DraftKings is running a solid +EV promo for every user over the first 10 days of the NBA season and it starts with tonight's openers: Knicks vs. Celtics and Timberwolves vs. Lakers.
DraftKings users will receive a profit boost based on their status with the company. That boost runs the gamut: some will receive 25% boosts at a $10 max, others will receive a 50% boost with a $500 max wager. Regardless of tier status, one boost is one entry into this promo.
A qualifying wager can be placed on any player prop — over or under — such as points, assists, defensive props or otherwise. In the end, if the player you wager on finishes the night with the most points, rebounds and assists across all NBA action, you'll receive an equal cut of $1 million of bonus bets.
For example, if you wager on Karl-Anthony Towns to outperform his points total and he ends Tuesday with the most points, rebounds and assists, you'll split a $1 million bonus bet prize pool with the rest of the public who wagered on Towns. Even those who bet on him to go under on his rebounds and lose, for instance, would win that prize pool. So, if 10,000 people wagered on Towns in this example, they'd each receive $100 in bonus bets ($1 million divided by 10,000).
All wagers will settle with the profit boost, regardless of whether the player ends the night with the highest PRA total.
"Player-focused betting markets have been gaining in popularity over the years and by attaching a $1 million bonus pool to the daily combined points, rebounds and assists leader we hope to amplify the customer experience," DraftKings director of sports operations Johnny Avello said.
Tonight's slate is ideal for this promo as there are only two games. It does create a dilemma, though: You don't necessarily want to go chalk on Jayson Tatum or Anthony Davis, for instance, because the prize pool will be diluted.
My colleague and expert NBA handicapper Joe Dellera triangulated Towns as the best pick for this promotion. He said Towns' ceiling is just as high as the favorites — Tatum, Davis, LeBron James and Jaylen Brunson — but he'll have more equity because fewer users will select him as their pick.
"I expect KAT to be a focal point for the Knicks offense as him and Brunson have already demonstrated the effectiveness of their pick-and-roll combination," Dellera said. "Now that KAT returns to playing the 5, his offensive skillset will be optimized. Last season, when KAT played alongside [Rudy] Gobert, he saw a 5.82 points per 100 possessions reduction — he averaged 30.8 with Gobert, and 36.7 without him. The spacing matters.
In a similar matchup last season, without Gobert and without [Kristaps] Porzingis for Boston, KAT racked up 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as he demonstrated a willingness to crash the boards while also setting up his teammates."