We have a seven-game NBA DFS main slate on Saturday night, which includes a primetime matchup on ABC between the Mavericks and Warriors at 8:30 p.m. ET. The main slate starts with the Suns playing the second game of a back-to-back against the Pistons at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Trae Young and the Hawks looking to win their third straight against two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets at 9 p.m. ET. Our DraftKings lineup has a good mix of veterans with solid matchups and a few value sleepers under $6K who are the type of low-risk, high-reward options that are key in daily fantasy basketball tournaments.
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).
MORE SATURDAY DFS: FanDuel lineup
Saturday night's NBA DraftKings Picks: NBA DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Saturday night main slate, $50,000 budget
PG Dejounte Murray, Hawks @ Nuggets ($8,300). Murray hasn't been producing at the same level we saw him do with the Spurs over the past few seasons, as he's now playing alongside Trae Young. However, he still has a ton of value in DFS and has a great matchup tonight against the Nuggets, who allow the sixth-most DraftKings points per game to PGs (50.53) this season. Murray stuffed the stat sheet in Friday night's eight-point win over the Jazz. The veteran point guard had 13 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and steals (36.8 DraftKings points). In his past five games, Murray is averaging 42.9 DraftKings points per game, which isn't bad for a combo guard with an average salary of $8,889. When the Hawks played the Nuggets in December, Murray led the way with 34 points (13/22 FG, 4/7 3pt), eight assists, and three rebounds.
SG Mikal Bridges, Suns @ Pistons ($7,200). To round out our starting backcourt for tonight's slate, we will plug in Bridges, who has scored 20 or more points in four-straight games. The former Villanova standout had 25 points, three assists, and two rebounds (32 DK points) in Friday night's road win over Boston. Bridges has stepped up this season for Phoenix, averaging (career-high) 17 points per game. He's also shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point range. The 26-year-old wing should play well tonight against the Pistons, who allow the second-most DraftKings points per game to SGs (45.54) and third-most points to the position (25.01).
SF RJ Barrett, Knicks vs. Clippers ($6,300). Barrett did a little bit of everything on the floor for the Knicks, who just squeaked by the Heat with a two-point win on Thursday night. The former Duke standout posted 30 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Barrett also had an unflattering five turnovers in the win, but he still scored 43.5 DraftKings points. The last time the 22-year-old had 40-or-more DK points in a game was on Jan. 22 against the Raptors, where he scored 46.8 DraftKings points (30 points, seven rebounds, and five assists). DFS players will be hoping for another outstanding effort from Barrett tonight against the Clippers, who have two terrific players in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who can defend at a high level. Los Angeles also allows the seventh-fewest DK points per game to SFs (39.50). It's not the best matchup for the young forward, but we like that he can contribute in other ways to be productive.
PF Jabari Smith Jr., Rockets @ Thunder ($5,600). The rookie power forward had a solid bounce-back game on Friday night against the Raptors after exiting Wednesday's game against the Thunder. Smith Jr. posted 14 points (4/9 FG, 2/3 3pt), eight rebounds, and three assists (28 DraftKings points). It was the second time in the past five games that the rookie scored in double figures and 20-plus DK points. In Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City, Smith Jr. had nine points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes (18.8 DK points). That being said, he should play better against the Thunder tonight, who have had their share of struggles against other PFs this season.
C Bam Adebayo, Heat @ Bucks ($8,000). The All-Star center will try to have another monster performance against the Bucks tonight. In the previous two matchups against Milwaukee, Adebayo scored 44.3 and 48 DK points, respectively. He also had a double-double in both games, which is a +1.5 point boost in NBA DFS on DraftKings. The former Kentucky standout held his own against the Knicks on Thursday night, recording 32 points and three assists for 53.8 DraftKings. We shouldn't expect him to go off for 50-plus DK points tonight against the Bucks' frontcourt of Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, we think Adebayo will at least have 35-40 DK points against a Milwaukee defense that allows the 13th-fewest DK points per game to centers (53.15) this season.
G Alec Burks, Pistons vs. Suns ($5,100). Burks is an under-the-radar play, as he's been playing well over the past four games since being inserted into the starting lineup. The veteran guard has scored 15 or more points three times over that span and is averaging 29.2 DraftKings points per game. Burks will look to carry that momentum into tonight's game against the Suns, who are ranked 18th against PG/SGs (OPRK) this season. At a $5,100 salary, we aren't looking for Burks to be one of the top scorers at the position. However, if Burks can shoot somewhat decent from three-point range, which he's done over the past four contests (46.2 percent), it will go a long way against Phoenix's perimeter defense.
F Khris Middleton, Bucks vs. Heat ($5,100). Middleton is still on a minutes restriction as he continues to work his way back from a knee injury. However, the 31-year-old forward is still finding ways to be productive, which is good news for the Bucks and DFS players. Middleton has scored in double figures in four out of his past five games and produced 20-plus DK points in four-straight games (27.35 DK ppg). He will try to make it five-straight games against the Heat tonight, which allow the eighth-most DraftKings points per game to SFs this season (42.82). If Middleton can continue to build his confidence and starts to get more involved on the glass and dishing out assists, it will be a nice boost to your DFS lineup at a cheap salary.
UTIL Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls vs. Blazers ($4,200). In the Bulls' last game against the Hornets, the second-year point guard went off for 22 points (9/10 FG, 1-2 3pt) in 35 minutes. Even though he didn't have a single assist or rebound, Dosunmu still scored 24 DraftKings points, making it the third time in the past four games he has reached the 20-point threshold. The former Illinois standout will look to have a more well-rounded performance against the Trail Blazers, who just played on Friday night against the Wizards and give up the eighth-most DK points per game to PGs (50.18) this season.
