Saturday brings a marathon 10-game featured slate, with the main contests locking at 7 p.m. ET on 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. Jimmy Butler and Luka Doncic stand head and shoulders above the rest. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Saturday, December 2
Jimmy Butler: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 47.98 | FanDuel: 47.77
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 18.7% | FanDuel: 51.2%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,100 | FanDuel: $8,600
Recommending Jimmy Butler as the core play on Saturday, when all sorts of NBA wonkiness thrives, is never fun as a content creator. However, Butler gets the best matchup in the league tonight. He takes on an Indiana team that is playing at the fastest pace with the worst defensive efficiency rating in the league for November — and features an offense that keeps the pressure on opposing teams. In this same matchup on Thursday, without Bam Adebayo, there were 274 points scored in regulation, and Butler had 36 points, 11 rebounds and a trio of assists in 38 minutes of run.
The only semi-knock against the play aside from a lofty salary is that Tyrese Haliburton missed shootaround and is questionable with a sore knee and an illness. We do not know for sure which kept him away from the team today, but if he is out, the Pacers’ offense may crumble. There should be plenty of fantasy goodness for Butler, but he may not be pushed to an apex performance.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 58.92 | FanDuel: 58.04
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 13.7% | FanDuel: 10.4%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,300 | FanDuel: $11,700
Ho hum, Giannis Antetokounmpo has posted three consecutive games of at least 60 fantasy points. He also gets a peach of a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, who have a bottom-five defensive efficiency rating over the last 30 days, allowing 119.2 points per 100 possessions. Milwaukee has a 13-6 record and just dropped an overtime game on Thursday to the Bulls in Chicago. Even though the Bucks are 8-2 in their last 10 games, they still have a 13-6 record on the season, which is not giving them much of a cushion against the rest of the Eastern Conference at this time.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 53.8 fantasy points per game, which his lowest rate of the last six seasons. He is also playing 34.2 minutes per game, which is the most of the last five years, and it is clear he and Damian Lillard are still getting used to playing together. The addition of Lillard and loss of Jrue Holiday has weakened the Milwaukee defense, almost to a point that no lead is safe. That means more fourth-quarter run for Antetokounmpo and additional opportunities at fantasy glory for his supporters.
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 60.38 | FanDuel: 57.73
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 6.9% | FanDuel: <5.0%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,500 | FanDuel: $12,100
Last night Luka Doncic was away from the team attending to the birth of his child, he has indicated he plans on playing tonight, so we get the coveted “Baby Game” narrative. Maximilian Kleber (toe) remains out and Dante Exum (personal) will not be available either. Then there are a trio of questionable players including Kyrie Irving who tweaked his right foot last night, Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) may not go on consecutive days and Josh Green suffered a sprained elbow. The more players that are out, the better it is for Doncic who should push 60 fantasy points tonight as a floor.
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Additional NBA Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Nic Claxton stands out in the sports wagering market for the +200 payout if he notches a double-double. Per the +200 “True Odds” (how OddsShopper measures the potential expected ROI of a given wager), this is a perfectly neutral opportunity.
NBA Bet Pro currently has Claxton projected for 28.9 minutes, 13.02 points and 8.97 rebounds. The 24-year-old has three double-doubles in nine games and two in his last four. He is averaging 11.7 rebounds per 36 minutes and he has collected eight or more caroms in four of his last five games. This wager could go down to the wire, but we need to note that the Orlando Magic are playing their third road game in the last four days and don’t have Wendell Carter Jr. patrolling the paint. That could be just enough to push Claxton to surpass the double-double threshold tonight.
Get ONE FREE MONTH of OddsShopper Premium, when you signed up through this link for BetMGM. There is also a First Wager bonus promotion of up to $1,500 back in credits if the bet loses. Check out this link for full details.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Dallas, Denver, Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando and Phoenix all played last night and there are still several questionable players across the 20 teams comprising the featured slate player pool.
That is likely to add to the wonky nature of what is now the default level of chaos that is NBA DFS. Be sure to get all the latest news and analysis by tuning into the Stokastic Live Before Lock Show at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, brought to you by Underdog Fantasy – new users, use this link to receive a first deposit match up to $100! Full details here.
