To wrap up a full day of Black Friday basketball, the team with the best record in the Western Conference in the Thunder will head to Hollywood to take on the rising Lakers. Oklahoma City are on the third game of their four game road trip and they have won the first two of this road trip. Lakers on the other hand are returning home after a quick two game roadtrip in which they went 1-1. The Thunder feel like this is their season to make a huge run while the Lakers want one more run for their all time great player.
Thunder at Lakers DFS Start’em
Thunder G Cason Wallace($3,800 on DraftKings)
The 2023 first round pick out of Kentucky being valued way too low by DraftKings. While he hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheet, he has been quietly getting more trust from the Thunder coaching staff. Without Alex Caruso, Wallace played 31 minutes off the bench in OKC’s last ballgame. With the confidence being shown by the organization, it’s finally time for DFS players to hop on the Wallace bandwagon. At a value below $4,000, there is no risk in taking a shot at this player.
Lakers G Dalton Knecht($5,000 on DraftKings)
The Lakers 2024 first round pick out of Tennessee has hit a new gear in his amazing rookie season. Not just has Knecht stepped up but now he is in the Lakers starting lineup. The trust level has been on full display by both his teammates and the coaching staff. This start also comes down to this low value that DraftKings is setting him at. For a guy who will almost certainly play 30 minutes in the game and will get up at least 10 shots, this is the easiest decision to make this for this game and that is to start one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year.
Thunder at Lakers DFS Start’em
Thunder F Luguentz Dort($7,200 on DraftKings)
While Dort is the Thunder’s top defensive player, that doesn’t mean that makes him an appealing start for daily fantasy. Dort has simply not been producing at all offensively over the last five games. Dort has had four consecutive single digit games. Two of those games he had two points and in one game, he had a big fat bagel in the scoring column. Until you see any production from him offensively, he becomes an automatic sit.
Lakers G Austin Reaves($7,800 on DraftKings)
The Lakers guard has been one of the more reliable players for the Lakers squad over the last year. But since the emergence of Knecht, Reaves has had to take a backseat in all elements of the game. Reaves remains in the Lakers starting lineup but his stats have been dramatically decreasing. Reaves is still seen by DraftKings as the consistent player that he was for all of last season. But this is a new season and the Lakers added a major contributor in the draft. So with the recent decline and high value, this is a sit for this game.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Black Friday basketball is one of the best times on the NBA calendar as the majority of the league takes center stage on a sports filled day. First game on the docket starts at noon eastern while this game wraps all of it up at 10 p.m. eastern. I think most NBA fans are ready to see the Thunder have a deep postseason run. They might have the MVP of the league but he is surrounded by young talent which gives them a chance against anyone while the Lakers want to give the King one more deep run to continue a all time legacy.
