It’s certainly a challenge figuring out who will be the top scorers in this Lakers matchup with the Trail Blazers when most of their starting lineups are out. There won’t be any Luka Doncic or Lebron James to count on. Being the final game of the regular season, it’s also a great opportunity for some of the bench players to show off their stuff. Being bench players, they are also cheap for DFS purposes, so players can pick up easy points here.
Bronny is probably the player most fans would recognize from this game. Bronny hasn’t had the greatest track record this season, but there have been glimpses of proficiency scattered throughout. Take, for instance, the game against the Bucks, where Bronny scored 18 points. Given the fact that his dad, Lebron James, will be on the sideline, look for Bronny to get a lot more shots than he is accustomed to in this game.
Out of the Trail Blazers that will be taking the court today, Camara is one of few that has scored over twenty recently (23 points against San Antonio). The best stat that favors Camara, though, is playing time: he gets around 25 min even in games where the Trail Blazers starters are healthy. Therefore, he should be in a good position to score a lot in this game where he isn’t sharing time with the starting lineup.
Clingan is another player who sees a fair amount of playing time when the Portland starters are healthy. He usually plays around 20 minutes and consistently scores in double figures. His most impressive trait, though, is his ability to rebound. On the season, Clingan averages seven rebounds a game, and it’s doubtful that Jaxson Hayes will be able to box him out from a good amount of rebounds in this game.
Knecht doesn’t necessarily perform poorly when he’s on the court, it’s just doubtful that he is going to score enough to have a good DFS game. In most games, Knecht takes a back seat with some extreme exceptions (37 points against Denver). Of course, he will be seeing the ball more with the Lakers’ starters taking a rest, but it’s more likely that Bronny and Jordan Goodwin will be taking the majority of the shots.
It would be reasonable to pick up Morris in this game since he is guaranteed to play and has experience. The issue is that Morris doesn’t have great stats this season. He hasn’t scored in double figures at all, and that’s with games where he played more than 20 minutes. If Morris ends up with a strong performance, it will be his only one of the season.
Murray is another player who doesn’t have enough stats to warrant a DFS start. He has had some success, like his 18-point game against San Antonio. Most of his games, though, involve shooting below 50%. A big issue recently for Murray has been shooting from range: he has missed every three-pointer he has taken for the past two games.
It’s only been a couple of weeks since Dalano Banton started getting more playing time, but Portland has certainly reaped the benefits from it. Banton scored over 20 points in three games in a row, a feat no other player in this game can claim. Look for him to hit the 20-point mark in this game as well.
Normally, Hayes would be a good play in this game since he is used to playing starting minutes with Luka and Lebron. Unfortunately, even with those minutes, Hayes has failed to turn out a good performance in a while. Donovan Clingan is going to challenge him for every rebound, and it’s not like Hayes can go into the post and be a dominating presence. Therefore, he will simply be a body on the court unless he finds himself open.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!