Nov. 2 drops back down to a manageable four-game featured slate with a 7:00 p.m. ET lock time on DraftKings and FanDuel, and 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. Joel Embiid and Cade Cunningham stand out as two of the better options in the player pool. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Thursday, November 2
Looking for more NBA DFS advice? You’ve come to the right place. Sign up for our NBA DFS Premium Package for access to our scoring projections, ownership projections and our state-of-the-art NBA DFS simulation tools.
Core Play of the Day — Joel Embiid — Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 57.07 | FanDuel: 56.75
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 13.7% | FanDuel: 12.8%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,500 | FanDuel: $12,000
Joel Embiid is the lone super-duper star on the slate, with Kevin Durant coming in as the first alternate. This is mostly due to an above-average chance that Devin Booker returns to action tonight, which may not be confirmed until well after the 76ers and Raptors tip off in Philadelphia in the first game of the short slate.
Of course, the Sixers will begin incorporating Robert Covington, Marcus Morris and Kenyon Martin Jr. at some point, but that should not have much of an adverse impact on the reigning NBA MVP. For the time being, Nicolas Batum, who was also part of the James Harden trade, is out due to personal reasons.
Last Saturday, Embiid dropped 34 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and a steal in Toronto on his way to 60 fantasy points in 35 minutes. The next night he broke the slate with a whopping 80-plus fantasy points against Portland in a scant 29 minutes of action.
Tyrese Maxey is also in play, though he is likely to see more of an impact than Embiid, with the addition of more players to the rotation. This should not have gamers avoiding him since he will have the perfect opportunity to prove he is a capable second option now that Harden is in Los Angeles. Kelly Oubre Jr. and De’Anthony Melton will take the largest hit, so be cognizant of how their new teammates may be worked into the mix tonight.
Cade Cunningham — Detroit Pistons at New Orleans Pelicans
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 38.55 | FanDuel: 36.65
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 8.3% | FanDuel: 27.2%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $8,500 | FanDuel: $8,000
This is a back-to-back for the Pistons, who lost 110-101 to the Trail Blazers last night in Detroit. This is also a back-to back for the Pelicans, who yesterday beat the Thunder 110-106 in Oklahoma City.
Jalen Duren (ankle) was out, and he is currently listed as questionable tonight. That leaves the frontcourt in flux but should not have an impact on Cade Cunningham. The third-year guard has alternated up and down games, but that is a pattern that is just noise. He has clearly shown improvement this year, and consistency will be the next attribute that follows.
New Orleans has the fifth-best defensive efficiency rating, allowing 104.4 points per 100 possessions through the first 10 days of the season. Of course, the first time the Pelicans faced an above-average offense, they allowed 130 points to the Golden State Warriors. It is important to have context while we are still dealing with small sample sizes, and keep in mind all of this is baked into any projection system worth its salt.
Cunningham played 37.3 minutes last night, which is his second most of the season. That should not have a negative impact, and we can pencil him in for 34 to 35 minutes, which he has cleared in four of his five appearances.
Other Thoughts
We are awaiting the status of Devin Booker, who has missed the last three games with an ankle issue. If he remains out, then we know what to expect, having seen this movie before. If he does indeed return for, say, 80% of his standard minutes/effectiveness, then Durant and Jusuf Nurkic will see a decrease in offensive opportunities, though particularly in Durant’s case, he should get increased efficiency with Booker running the show instead of Jordan Goodwin. Goodwin, Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen will lose some minutes and field goal attempts, and Josh Okogie will see his usage drop once more, though his minutes will likely be unchanged.
Duren is the other big question mark, and if he is out, expect Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III to see minutes around the 33 they played last night, with both live for a double-double. If Duren plays, that will push Bagley back to the bench and hurt the halfcourt touches and rebounding rates of Stewart.
Brandon Ingram is questionable with a sore knee, and he did not play last night. His return would curb some of the usage that was picked up by C.J. McCollum and push rookie Jordan Hawkins back to a reserve role. It will also be interesting to see if Zion Williamson plays on the back-to-back after seeing 33 minutes of run last night. Similarly, oft-injured Larry Nance Jr. could get the night off as well. Jonas Valanciunas could get a couple extra minutes, depending on if one or both of this duo is out, but keep in mind that Cody Zeller is on the team, so projecting Jo-Val for more than 24 to 26 minutes is likely a stretch. If both are out, 26 to 28 is the likely range for the Lithuanian’s playing time.
Additional NBA Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Jusuf Nurkic is worthy of our consideration, with a -120 line to fall below 3.5 assists in his matchup against the San Antonio Spurs tonight. NBA Bet Pro currently has Nurkic projected for 27.8 minutes and 3.38 assists, with -141 “True Odds,” which is how OddsShopper measures the potential expected ROI; that is indicative of a line that is inefficient by close to 7%.
Nurkic did have four and six assists in his last two games, but he landed on three in each of his first two. If Booker returns tonight, that will be one more facilitator on the floor, and though this wager is likely to go down to the wire, we just need the Bosnian Bear to hold at no more than three helpers.
Did you know that new users with bet365 can bet $5 and receive $150 in Bet Credits OR a $1,000 first bet safety net? Claim here today!
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Get all the latest news and analysis by tuning into the Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock Show at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, brought to you by bet365 – new users, use this link receive $150 in bonus bucks when you make your first $5 wager. Full details can be found here.
