NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks: Will Giannis Antetokounmpo Be a Heartbreaker Tonight? (February 14)

Tuesday’s NBA action keeps the schedule marching towards the All-Star Break with a five-game featured slate tipping off at 7:30 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 Giannis Antetokounmpo and his stat-sheet-stuffing ways.

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NBA DFS Picks Today: Tuesday, Feb. 14

Core Play of the Day — Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks-Boston Celtics

The Bucks have won 10 consecutive games and are now just 1.5 games behind the Celtics, who are in Milwaukee tonight and looking rather shorthanded, to say the least. Even more impressive, Giannis Antetokounmpo has led his squad to victories in 15 of his last 16 appearances. The two-time NBA MVP has had four days off, so he should be primed for this matchup.

In this recent stretch, Antetokounmpo has averaged just shy of 33 minutes per outing while converting his 20.9 field goal attempts at a 53.9% clip. This has propelled him to 33.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.2 combined blocks and steals. Only three times during this timeframe has he failed to produce 50 fantasy points, and that is more than offset by his upside, as evidenced by seven games of at least 70 fantasy points.

The one concern for this matchup is that Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown are out with injuries and Jayson Tatum is listed as doubtful with a non-COVID illness. Milwaukee is likely to be double-digit favorites if Tatum does indeed sit, so that could curb the likelihood of Antetokounmpo rattling off another 70-fantasy-point performance. He still has the highest median fantasy projections and is just one of two players topping 50 fantasy points by that metric.

Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers

This is a back-to-back for the Warriors, who knocked off the Wizards 135-126 last night. Stephen Curry remains out with his shoulder injury, and we have yet to see Klay Thompson play on consecutive days. That means Donte DiVincenzo will likely draw the spot start, and he and Jonathan Kuminga should see a boost in their minutes.

Jordan Poole had an off night, but he should be a priority option tonight, as he is getting a massive increase in usage with Curry on the shelf. Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins are neutral options who become elevated recommendations in the two-game late slate.

Kevon Looney is also a strong option, though centers are plentiful tonight. He has posted double-digit rebound totals in three of his last four games, and last night he even got to that milestone with 13 points.

It will be interesting to see how the new-look Clippers work all of their new players into the rotation. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, of course, are the dynamic duo leading the way, but head coach Tyronn Lue has already said he plans on keeping their minutes down whenever possible.

Marcus Morris Sr. Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac are the regulars who should continue to see a mostly intact role in the rotation, though things could be a little tenuous for Zubac now that Mason Plumlee is in town. Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland will bolster the backcourt, and even with Reggie Jackson no longer on the team, things are looking crowded for Terance Mann and Norman Powell.


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Tread lightly here on the main slate as we wait for the dust to settle. However, for those that are feeling bold, looking to some of the reserves getting extra fourth quarter run in mop-up duty could be a savvy strategy in tournaments.

Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick – Sports Betting Opportunities

Terance Mann is an interesting option in the betting market, with his 9.5 points prop. As detailed above, things are suddenly crowded for the Clippers roster, and it would be a surprise if Mann regularly gets above 26 minutes when everyone is available. Even though he has double-digit points in the last four games, in the five games preceding this stretch, the 26-year-old scored more than 4 points on two occasions.

NBA Bet Pro has Mann projected for 7.11 points and a 72% likelihood that he fails to score 10 points. BetMGM currently has this wager available at -110 on the under, giving it a 7% expected ROI.

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Washington Wizards-Portland Trail Blazers

This is a back-to-back for both teams as Washington lost in San Francisco last night, while Portland topped the visiting Lakers 127-115. It will be interesting to see if Bradley Beal or Kristaps Porzingis pop up on the injury report for the Wizards later today.

Porzingis did play 35.2 and 32.8 minutes in the last back-to-back set for Washington, though he had a team-high 36 minutes last night. Beal was second with nearly 35 minutes, and with his various leg issues, it would not be a surprise if he gets the night off. Kyle Kuzma has missed the last four games with an ankle injury, and he may not return until after the All-Star Break.

Porzingis is a player to target if he is a go tonight, particularly where he can be employed as a power forward. In the event Kuzma is starting, he should be in line for his standard workload. The Trail Blazers are only favored by 3.5 points with the early line, so that would seem to indicate at least two, if not all three, key Wizards will be working their magic tonight.

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Monte Morris, Delon Wright, Kendrick Nunn, Corey Kispert and Deni Avdija can be avoided unless one of the top trio of Washington’s stars is sidelined. Even with Jordan Goodwin being inactive last night and Will Barton working on a buyout, things are still crowded among this motley crew.

Even if he remains in the starting lineup, Kispert is an afterthought for DFS, as he is very scoring dependent for his fantasy production. Avdija has seen his salary increase, and while he can play four positions, he is far too willing to defer to other players while on the court. Wright, Morris and Nunn are interchangeable, and it seems that coach Wes Unseld Jr. is going to go with a hot-hand approach. Something is likely to shake out with injury news, though it may not be available when the slate first locks.

Damian Lillard was outstanding last night as he dropped 40 points on the Lakers, including sinking 8 of 14 from behind the arc. Matisse Thybulle had a strong debut, though we should not expect him to reach double-digits in the scoring column with any regularity.

Anfernee Simons played just 28 minutes in this laugher, and he was deferring to Lillard most of the game. He should bounce back tonight, so do not let one blip in his game logs dissuade you from rostering him.

Drew Eubanks, Trendon Watford and Nassir Little all lost minutes in the fourth quarter with the blowout. Each is a viable option on today’s main slate, though better value options may be revealed later today as injury reports begin to trickle out.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today

There are several questionable players in the pair of West Coast “late-night hammers” that could shape the slate. Be sure to get all the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Live Deeper Dive and Before Lock shows at 5:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of PrizePicks.

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].

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