NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into some of the key players on Tuesday’s three game slate.

NBA DFS Picks & Optimal Lineup Construction | Nov. 16

Dejounte Murray, PG, San Antonio Spurs

There are only a handful of players that have point ratings above 90 on the Awesemo NBA Big Board Tool today, and the projected ownership for Murray is fascinatingly at under 18%. Perhaps the field is still not a fan of the DraftKings salary of $9,500, but Murray has produced at a level deserving of that salary this season. The Spurs are still without Jakob Poeltl, and in that scenario Murray has a 26.8% usage rate and 1.32 fantasy points per minute. Murray also is a triple-double threat every time out on the court, as he averages close to eight assists and rebounds per game, not to mention he ranks ninth in steals per game.

The matchup against the Clippers pits the sixth- and seventh-fastest teams in pace against each other. While the Clippers are second in defensive rating, both teams are also in the top 12 in possessions per game, so the opportunities should flow for Murray to rack up the peripheral stats. Murray is in the top 12 in drives per game, and he is only shooting 40% driving to the basket. The context of that stat is last season saw him shoot 45%, so there should be more points coming to him. The Clippers are 21st in points allowed to the pick-and-roll ball handler, and Murray is over 7 points per game.

Patty Mills, PG/SG, Brooklyn Nets

There may not be an overwhelming amount of value options tonight, but Mills checks the boxes on both sites, as he should see extra minutes due to the absence of Joe Harris. He left early in the last game for the Nets, and Mills stepped in for 31 minutes, pouring in 29 real points. There is some volatility baked into playing Mills because he is strictly a shooter. Neither the rebound nor assist numbers are going to help much based on the season, as both are under three per game. However, Golden State is eighth worst in points given up to spot-up shooters this year, and Mills already averages over 5 points per game. Harris is fourth in catch-and-shoot points this season, so if Mills sees more opportunities, he can still hit value despite not doing much else but scoring. Without Harris on the floor, Mills averages 0.80 fantasy points per minute, and he is under $4,000 on DraftKings.

Mills is showing up with an “A” value grade in the Awesemo tools, which Zach Brunner wrote in-depth about in his NBA DFS Picks, Grades & Values article for tonight’s slate.

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Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Brooklyn Nets

Some may turn to the narrative of this game with Durant facing the Warriors. But who he used to play for does not change that he is a great play every night and he is leading the league in scoring. Durant is shooting above 60% in drives, paint touches, post-ups and elbow touches, which is saying that, if he gets the ball close to the basket, it is going in.

It may not appear that the loss of Harris is the biggest deal to the Nets, but Durant’s usage creeps up to 33.4% and the fantasy points per minute climb to 1.65. Durant is among the leaders in chances of being in the optimal lineup tonight according to the Awesemo NBA Boom/Bust Tool, and he has one of the higher boom percentages as well. Golden State has been excellent defensively so far, but both teams are in the top half of the league in possessions per game, and the Nets will need his help on the glass since Golden State is third in rebounds per game.

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