Wednesday’s NBA slate brings a frontloaded 11-game featured slate with nine matchups tipping off within one hour of the 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: Wednesday, Dec. 21
Core Play of the Day — Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks-Minnesota Timberwolves
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 57.88 | FanDuel: 55.87
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 2.4% | FanDuel: 8.7%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $12600 | FanDuel: $11800
After getting ejected alongside head coach Jason Kidd on Monday in Minnesota, Luka Doncic should be well rested, having logged just 28 minutes of action since Dec. 16. The 2022 NBA MVP frontrunner was on track for yet another dominant fantasy performance when things went sideways.
This season, the 23-year-old superstar is second in the league with 32.5 points and a 38.1% usage rate, both of which are career highs. He has led the league in usage each of the last two years, so this is not a new development. The biggest improvement through the first 10 weeks of this season has been Doncic posting a career-best 49.4% conversion rate on 22.4 field goal attempts per game as well as seeing the third-most free-throw attempts (10.1 per game), which has resulted in a 5-point jump on his fantasy points per game to nearly 60.
Rudy Gobert is questionable with an ankle injury, and if he misses a third consecutive game, Doncic looks even better. Spencer Dinwiddie is also in play since the Mavericks are heading into this matchup a little thin, with Dorian Finney-Smith (adductor) out, Dwight Powell (thigh) questionable and Tim Hardaway Jr. recovering from an illness.
Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings
It appears that LeBron James (ankle) and Russell Westbrook (foot) are on track to play after missing Monday’s matchup, which was the second game of a back-to-back. Anthony Davis is likely to miss the next month, and it would not be a shock to see him out through the All-Star Break.
If James and Westbrook play as expected, they are going to be two of our primary targets tonight. Thomas Bryant also is a good play at the center position, though there may be better point-per-dollar choices as more news trickles into the DFS world throughout the day. Austin Reaves (ankle) also missed the last game, and he is going to test things out in warmups. Juan Toscano-Anderson has been ruled out. While this is not important for the main slate, on the late slate, the deeper part of the Los Angeles rotation can be of additional utility, including Damian Jones, Troy Brown Jr. and Wenyen Gabriel.
Domantas Sabonis has been a stellar fantasy option in recent games; however, he is dealing with a sore left hand, which is also his shooting hand. He is on the short list tonight, particularly on FanDuel, where he has power forward eligibility. Fortunately, there are two late games, so there will be alternatives available, though it makes sense to include at least one other player from this window when rostering Sabonis, to maintain maximum flexibility.
De’Aaron Fox has rolled off three straight games of 44 or more fantasy points and the Lakers play abysmal defense with no rim protection, which bodes well for his prospects tonight. Harrison Barnes (quad) is dealing with leg soreness, and if he is out, then Keegan Murry, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter would help fill the production vacated by the longtime veteran.
Additional NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Wagering Opportunities
Tonight, OG Anunoby has a 4.5 over/under line on his rebound prop for his road matchup against the Knickerbockers. The Stokastic NBA player projections have him for 5.9 rebounds and a 62% likelihood that he exceeds this threshold.
Though Anunoby missed five games with a hip issue, he came back with a whopping 40.5 minutes in his return on Monday. While it would be fallacy to project 40 minutes again, Anunoby has been averaging nearly 37 minutes per game this season and his per-36 minute rebounding average is at 5.6 for each of the last two seasons as well as for his career.
For this wager, we are seeing moderate “juice” at -143, which has this wager looking like a nice one to target as both a single wager or to work in as part of a straight or same-game parlay for additional upside.
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Golden State Warriors-Brooklyn Nets
This is a back-to-back for the Warriors, which means Klay Thompson will likely sit and potentially Draymond Green as well. Of course, Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry are out, and Donte DiVincenzo is dealing with an illness. This means big minutes for Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and likely Moses Moody. James Wiseman did return from the G-League, though he did not make much of an impact in his 22 minutes last night, with only 12.8 fantasy points and five fouls. Kevon Looney lacks the upside compared to other centers, so he should be avoided on this robust slate.
Brooklyn is a double-digit home favorite, though Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still in play for tournaments, as they likely would be the key authors for any blowout scenarios. The rest of the Nets will be hard to trust unless, of course, anyone gets the night off. Otherwise, while there likely will be mop-up minutes available in the final frame, we still need to guess right as to which players will benefit the most, and on such a large slate, there is no reason to take on that added risk/uncertainty.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
Tonight brings a mega 11-game slate, with nine tilts underway in the first hour. That means the news should be coming fast and furious near lock, so be sure to tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock show on YouTube at 4:45 p.m. ET for all of the up-to-date analysis.
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