Saturday’s NBA action will go head-to-head with the NFL’s featured matchup in the form of a four-game main slate that tips off at 8 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool that we’ll analyze to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
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NBA DFS Picks: Saturday, Jan. 7
Core Play of the Day — Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks-New Orleans Pelicans
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 65.93 | FanDuel: 63.5
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 21.5% | FanDuel: 25.9%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $12,700 | FanDuel: $12,500
Tonight the Mavericks will host a depleted Pelicans squad without Zion Williamson (hamstring) for the rest of the month. Brandon Ingram (toe) may also miss his 21st-consecutive game. Dallas is favored by 7.5, though New Orleans does have a puncher’s chance with both CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas available tonight.
Luka Doncic showed that he is still a human in his performance against the Boston Celtics on Thursday. He failed to reach 40 fantasy points for just the second time this season. But before that contest, the 23-year-old had strung together one of the more improbable heaters in recent memory: during a six-game span, Doncic averaged 40.2 minutes and 25.5 field goal attempts with a 56.2% success rate. This resulted in 44.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.9 combined blocks and steals. This is the sort of upside that Doncic brings every time he steps on the court and he currently has a median fantasy projection that is 10 points higher than any other player in the pool.
Utah Jazz-Chicago Bulls
This is a back-to-back for the Bulls and their third game in four days. They took care of business last night in Philadelphia with a 126-112 thumping of the 76ers. Tonight they host the Jazz, who drubbed the Rockets 131-114 in Houston on Thursday. Tonight’s matchup boasts a 238.5-point total and makes for one of the better subplots of the evening.
Lauri Markkanen spent four years in Chicago after getting dealt to the Bulls as part of the Jimmy Butler-Zach LaVine trade. Markkanen never quite put everything together during his time in the Windy City and he was traded to Cleveland as part of a three-team deal. After a pair of nondescript campaigns with the Cavaliers, Markkanen got shipped to Utah as part of the Donovan Mitchell deal.
Markkanen is having a breakout season and is a fringe All-Star candidate with career highs of 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Both the Jazz and the Bulls are in the bottom seven teams over the last three weeks from a defensive efficiency perspective. With the Bulls having played last night and two of their better defenders, Alex Caruso and Javonte Green, both dinged up, this is a nice spot for the Finnisher.
Mike Conley, Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson also are in play across the DFS sites as they must fill the void left by Collin Sexton. Kelly Olynyk is a long shot, but at least he has power forward eligibility and can pop off for 40 fantasy points without any warning.
The DraftKings salary algorithm seemed to fall asleep when it came to reviewing Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams. They stand out as two of the best value options in the eight-team player pool. Keep tabs on LaVine as he is always a candidate to sit on back-to-backs, but if he is in the starting lineup, he is a reasonable option at both DraftKings and FanDuel. Nikola Vucevic is solid, but we have several center options worthy of our consideration. DeMar DeRozan is a neutral play on both sites. If LaVine gets the night off, then DeRozan becomes someone to focus on in all formats.
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Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Betting Opportunities
De’Aaron Fox looks intriguing tonight with his a 5.5 total for his assist prop in his matchup against the Lakers tonight on his home court. This is going to be a fast paced game with both squad eschewing defense of any sort.
The NBA Bet Pro projections have him dishing out 6.3 dimes for a 59% likelihood of surpassing this milestone at -145 on BetMGM. To help increase the 4% xROI (expected return on investment), bettors can utilize this wager as part of a same-game parlay for extra upside.
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Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings
This game will be the slate-breaker with a 241.5 projected point total. The Kings are currently 8.5-point home favorites. The Lakers are coming off a victory in Los Angeles last light. They handled Atlanta with ease in a 130-114 affair. Bettors will have to wait to find out the status of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook tonight, but the Kings’ sizeable advantage suggests that one of them will sit.
Anthony Davis is still a couple of weeks away from a return, and now Lonnie Walker IV (knee tendinitis) and Austin Reaves (hamstring) are shelved for a similar timeframe. Damian Jones and Troy Brown Jr. are both dinged up as well, so the Lakers could be the best source of value tonight. Of course, this will take planning, as this is the final game of the slate. It tips off 90 minutes after the rest of the matchups.
Domantas Sabonis is a core option and worthy of Player of the Day honors. Over his last 10 games while dealing with a sore right hand and a thumb issue on his shooting hand, Sabonis has averaged 22.3 points, 15.5 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.3 combined blocks and steals. This is a matchup where he should flirt with the 50 fantasy point plateau and we will want to be above the field with our shares.
De’Aaron Fox is a strong play as well and should thrive in this track meet environment. Malik Monk (calf) missed practice yesterday, and if he is out, the rest of the wings look well above average. If the former Laker is in, then NBA DFS players should give him consideration along with Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes and rookie Keegan Murray. If he sits, the wings will assume more of the scoring load, and Davion Mitchell should get a boost in minutes, though he is far from fantasy relevant.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
The Lakers injury report is going to be the crux of everything tonight, so be sure to tune into the Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.
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