Friday’s NBA action marks just three days left in the regular season and the playoff picture getting clearer. Tonight brings a five-game featured slate tipping off at 7 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 Stephen Curry.
NBA DFS Picks Today: Friday, April 7
There are a lot of uncertainties at this time, though things should be a little clearer closer to tip off for the various games. Consider tonight an entertainment expense and do not overplay your hand — we have almost two months of NBA Playoffs coming up in less than a week — and NOBODY wants to miss out on that!
Core Play of the Day — Stephen Curry: Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 49.37 | FanDuel: 46.3
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 12.1% | FanDuel: 9.5%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,500 | FanDuel: $10,200
Right now the Warriors, Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans are all within one game of each other, with two teams destined for the Play-In Tournament and the other pair avoiding that ignominious adventure.
It makes sense for Golden State to try to win their next two games. Both are on the road, and tonight’s matchup in Sacramento is far more daunting than Sunday’s matchup with the Trail Blazers in Portland. Of course, it would have made sense for the Dallas Mavericks to be going for the last Play-In Tournament ticket, needing to make up a half game on Oklahoma City, yet they have already ruled out Kyrie Irving, Christian Wood, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber for rest and Tim Hardaway Jr. for an ankle injury.
Conspicuously absent is Luka Doncic, though there is nothing keeping him from being ruled out at the last minute. If Doncic starts, he is the play of the day, as we could get a resting Bulls squad that has listed DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine as potential rest candidates. Chicago is all but locked into the 10th seed, so there is a good chance this duo will be out today or Sunday and potentially joined by Nikola Vucevic.
Update: Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan listed out.
Last night, the prevailing thought was that the Phoenix Suns would play their starters for the first half and maybe a rotation in the third quarter as the team continues to gel with Kevin Durant. Plus, the Nuggets sat everyone, with the best record in the Western Conference already in hand. The Suns are locked into the fourth seed, yet we saw Durant play 40.6 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter. Chris Paul played 37.2 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter. Devin Booker played 37.5 minutes and most of the final frame. None of this made any sense. Why risk a turned ankle or some other such nonsense in a truly meaningless game?
Circling back around to Stephen Curry, he looks like a strong play tonight, and even if Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox and any other regulars rest, with Sacramento having locked up the third seed, Curry and the Warriors still need to win. In that aforementioned Nuggets-Suns matchup, the Denver understudies managed to cobble together a lead well into the fourth quarter before falling to the Phoenix starters.
If Curry starts, we should pencil him in for 40 fantasy points, with upside. If he is out, there are pivots in the last game of the night featuring the Suns at the Lakers.
Miami Heat-Washington Wizards
This is a back-to-back for Miami, who cruised by the 76ers 129-101 in Philadelphia last night. The Heat look to be resting their key players tonight, as even though they have clinched the Southeast Division, they need to win the next two games and have Brooklyn lose the next two in order to escape the Play-In Tournament. Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for rest, and Bam Adebayo is missing a second straight game with an ankle injury. Tyler Herro and Kevin Love are likely to sit as well, but that news is still pending as of this article posting.
Omer Yurtseven, Victor Oladipo, Gabe Vincent and Cody Zeller are the likely beneficiaries of extra minutes. Duncan Robinson could move into the mix as well, depending if the rest extends down to Max Strus and Caleb Martin.
Washington is mailing it in, and we have not seen Bradley Beal or Kyle Kuzma for weeks. Kristaps Porzingis, Deni Avdija and Monte Morris have now joined them, so it will be a lineup filled with understudies once again. Rookie Johnny Davis should continue to see heavy minutes, while Daniel Gafford and Jay Huff hold down the center position.
Delon Wright missed the last two games with an illness, but he is not on the injury report. If he plays, that curbs the upside of Jordan Goodwin and Kendrick Nunn. Wright himself is a 30-year-old veteran who is in the first of a two-year contract with Washington, so there is nothing for him to prove tonight. Keep an eye on the starting lineup to figure out the appropriate strategy.
Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Wright is healthy and the listed starter tonight, making him a strong option in the DFS world, and we can look to him in the sports wagering market as well: the books have set his the total for his steals to just 1.5. This is a wager that has been recommended before, so as a refresher.
For the season, Wright is averaging a career-best 2.8 steals per 36 minutes and 1.9 steals per game. In the 23 games in which he played at least 24.6 minutes, Wright recorded multiple steals 17 times. He also has 29 multi-steal efforts in his 49 games.
NBA Bet Pro has the 30-year-old projected for 30.6 minutes and 2.17 steals. This equates to a 54% chance of a multi-steal game, and the current line of -128 at BetMGM provides a decent 3% expected ROI.
Did you know that you can get two free months of Stokastic+ Platinum for signing up and making your first bet at BetMGM? Claim here today!
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Orlando Magic-Brooklyn Nets
Expect the Magic to sit most everyone again tonight and roll with a similar rotation like we saw on Thursday. Moritz Wagner played 30 minutes last night, but he has been ruled out — which makes it easier for Chuma Okeke and Bol Bol to get 30 minutes again. Goga Bitadze is a deep cut and worth a lottery ticket or two if he is in the starting lineup.
Jalen Suggs is really the only other player with upside, as the rest of the Magic are likely to see 20 to 25 minutes, making them all unappealing.
Miles Bridges, Nicolas Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie and Cameron Johnson are all viable options, though it is unlikely that more than one or two pop off for a big game, as we could see a short hook from coach Jacque Vaughn since a win by the Nets cements them as the sixth seed. Limit rosters to no more than one Brooklyn player tonight.
New York Knicks-New Orleans Pelicans
The Knicks are locked into their playoff slot, so they will be resting Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson and potentially RJ Barrett, who has been dealing with an illness. That bodes well for Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes, who combined for 107 points on Wednesday against Indiana. Isaiah Hartenstein should get 26-ish minutes with Robinson out, and he is a decent tournament option. Keep in mind that while Quickley is a key member of the rotation, he also is in the mix for the Sixth Man of the Year award and another strong showing will help sway voters who are on the fence.
The Pelicans can still get out of the Play-In Tournament, but they need to win out and have both the Warriors and Clippers lose out. The first part they can control, and that starts tonight against a thin New York squad. Brandon Ingram has simply been amazing over the last month, carrying New Orleans night in and night out. CJ McCollum can still get frisky from 3, so he is a tournament play, as is Jonas Valanciunas, who should be able to rack up points in the paint against Hartenstein.
Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Lakers
It is unlikely that Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul or Deandre Ayton will suit up tonight after playing yesterday. That means reserves Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Saben Lee, Jock Landale and Bismack Biyombo are likely to get some extra run. T.J. Warren is questionable with an injury, and if he is out, Josh Okogie and Terrence Ross should see 28-ish minutes. The Suns have plenty of options, so nobody will be run into the ground tonight. Those that are on the playoff rotation bubble will see extra run tonight since it may be some of their last meaningful volume for the season.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell are game-time decisions, which is nothing new. What is new is that the Lakers have a chance to get out of the Play-In Tournament. While they do not have the tiebreaker over the Clippers, they still hold sway over the Warriors and Pelicans. Los Angeles needs to win both games and get help with a Warriors loss, but they still have a chance.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today
Much like Thursday, tonight is going to be a headache, but there is a strong chance that those who are prepared for the chaos will be rewarded handsomely.
Get ready for the slate with all of the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 5 p.m. ET on YouTube, brought to you by No House Advantage.
