Another seven games are on the NBA slate for Saturday, January 11, with a matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves highlighting the schedule. I’ve pinpointed a couple of picks from that game including Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards, who I expect to keep shooting the ball at an efficient clip from downtown.
Elsewhere, Scottie Barnes will ball out against the Detroit Pistons while the Toronto Raptors will keep Cade Cunnigham at bay — to a certain extent — as a playmaker.
Keep reading for my best NBA picks for DraftKings’ Pick6.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 Picks for today
The first three picks are our favorite plays for a 3-player lineup. If you want to play a 6-player lineup, use all six stat projections below.
🔽 Cade Cunningham Less Than 9.5 assists
🔽 Julius Randle Less Than 19.5 points
🔼 Devin Booker More Than 7.5 assists
🔼 Scottie Barnes More Than 18.5 points
🔽 Lauri Markkanen Less Than 5.5 rebounds
🔼 Anthony Edwards More Than 3.5 threes
Click on each pick to read full analysis.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 fantasy basketball lineup for January 11
Cade Cunningham 9.5 assists: LESS
Cade Cunningham is having a solid campaign for the Detroit Pistons, who actually look like they could compete for a Play-In spot. He’s averaging career highs across the board but what we’ll focus on tonight is his playmaking. Cunningham is dishing out 9.3 dimes per night, which is very impressive.
That being said, the total tonight is too high for me. He’s compiled less than 9.5 assists in seven straight appearances. Although Detroit is playing the Raptors who are by no means stout defensively, I don’t see him hitting double digits. Cunningham will likely finish just shy of 10 assists based on the recent trends.
Julius Randle 19.5 points: LESS
Julius Randle is slowly but surely getting used to his new surroundings in Minnesota. The big man is averaging 19.6 PPG on 35% shooting from three-point land. He’s struggled a bit lately, however. Randle has put up more than 19.5 points just twice in his previous seven outings.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are also up against the Grizzlies tonight, one of the best defensive teams in the Association. While he did score 24 points versus Memphis in one appearance last season, he also had a larger role at the time as part of the Knicks.
Devin Booker 7.5 assists: MORE
Kevin Durant has emerged as to go-to scorer over Devin Booker this season, but that’s clearly been okay with the former Kentucky standout. Instead of focusing on putting the ball in the basket, Book has emerged as a fantastic playmaker for the Phoenix Suns. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still averaging 24.4 PPG, but his passing has been wonderful lately.
Booker has dished out more than 7.5 dimes in five consecutive games. In the last three, he finished with 12, 10, and 10. The veteran is picking apart opponents right now and Phoenix is facing Utah tonight, who he had eight assists against in early December. The Jazz are also 27th in the NBA in most assists allowed.
Scottie Barnes 18.5 points: MORE
I was all-in with Scottie Barnes the other night because his total was sitting at 16.5. That was pretty low for the Toronto Raptors’ franchise cornerstone. DraftKings has increased that number to 18.5 tonight, but I’m still expecting Barnes to show out. He’s scored more than 18.5 in four of his last five outings. In the one contest where he failed to reach the total, Barnes still produced 18 points.
The forward is averaging 20.4 PPG and torched the Pistons for 31 points early in the campaign, who Toronto faces tonight. He’s also averaging 21.8 PPG on the road as opposed to 19.5 on home court. Barnes will score the rock at a high level.
Lauri Markkanen 5.5 rebounds: LESS
Lauri Markkanen is a huge man but he hasn’t been making much of an impact on the glass lately. The Finland-born forward has grabbed less than 5.5 rebounds in five of his last six appearances. He also has just seven boards in his last two games.
The Utah Jazz face the Suns tonight, who are top-10 in the Association in the fewest opponent rebounds allowed. I think you’ll see him have another quiet game on the glass here.
Anthony Edwards 3.5 threes: MORE
Anthony Edwards is shooting the lights out of the gym this season for the Timberwolves, draining 42.7% of his triples. That’s a career-high. Ant is averaging 4.3 makes on 10 attempts per contest and there’s reason to believe he’ll get hot again tonight at home vs Memphis.
The former first-overall pick has sunk more than 3.5 treys in four consecutive outings and five of his last six. He was even 7 for 11 just a few nights ago against the lowly Pelicans. While Memphis is top-five in opponent three-point percentage, teams are shooting 43% from long range against them over the last three games. Edwards will get hot.
