Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder DFS Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em|April 8, 2025

This is a rematch of the game on Sunday, where the Lakers gave the Thunder one of their worst losses of the season, with the score being 126-99. SGA had zero free-throw attempts for the first time in over 200+ games in that game on Sunday. The Thunder had one of the worst duds of their season, as Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic had phenomenal performances for the Purple and Gold. This rematch will be one of the fun matchups to watch on NBA League Pass on Tuesday. Here are my DFS picks for this game.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder DFS Start ‘Ems

Here are a few of the players that we are leaning on heavily in this game. These players are in a good spot to put together a solid performance and have a favorable matchup.

Austin Reaves ($8,800 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)

Austin Reaves has been the most consistent Laker over these last three weeks, as he has been around 30+ fantasy points consistently during that stretch. He is questionable tonight with a sprained ankle, so that is something to monitor throughout the day, but if he does play in this game, Reaves will be a great option to start in your lineups, as he is playing consistently enough in his role to warrant a start in DFS.

Chet Holmgren ($7,800 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)

Chet Holmgren has his ebbs and flows throughout the year fantasy-wise, but I think he is going to have a bounce-back game from Sunday’s 18.3 fantasy performance, as the Thunder as a whole is looking to bounce back from the loss on Sunday in this matchup on Tuesday, even though they already have the 1-seed locked up. Look for Holmgren to have close to 40 fantasy points in this game tonight.

Lakers vs. Thunder DFS Sit ‘Ems

On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.

Lu Dort ($4,500 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel )

Lou Dort is one of those guys who is a solid budget option on most nights because of his defensive attributes and what he brings on the defensive end of the floor, but I think tonight is a tougher matchup for him because he’ll probably be exerting more energy on defense tonight, guarding Luka Doncic most likely. So sit Dort in lineups tonight. 

Rui Hachimura ($5,400 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel)

Rui Hachimura is in a tough spot here in this matchup on Tuesday against the Thunder, as Jalen Williams will provide challenges along with the duo of Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Rui is primarily the fourth option for LA right now anyway, so the fantasy potential is limited for him at the moment. So yeah, even though I like Hachimura as a player, I think you should sit him in DFS lineups. Hachimura has been ruled out for this matchup, so don’t play him because of that as well. 

Total Apex Lock of the Game

Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Doncic: $12,300 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel; SGA: $11,400 DraftKings and FanDuel)

THIS DUEL BETWEEN DONCIC AND SGA IS GOING TO BE FUN TONIGHT! Both players are my locks as I expect both guys to have huge nights for their respective teams to make this game exciting, as both can easily go off for over 50 fantasy points on Tuesday. I think both guys are going to have over 30 points in this game in Oklahoma City. You can only pick one of these guys in most situations, and Doncic is listed as questionable for this matchup against the Thunder. But if Doncic plays on Tuesday, expect huge numbers from the primary ball-handlers for both teams.

Total Apex Fade of the Game

Dalton Knecht ($3,400 DraftKings, $3,800 FanDuel)

Dalton Knecht has lost a lot of playing time since they tried to trade him for Mark Williams before the Trade Deadline, which is unfortunate because when he is on the court for the Lakers, he has played well in his rookie year in the minutes he has had for the Purple and Gold of Tinseltown. So fade Knecht, even though he’s a budget-friendly option that could go off at any moment.

Conclusion

The Thunder will bounce back in this game on Tuesday against the Lakers as they look to keep their rhythm as we head towards the playoffs. IF Doncic and Reaves both play as well as Lebron James, as all three guys have questionable designations heading into the game, look for those guys to have productive nights in a losing effort. Holmgren is going to have a huge night as the guy to step up with SGA in production for the evening. Total Apex Fantasy is the place to be for more NBA DFS advice, as well as MLB, NFL, Soccer, etc.