Wednesday’s NBA action has a four-game featured slate with three teams on the brink of elimination. The action gets underway at 7:00 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 for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry and more.
NBA DFS Picks Today: Wednesday, April 26
Core Play of the Day — Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks-Miami Heat
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 47.75 | FanDuel: 44.94
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 37.5% | FanDuel: 22.4%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $8,600 | FanDuel: $9,900
The Bucks are back in Milwaukee for Game 4; however, they are facing elimination after Jimmy Butler had a game for the ages while leading a furious fourth quarter comeback for the Heat. In the final frame, with just 6:09 remaining, Miami was trailing 101-89 when the Heat rolled off a 13-0 run, with 7 points coming from Butler. In total, Butler dropped in 56 points, which tied for the fourth-best playoff total ever.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played only 11 minutes in Game 1 after taking a hard fall and bruising his back. This injury also kept him out of the next two games. In his return on Monday, Antetokounmpo played 38 minutes, notching a triple-double of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, along with two blocks and a steal. We should see him as a full go again tonight, and it would not be a surprise to see him with 40-plus minutes, along with Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday right there with him.
Of course, that means we are likely to see limited minutes from the reserves, though Bobby Portis is likely to get the minutes spelling Giannis and Lopez, though that could be a reprisal of the 13 he saw on Monday. Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles will slot in as well as the backups to Holiday and Grayson Allen. The most likely starter to lose time would be Allen, as he could be supplanted by Connaughton or Ingles if either ends up getting hot from the field.
Miami will be without Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, but aside from Butler and Bam Adebayo, there are few trustworthy options when coach Erik Spoelstra goes into mad scientist mode. Max Strus drew the start, but he only saw action at the beginning of the game and then right after halftime.
Haywood Highsmith received 14.4 first half minutes but did not play in the second half. He has now played 14.4, 3.9 and 12.0 minutes in the last three games after regularly being a DNP-CD this season. Duncan Robinson started Game 2, but he has otherwise been coming off the bench. He does control his own destiny, with his offensive success directly correlated to his potential playing time.
Gabe Vincent could also suffer the same fate as Strus and be played off the court, particularly if Kyle Lowry is effective. Kevin Love should see low-20s minutes regardless of his starting status, so he is a fine differentiation play. Caleb Martin usually sees the most minutes off the bench, though his path to 25-plus depends on his play and that of the previously mentioned reserves.
Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies
Game 4 was the LeBron James show ,as he tied the game at the end of regulation and then tallied 4 points in overtime while also logging a 20-20 game with 22 points and 20 rebounds. Anthony Davis “only” had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in 42 minutes, but he also had four blocks and a pair of steals. Clearly we know that this dynamic duo is going to be options A, B, C and D on offense, but it was good to see several of their counterparts chip in with meaningful games as well.
Jarred Vanderbilt had 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks, and while that point total is unlikely to be approached for the remainder of the postseason, it is a reminder than he can put up fantasy points in a hurry when getting dunks, lobs and putbacks. D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves combined for 40 points, and though 30 is a more realistic expectation, it did show that either is capable of contributing more than just with peripheral stats.
The bench is hard to trust, but Dennis Schroder and Rui Hachimura should each get 20 minutes, with another 5 to 10 potentially available if other teammates are ineffective or in foul trouble. Troy Brown Jr. and Malik Beasley are also in play, but both are well down the pecking order; it will be hard for them to tally double-digit fantasy points without significant mop-up duty.
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Memphis is at least at home, but the Grizzlies are still in trouble in this must-win game. They are favored by 4 points, so this should be a spirited affair that goes down to the wire. In Game 4, every starter played over 40 minutes, including every minute from the 8:40 mark though overtime, aside from Luke Kennard getting a situational opportunity with 13 seconds remaining in the extra period.
Tonight we are likely to see more of the same, and the only meaningful action for the bench will be if a starter is in foul trouble or a certain forward does something stupid once again. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are all core plays, with Xavier Tillman and Dillon Brooks being wild cards. Brooks is going to be quite popular because of his salary, but it is never fun to roster a player known for chaotic and ill-advised decision making.
Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings
This should be an exciting game, with the Warriors winning both games in Golden State and returning to Sacramento with the series all knotted at two games. DraftKings has dropped Jordan Poole’s salary all the way down to $5,000 despite his two bad games being at the start of the series. In each of the last two, he produced 30 fantasy points, so enjoy this gift.
Kevon Looney was sublime in the two home games, averaging 31 minutes, 17 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. From a production standpoint, this looks like a stat line that a young Draymond Green used to produce. One of his games was with Green and one was while Green was serving a suspension. Present-day Draymond is still a strong option in tournaments, particularly where he has power forward eligibility.
Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson are neutral options at their current salaries; however, each has tournament-winning upside and is worthy of our attention.
De’Aaron Fox suffered an avulsion fracture on the tip of his left index finger on his shooting hand. He is going to play through the injury, which is one that both Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry have dealt with in the past. It is quite painful, though conventional wisdom is that he cannot do further damage to it by playing. Fox has logged 50 or more fantasy points in every game this series, so it would be a shame if his finger impacts his breakout party.
While Fox has been a fantasy darling, Domantas Sabonis has been far more valuable as a real-life basketball player. Sabonis is still averaging around a fantasy point per minute; however, that is not what his fantasy supporters are expecting from his current salary.
The rest of the Kings are hard to pinpoint from a fantasy perspective because coach Mike Brown can change his strategies on a whim to counter coach Steve Kerr. Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk are the most likely players to exceed their median expectations, but this is far from a guarantee. The remaining Kings are lottery options at best, even on the two-game night slate.
Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Keegan Murray is an interesting option in the sports wagering market, with a 2.5 made 3-point prop. This is a lofty total for the rookie who was 1-for-8 from behind the arc in the first three games. Yes, he did nail 5 of 7 in Game 4, though reaching back into the regular season, he made three or more triples on just three occasions.
NBA Bet Pro has Murray  projected for 30.6 minutes, 5.07 3-point attempts and 2.41 makes. This equates to a 59% chance of staying under tonight’s milestone, and at -125 at BetMGM, the numbers work out to a healthy 6% expected ROI. There are many ways that Murray can fall below this prop tonight, including, poor shooting, foul trouble, injury or even losing time to one of the many other veteran wings on Sacramento’s roster.
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tonight we have three teams who could be playing for the last time this season. Plus, the West Coast night cap is a doozy, with the Warriors and Kings throwing haymakers.
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