The Los Angeles Lakers are entering this matchup on a three-game losing streak and need a huge win on the road against a tough Indiana Pacers team to keep up with the Denver Nuggets for the third seed in the West. The Indiana Pacers are also looking for this win to maintain their position in the playoffs with this huge home game against a marquee opponent. This game should be a high-paced scoring affair on Wednesday evening, which makes for an exciting scoring opportunity in DFS lineups. Here are my picks for DFS.
Lakers vs. Pacers DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players we are heavily leaning on in this game. These players are in a good spot to have a solid performance and a favorable matchup.
Luka Doncic ($12,000 DraftKings, $11,600 FanDuel)
Luka Doncic is always a guaranteed 50 fantasy points per game scorer and has elevated his game ever since the bonkers trade that was made between the Mavericks and Lakers before the Trade Deadline. Doncic has continued his first-quarter tear as he has averaged 10.8 points per game in the first quarter since suiting up for the Lakers. Look for Doncic to take advantage of the pace in this game early and often tomorrow evening. I love Doncic in this spot, especially if you do the Lakers duo of him and Lebron together in lineups.
Tyrese Haliburton ($8,400 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel)
Tyrese Haliburton has had an up-and-down season up to this point, but he is coming off two consecutive games where he has averaged over 45 fantasy points in each game. I think Haliburton will take advantage of a Lakers defense that has been porous over their last three games, especially after giving up a ton of points in the paint. The Pacers especially love to run and gun ever since Rick Carlisle was hired. Like I said in the intro, I think this game is going to be higher scoring, and Haliburton will be one of the key reasons why it will be.
Lakers vs. Pacers DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.
Austin Reeves ($8,300 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel)
Reeves has been a great third option for the Lakers throughout his career up to this point, especially this season with Lebron and Luka on the team. I just don’t think that this game on Wednesday will give enough opportunities for Reeves to have his normal production.
I think this will be a James, Doncic, and Hachimura game for the Lakers if they want to get back on track. I love Reeves as a player and love him most nights, but Wednesday night is not going to be one of those nights that makes him worthy of a start in DFS.
Dalton Knecht ($4,000 DraftKings and FanDuel)
Knecht had a stretch where he was starting to get decent fantasy production, but with Lebron back in the lineup, I think his time has sailed for this season as a decent fantasy option. Knecht has been under 20 fantasy points in 5 of the last six games, including two games in the single digits. Yeah, he might have great value, but this is not where to use that value because the minutes are not there for the former Vol. Look for other options in the value range other than Knecht.
Total Apex Lock of the Game
Lebron James ($10,300 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel)
The Lakers need to grab some momentum back in a big way, starting with this game, and Lebron James is normally the catalyst for the Lakers gaining momentum. I believe that James will set the tone throughout the night on Wednesday, especially when it comes to scoring the ball. I’m potentially seeing Lebron having a triple-double in this game because of the pace alone. The pace also concerns me with Lebron as well because of his age, but this season has been one of those seasons where he has defied Father Time once again. So have Lebron in your DFS lineups on Wednesday.
Total Apex Fade of the Game
Andrew Nembhard ($5,600 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel)
Nembhard is a decent value play most nights, but in the last three games, he only averaged around 20 fantasy points per game on average. I think he’s due for a bounce-back game to get back towards his season average of 24.2 fantasy points, but I just don’t think that Wednesday against a desperate Lakers will give Nembhard the right opportunity for the value play of the day type of play. This is a cautious fade, but a fade nonetheless, because I think Haliburton is going to have a huge night between the two Pacers point guards.
Conclusion
The Lakers and Pacers should be one of the highest scoring options for DFS on Wednesday, and I love the duo of Doncic and James in this one if you can fit it around the budgets on FanDuel and DraftKings. Haliburton is also a strong start in this game if you decide to only have one stud and you don’t want one of the Lakers’ stars.
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