Happy Sunday NBA fans. With the NFL in a bit of a hiatus, this weekend with only the Pro Bowl happening the NBA will be in full focus today. The NBA DFS main slate is a nice seven-gamer featuring some of the best players in the league today. We have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder traveling to Toronto to take on Scottie Barnes and the Raptors. We also have the young Houston Rockets going head-to-head against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

There is also a massive game total on this slate in a game featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Lauri Markkanen.  Let's dive into today's NBA DFS top plays for the seven-game main slate.

 

NBA DFS Tools to Dominate Tonight's NBA DFS Slate!

Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

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Back-to-Backs

Pace

Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.

*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.

Green = Fast Paced team

Blue = Neutral Paced team

Red = Slow Paced team

Defensive Ratings

NBA Game Totals

Top Tier Core Plays

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

You normally do not want to pay up for someone in a game in which their team is favored by 14 points. Nikola Jokic is an exemption to that role, considering we just saw this matchup, in the Nuggets last game. Jokic finished with 81 fantasy points with a 27-22-12 night, which was his second game over 75 fantasy points in as many games. The big difference here is the Nuggets are at him in this one, and it is extremely tough for other teams to hang in there. If you do not want to pay up for Jokic tonight, I get it but he could go off and sink your lineup.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are the only team on the slate that are on a back-to-back. Normally I wouldn't be targeting a star in that instance, but the matchup is too good to pass up for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Jazz are 25th in defensive efficiency, yet they are a good team, so this game will be competitive and played at a solid pace. Giannis is coming off a huge performance last night posting 84 fantasy points. You can go back to the well once again with Giannis tonight. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder

SGA is cheaper than the guy listed above him, making him appealing tonight in a good matchup against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are struggling defensively and have gotten worse since the trade ranking in the bottom 3rd. SGA is coming off three straight games in which he has hit 5x his value going over 55 fantasy points in each. He has also scored over 30 game points in nine straight games.

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard is about as solid as it comes for fantasy purposes. He is priced at just $8,700 even though he has gone over 46 fantasy points in five out of seven games. The game total is not as low as you would think it would be with the amount of defensive-minded players on the floor sitting at 225. The last time these two teams met up, Leonard finished with 49 fantasy points posting a 24-6-5 line. If you do not want to pay up for the top-tier guys, Leonard is a solid starting point for the mid-priced guys. He just doesnt have quite the ceiling as the top guys tonight.

Lauri Markkanen, SF/PF, Utah Jazz

This Utah Jazz team is quietly very solid and they are led by Lauri Markkanen. This matchup is a very good one, having a massive game total of 246.5 going against the Bucks. Markakanen has scored over 50 fantasy points in three of his past five games and is priced at just $8,600 on DraftKings. With keeping the matchup in mind here, Lauri should be in store for a big-time game.

Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves

I like KAT's price tonight sitting at just 8K. It is a tougher matchup against the Houston Rockets who are a very solid defensive team. KAT has just been very good as of late. He has finished with over 40 fantasy points in five of his last seven games. Towns could also go under-owned tonight because of the tough matchup, and he is coming off a quiet game against the Magic on Friday. In the last matchup against Houston, he finished with 41 fantasy in a 27-point blowout.

Jimmy Butler, SF, Miami Heat

Anytime you can get Jimmy Butler at under 8k on DraftKings you have to do it. With the Heat struggling as of late Butler is finally starting to play with a little bit more aggression. He is also starting to look healthy after dealing with injuries all season long. Butler has scored at least 45 fantasy points in four straight games. Keep taking advantage of his low price by playing him tonight in a game that should stay close against the Clippers.

Brandon Miller, SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are extremely banged up missing LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward leaving Brandon Miller as the primary ball-handler. Over his last three games with Ball being sideline, Miller has had at least a 27% usage rate in each game. He had only eclipsed that number once in the previous nine games. It is a great matchup against the Pacers who are very bad defensively and rank near the top of the league in pace. I will be playing Brandon Miller tonight.

Jordan Clarkson, SG, Utah Jazz

This is a bit of a risky play with Clarkson being inconsistent as of late scoring under 20 fantasy points in three of his previous five games. The matchup is just too good for me to pass up. The Bucks are on the second night of a back-to-back and their backcourt is not known for defense starting Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley. We know Clarkson is a bucket getter but we need him to add a bit of counting stats as well. He can get you 8-10 assists in any game, but also can give you just one.

P.J. Washington, PF/C, Charlotte Hornets

Similar to Jordan Clarkson, PJ Washington is a bit risky, but his upside is very tantalizing. We already talked about this game having a good game environment with the Pacers playing at a fast pace and being very bad defensively. Washington has a 50 fantasy point upside in this one as he did against Utah just four games ago in a similar game environment at home. Washington is a fine play with great upside at just $5,900.

Value Tier Core Plays

Buddy Hield, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers

Buddy Hield isn't in the starting lineup but has seen 28 minutes in three straight games. Yet, his price has not gone back up where it needs to yet sitting at just $5,100. Hield has finished with at least 32 fantasy points in two of his last three games. He is still struggling from behind the three-point line going just six for his last 20. This is a great game for him to get back on track from deep in this one, and I expect him to at least hit value at his price.

Cam Whitmore, SG/SF, Houston Rockets

Cam Whitmore has emerged as a big-time threat off of the bench for the Rockets. He has just gone crazy over his past six games. He has only played an average of 20 minutes during those games but is averaging 19.5 points per game while averaging 30 fantasy points. Over his last six games, he ranks 6th in fantasy points per game. I am going to keep riding Whitmore until he fails me,even in a tough matchup against the Timberwolves.

Jacob Gilyard, PG, Memphis Grizzlies

If Gilyard is in the starting lineup I am ok playing him even in a tough matchup against a good Celtics team. He is priced at just $4,500 on DraftKings and is coming off a 34 fantasy point performance. He did that on the back of five three-pointers falling in that contest. I do not expect that to happen again, however, he does some other nice things for this Grizzlies team. He has dished out at least five assists in his last three games. 

Peyton Watson, PF/C, Denver Nuggets

This game has blowout potential written all over it, but even if it doesnt blow out, Watson should still be fine. He is averaging 20 fantasy points over his last five games and is coming off a 14-5 performance against this same Trail Blazers team on the road. His length on the defensive side causes problems as well, causing some steals and blocks. I do not expect Watson to have a huge game, but he could be very solid for the lineup tonight, especially if you are paying up with the top-tier guys.

Late Breaking News

 

Player Pool

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