regularly. He's also a decent passer and a capable source of stocks, so he's well worth the $5K against a Blazers squad that continues to miss the injured Jusuf Nurkic in the middle.
G Desmond Bane, Grizzlies vs. Lakers ($7,700)
As soon as we started trending toward a non-defensive squad, we knew we had to draft Bane. The sharpshooter has averaged 20/6/3 over the past two weeks, drained 24 three-pointers in his past eight games, and knocked down 22 of his past 23 free throws. He's a fantastic play against a Lakers squad that struggles to defend perimeter shooters.
F Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets at Rockets ($5,700)
MPJ has started to come on strong as of late, highlighted by his 29 and 11 effort in Denver's massive overtime win over the Clippers on Sunday. He put up 46.3 fantasy points despite failing to record a single assist, block, or steal. But hey, we don't need that stuff — this is a pure-shooting squad through and through! The Rockets have proved time and time again that they are one of the worst defensive squads of the 21st century, so Jokic and company should carve out plenty of open looks for MPJ and his teammates.
UTIL Matisse Thybulle, Blazers at Warriors ($3,500)
This serves as our biggest dart-throw of the lineup, but we like the upside the three-and-D wingman provides against a short-handed Warriors squad. Thybulle has quietly averaged 21.3 fantasy points over Portland's past four games, aided mostly by his nine steals during that span. With Donte DiVincenzo running Golden State's offense, there will be plenty of opportunities for takeaways as well as occasional open looks from deep.
