There are just six games in the NBA on Saturday, January 18, and we’re focusing on two in particular — the Phoenix Suns vs. Detroit Pistons and the Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trail Blazers. Today’s entries include three Suns players, Kevin Durant, Tyus Jones, and Ryan Dunn.
Keep reading 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.
🔼 Kevin Durant More Than 25.5 Points
🔼 Alperen Sengun More Than 19.5 Points
🔽 Anfernee Simons Less Than 5.5 Assists
🔼 Jalen Duren More Than 9.5 Rebounds
🔼 Tyus Jones Less Than 1.5 Threes
🔼 Ryan Dunn More Than 8.5 Points
Click on each pick to read full analysis.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 fantasy basketball lineup for January 18
Kevin Durant 25.5 Points: MORE
Kevin Durant is having a fantastic campaign for the Phoenix Suns, averaging 27.1 points in 30 games. The veteran has only scored more than 25.5 points twice in his last five, but in one of those contests, he finished right on the brink with 25.
Also, there’s reason to believe Durant will show out tonight. He torched the Pistons the last time he faced them, erupting for 43 points.
Alperen Sengun 19.5 Points: MORE
Alperen Sengun is averaging 19.3 points per night and has dropped more than 19.5 in four of his last five. Needless to say, Sengun is playing well.
While he’s averaging just under tonight’s total against the Blazers this season, Sengun has averaged 20.9 points in January. Portland is a disaster defensively and allows nearly 22 ppg to bigs.
Anfernee Simons 5.5 Assists: LESS
Anfernee Simons’ numbers have taken a dip in 2024-25, and while he’s still playmaking at a high level with five dimes per game, that has not been the case lately. The Portland Trail Blazers guard has finished with less than 5.5 dimes in five consecutive outings. It won’t get any easier tonight, either.
The Rockets are one of the top defensive units in the Association and sit second in fewest opponent assists allowed per contest. Simons is averaging a mere 1.5 dimes per game against Houston this season.
Jalen Duren 9.5 Rebounds: MORE
Cade Cunningham gets a lot of the credit for the Detroit Pistons’ improvements this season, but Jalen Duren is also a huge part. He is a physical presence on the boards who can bang with the best of them thanks to his muscular build.
The big man has grabbed more than 9.5 rebounds in just two of his previous five, but in two of those games, he ended with nine boards as well.
Duren is averaging 11 rebounds in January and also brought down 11 boards in his lone appearance against the Suns earlier in the campaign.
Tyus Jones 1.5 Threes: Less
Tyus Jones is a career 37% shooter from downtown, and he’s draining 42% of his triples for Phoenix this season. However, the guard is struggling immensely from deep this month, shooting just 32%.
Jones has drained less than 1.5 triples in four straight appearances. He is ice cold right now with his 3-point shot and that’s enough reason for me to lock in this entry.
Ryan Dunn 8.5 Points: MORE
From one Sun to another. Ryan Dunn is proving to be a key piece of the Phoenix rotation, and he’s playing extremely well in January, averaging 11.6 ppg. He’s registered more than 8.5 points in four outings in a row, even scoring 18 against the Wizards on Thursday evening.
Just based on how he’s playing and how many minutes Dunn is getting, I don’t see it hard for him to score more than 8.5 for a fifth consecutive game.
Jon Metler's DraftKings NBA Pick6 lineup for today
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