NBA DFS Picks: Damian Lillard A Key Tournament Option (February 10)

Friday’s NBA action will be highly informed by player availability the day after the trade deadline. Tonight we have a chaotic 11-game featured slate tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Damian Lillard.

And heads up, DraftKings’ best deal ever is expiring Sunday, so be sure to get in on the offer before it’s too late!

Your first NBA bet is on Caesars up to $1,250

The legal gambling age is 21+ in most states. Gambling Problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER

NBA DFS Picks Today: Friday, Feb. 10

Core Play of the Day — Damian Lillard: Portland Trail Blazers-Oklahoma City Thunder

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 55.45 | FanDuel: 52.08
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 24.7% | FanDuel: 21.5%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,900 | FanDuel: $10,400

Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game with a lofty 241.5 projected point total. Damian Lillard has a slight discount to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander across the popular NBA DFS sites. That, along with homecourt advantage, gives the face of the Trail Blazers the nominal edge over his Oklahoma City counterpart.

Over his last 17 games, Lillard is averaging 37.5 minutes and 21.3 field goal attempts with a stupendous 50.6% conversion rate. He also has averaged 10.9 3-point attempts with a 37.1% success rate while averaging 11.1 made free throws. This has resulted in 36.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.0 combined blocks and steals. During this stretch, he has produced a dozen 50-fantasy-point efforts, and that is an appropriate target for tonight’s matchup.

Jusuf Nurkic and Justise Winslow are out with injuries, and Josh Hart was traded to New York. It is unlikely that recent trade acquisitions Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, Ryan Arcidiacono and Kevin Knox II will suit up tonight for the Blazers. That means Nassir Little, Drew Eubanks, Trendon Watford and potentially Jabari Walker will be viable discount dandies.

From the Oklahoma City side, Gilgeous-Alexander and second-year guard Josh Giddey are both in play. On the late slate, Isaiah Joe, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams are viable cheapies, though there are better main-slate options.

Charlotte Hornets-Boston Celtics

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cody Martin are out with injuries; Jalen McDaniels and Mason Plumlee have been traded; and newcomers Reggie Jackson and Svi Mykhailiuk are not likely to see the court. This is a tough road matchup in Boston, but the Charlotte fantasy production should be consolidated amongst a few key players.

LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier are solid options, and while they are lacking from a point-per-dollar perspective, value is abundant tonight. Mark Williams and Nick Richards are the biggest winners with Plumlee now in Los Angeles, but both are only eligible at the center position. P.J. Washington and Dennis Smith Jr. are tournament differentiation plays; however, neither is likely to be a slate breaker.

Boston has quite a few injuries, with Marcus Smart (ankle) likely out through weekend and Jaylen Brown (facial fracture) to miss at least the next two weeks. Jayson Tatum is dealing with a non-COVID illness, though if he is in the starting lineup, he should be considered a full-go since there is no reason for the Celtics to push him against a non-contender.

Al Horford and Robert Williams III have been dealing with minor maladies, but both are expected to be available tonight and should have their way with the inexperienced Charlotte frontcourt. Things will get crowded when Mike Muscala is available, so enjoy the respite for the time being.

Latest NBA DFS Content

Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick – Sports Betting Opportunities

Tyrese Haliburton is always an interesting option when looking at his assists prop; however, tonight we should consider his 2.5 made 3-pointers prop. This is a back-to-back for the Suns, who lost in Atlanta last night, and it is likely that Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are both out again with their respective foot injuries. Also, Darius Bazley is still waiting for his trade to be approved, while T.J. Warren is listed as questionable as he rejoins the team that drafted him. Devin Booker did not play last night, but he is expected to suit up tonight — however, Chris Paul may be a little lead-legged on the back-to-back, and staunch defender Mikal Bridges was traded to the Nets as part of the package for Kevin Durant and Warren.

Edit: Warren has been ruled out for tonight.

This has led to the Pacers being rare favorites as they host a watered-down Phoenix squad. Haliburton is averaging a career-best 2.9 made 3-pointers on 7.4 attempts per game, and in nine of his last 20 outings, he has three or more makes.

NBA Bet Pro has Haliburton projected for 3.2 triples tonight, and while that leads to a 50/50 likelihood of surpassing his target, currently BetMGM is offering this wager at +125, which gives this coinflip outcome a very healthy 12% expected ROI.

Did you know that you can get two free months of Stokastic+ Platinum for signing up and making your first bet at BetMGM? Claim here today!

Milwaukee Bucks-Los Angeles Clippers

Giannis Antetokounmpo played 36 minutes last night, including the entire fourth quarter, as the Bucks defeated the Lakers 115-106 last night in Los Angeles. This is the third and final game of a six-day West Coast road trip, and the Bucks are off until Tuesday when they host the Boston Celtics. It has been over a month since Antetokounmpo played on consecutive days, so monitor his availability. The expectation is he is a full go, as he will have four days to rest his knee before Milwaukee’s next game. Fortunately, there are four games tipping off at 10 p.m. ET, so we should have ample options available if Antetokounmpo is out.

Bobby Portis (knee) is going to be out at least through the weekend. It is unlikely that Khris Middleton plays on this back-to-back, and even if new acquisition Jae Crowder suits up, it is doubtful that he will play meaningful minutes. That means a boost for Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton.

Kawhi Leonard has been earmarked as out for injury management, and newcomers Mason Plumlee, Bones Hyland and Eric Gordon are probably going to be on the sidelines Friday, then making their debut on Tuesday against Golden State. Paul George, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac and Terance Mann are tremendous options on DraftKings and above-average plays on FanDuel for the main slate. Once everyone is available for the Clippers, this is going to be a fantasy nightmare — aside from games where Leonard or George rest.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today

Players are still undergoing physicals from their new teams and have yet to practice, so we should continue to see fluid rotations and starting lineups through the weekend. Be sure to get all the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Live Before Lock show at 4:45 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.

Author

Eric MacPherson

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].