The Dallas Mavericks are still dealing with a calf strain from star guard Luka Doncic, who will be out once again against the best team in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder also have some injury issues with both of their bigs: Holmgren is still out from a fractured hip, and Hartenstien is also sidelined. So, this game should be interesting in terms of the lineups.
Mavericks vs. Thunder DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players we are heavily leaning on in this game. They are in a good position to put together a solid performance and have a favorable matchup.
PJ Washington ($6,600 Draft Kings, $6,500 FanDuel)
Washington is coming off a huge 30-point performance on Wednesday evening, which produced 41.25 fantasy points. Washington will probably be the second option behind Kyrie Irving this evening for the Mavericks in this game. I predict that Washington will at least have 30+ fantasy points in this game against the Thunder. Even though the Thunder are still a good defense I look for Washington to have a solid night tonight as a great budget option.
Kyrie Irving ($9,000 Draft Kings, $8,900 FanDuel)
Kyrie is going to have to have that big game if the Mavericks have a chance to pull off the upset. Irving is coming off a 36-point game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday. He also had nine assists and 4 rebounds, which led to 55 fantasy points. Love Irving to keep up with SGA in terms of scoring and assists in this fun matchup of the NBA slate this evening.
Mavericks vs. Thunder DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.
Jalen Williams ($8,100 Draft Kings, $8,300 FanDuel)
This Jalen Williams pick could bite me in the butt because he could easily hit that 40 fantasy point threshold you want for him, but I think this could be an off-game for J-Dub. I think Williams is an outstanding player and he is currently the second-best option for the Thunder. This is my most risky pick of the day for this article. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was wrong but the potential of a 20 fantasy point game is screaming out to me right now.
Total Apex Lock of the Game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,500 Draft Kings, $11,700 FanDuel)
Coming off a 54-point game and an 81.5 fantasy point performance on Wednesday night, SGA is the obvious pick for the Lock of the Game in this game this evening. SGA is far and away the current MVP favorite right now and that should continue on that trajectory for the rest of this week and forward but especially this evening.
Total Apex Fade of the Game
Klay Thompson ($5,500 Draft Kings, $5,100 FanDuel)
Even though Thompson has an injured ankle at the moment and probably won’t play in this game this evening, I would still fade Thompson even if he was healthy. This has been one of the worst seasons of his career as his efficiencies are the lowest of his career and he’s barely averaging over 21 fantasy points per game. Stay away from Thompson until he shows consistency. Thompson is out for this game now, so don’t use him.
Conclusion
The Thunder should win this game this evening if they continue to play the way that they have played without Chet and Hartenstien because the injury to Doncic is a huge one and the Mavs have struggled without him. I expect Kyrie and SGA to have big nights on the offensive side of the ball, with the only concerning pick I have is sitting J-Dub. Follow along with Total Apex Fantasy for more NBA DFS coverage throughout the rest of the regular season and playoffs. We’re also about to get into the MLB season as well.
