Friday’s NBA action is rolling out a 14-game featured slate beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET lock on DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool to discuss the top NBA DFS building blocks today for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. Be sure to check out the Stokastic NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page, where you can find NBA DFS picks and analysis for each slate of games.
NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today: Friday, Dec. 23
Core Play of the Day — Nikola Jokic: Denver Nuggets-Portland Trail Blazers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 61.77 | FanDuel: 59.32
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 17.8% | FanDuel: 8.5%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $12,000 | FanDuel: $12,200
Tonight there are a plethora of superstars in action as The Association is off tomorrow, before resuming on Christmas for five featured games. There is no reason for gamers to play anyone that they do not wholeheartedly trust.
We all know the bona fides of two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, so there is no need to belabor why he’s an amazing fantasy option. While his rebounding and scoring are “down” compared to last year, his assist rate is at a career high. Currently, Jokic is averaging 24.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.2 assists with 2.2 combined blocks and steals. Even more impressive, he has a 61.7% success rate on 15.0 field goal attempts per game and with or without Jusuf Nurkic, Portland is not equipped to slow him down.
Among the other top tier options, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are squaring off in Brooklyn, Joel Embiid has a date with the Clippers and Luka Doncic has a cake matchup in Houston. Each of these players has merit as the “top” overall option tonight.
New Orleans Pelicans-Oklahoma City Thunder
The availability of Zion Williamson is up in the air as he has missed the last two games while in the health and safety protocol. Even if he returns, he may not be a full effectiveness. Brandon Ingram (toe) will be out for a twelfth consecutive game and Larry Nance Jr. (Achilles) is still questionable after missing the last two games.
Last night, CJ McCollum led the shorthanded Pelicans to a 126-117 home victory against the Spurs. McCollum was impressive with his ninth career 40 point game and he just missed out on a triple-double corralling eight rebounds and dishing out nine assists. He is a strong play tonight regardless of Williamson’s status.
If Williamson is out or we get word he is limited, Jonas Valanciunas enters into the tournament mix and he becomes a strong play on the evening sub-slate. The rest of the Pelicans are neutral main slate options, though Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III, look good on the short-slate.
Oklahoma City has rolled off three straight victories, though they are still four games under .500 for the season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is posting a career best 50 fantasy points per game and he continues to rack up stats across the box score. Josh Giddey has been an excellent wingman and he boasts a fantasy floor approaching 30 fantasy points, with upside to the mid-40s.
Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Darius Bazley an Aleksej Pokusevski tend to be hit or miss, with coach Mark Daigneault constantly tinkering with the rotation. They’re all in play on the short-slate and can be rostered as part of a mini-game stack, though their standalone value on the main slate is limited.
Additional NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Wagering Opportunities
Tonight Bogdan Bogdanovic is an intriguing option with a 3.5 over/under line on his rebound prop in his matchup against the Pistons. Over his last two seasons, Bogdanovic is averaging 4.0 rebounds across 72 games, including 29 starts. In this stretch he also has a 4.9 rebound rate per 36 minutes.
In each of the last five games, Bogdanovic has at least four rebounds and as long as Clint Capela remains out, he is a strong lean to record four tonight and surpass his over threshold. Though this wager has a 56% win rate, it is currently listed at +110 on BeMGM which works out to an expected ROI of 15%.
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Washington Wizards-Sacramento Kings
This is a back-to-back for the Wizards who lost 120-112 in Utah. Heck, Washington has only one win in their last 12 games and two in their last 16, so it would not be a surprise to see them consider trading Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma and others at some point this season. It seems that Bradley Beal is not particularly interested in playing basketball now that he has his mega-deal and for some reason, the front office gave him a no trade clause. My condolences to the Washington faithful.
Porzingis (illness) has missed the last two games and he is questionable tonight. If he is a go, he’ll make for a strong option against the Kings. If he is out, then Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal would be in the mix as secondary tournament options. The longer the news on Porzingis takes to release, the less popular the Wizards will be tonight.
Deni Avdija missed last night with a sore back and Rui Hachimura (ankle) saw the court for the first time in over a month, logging 24 minutes. If either or both of these forwards get the night off, there could be some additional late-slate value from Washington. It is unlikely that we have this news prior to the main slate lock, though even if both players were out, it would be unlikely to move the needle much with such a large player pool.
Domatas Sabonis is a featured recommendation of this article series for a third straight game. FanDuel is the best DFS site on which to employ his services with his power forward eligibility. On DraftKings and Yahoo we do have a utility slot which allows us to roster two centers there.
Sabonis is coming off a triple-double on Wednesday against the Lakers and over his last four games he is averaging 25.8 points, 19.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.8 combined blocks and steals. In these appearances he is averaging 39.8 minutes and a 68.6% conversion rate on 12.8 field goal attempts. He did get hit on his shooting hand, and there is a little concern that the lefty took just eight shots in his last game. Of course he made four, was one of two from downtown and nailed all four of his free throws, so this could just be noise.
Washington is allowing 117.0 points per 100 possessions which is the fourth worst in the league over this stretch and both of these squads are playing at a top eight pace. This game has a 239.0 projected point total so De’Aaron Fox is also a prime tournament candidate. Wings Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and rookie Keegan Murray can be used as mix-and-match options on the late slate.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
Tonight is going to be a rollercoaster with 28 teams in action and 10 games tipping off within the first hour of lock. Heck, there are five games beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, which means the bonus 30 minutes of the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock show will be crucial. The fun starts at 4:45 p.m. ET on YouTube with nearly three hours of coverage, courtesy of No House Advantage.
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