We made it to another thirsty Thursday, and we have a seven-gamer in the Association tonight for our picking pleasures, hoops fans! This slate is super interesting, as we don't have a single spread over eight points, but some really nice totals for some very good game environments! Let's dive into some of favorite plays for tonight, mainly from games such as the Utah Jazz at the Washington Wizards, the Indiana Pacers hosting the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Sacramento Kings head to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors! 

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 off their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

 

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Notable NBA Injury Updates

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Teams on Back-to-Backs

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PACE (Last 15 Games):

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

 

NBA Game Spreads & Totals:

 

Top Tier Core Plays

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Ever since Embiid's return to the starting unit, he has been an absolute monster. Going for 70 actual on Kobe Bryant night, and just hammering out 65+ fantasy point efforts. In two games vs the Pacers so far this season, Embiid is averaging roughly 68 fantasy points, and I don't expect that to change much here tonight.

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets 

Not only has Embiid been picking it up lately, but so has Jokic, who has now 63 ,79, and 70 fantasy points over his last three contests. They say the biggest stars tend to show in when they see the lights in Madison Square Garden, and I fully expect to see this from Jokic tonight in New York. 

Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings

Sabonis has played really well against the Warriors in years past, and nothing has really changed in that regard going into this season as he is averaging nearly 48 fantasy points against the Warriors in three meetings already this year. Sabonis has topped 50 fantasy points in his last four games straight, and this match up is obviously very good for him. Not to mention his price is stellar tonight.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

On the flip-side of Fox/Sabonis, Curry is heating up nicely again as well. Curry had a couple down games, but let that not distract us that he has recorded 41+ fantasy points in six of his last eight games. In three meetings vs the Kings so far this season, Curry has recorded 58, 31, and 54 fantasy points. He has been hot, so hopefully he keeps it going here tonight on his home floor.

De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

Won't fault anyone for NOT playing Fox here tonight, BUT he has averaged 55 fantasy points in two meetings vs the Warriors so far this year and he also always seems to get up for this game as he and Steph are good buddies outside the court. They love going at each other, and Fox has gotten the best of him multiple times, including this season. Fox's price is at a very low point, and if he goes off at lower ownership, could be a thing of beauty!

 

Mid-Tier Core Plays:

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Lots of media talk centered around the Knicks and them “not having a true star”, well, insert Jalen Brunson. This guy has played really well all season long, and gets zero respect really. Brunson is coming off just a 40-fantasy point outing vs the Nets, but had touched 45 or more in his prior four games. I think this game stays very close and very competitive tonight, and I am going to put my eggs on Brunson having a nice game.

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

Another part of the 1-2 Nugget's punch here is Murray, who is fresh off a 52 fantasy point game vs the Pacers in Indiana last time out. This was his second 50+ fantasy point outing in his last three games. Again, the Nuggets don't get to play in MSG much, so I would fully expect them to come out ballin' here tonight when they finally get a chance to.

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

I am really like Bam here tonight on the contrarian foot. No one is likely going to want to play him, and for good reason as the Celtics have one of the better defenses in the league, but Bam has been excellent lately. He also gets this one on his home court tonight, where he is averaging nearly 46 fantasy points on the season. In the lone game where he played against Boston so far this year, he managed 44 fantasy points on 27 points, seven boards, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot spread across 35 minutes.

Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

Love the price we are getting here on Lauri tonight in the highest-totaled game on the board vs the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are bad, bad on defense, and Lauri is averaging 41 fantasy points on the road so far this year. Will be looking for him to have a nice one here vs this Wiz team. He had one of his lowest fantasy outputs last game vs the Pelicans after getting blown out, so I will expect this to be his bounce-back.

Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards

I like the value on Kuz here tonight. Kuzma has played well, and has really carried this Wizards team to say the least. Going for 35+ fantasy points in nine-straight contests, with four of those games going for 45+ fantasy points. The Wizards have shown signs of life lately, and they do get this one on their home floor, so I do like Kuzma to play well here.

Coby White, Chicago Bulls

White continues to be a major bright spot for the Bulls this season, and with LaVine still off the floor for a good while, that should only continue. With LaVine off the court this season, White sees a nearly 24% usage rate with a 1.05 fantasy point per minute spread across a 902-minute sample. Not to mention, Coby is coming off a near 60-fantasy point outing against the Suns.

DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls

Don't think you can go wrong with either White or DDR here tonight, as both has played very well lately and without LaVine. DeRozan went for 51 fantasy points in the lone meet vs the Lakers this season on 27 points, seven boards, nine dimes, with a block and steal across 36 minutes of action. The Bulls were short-handed that game, but it still remains. DeRozan is carrying a team-leading 26.5% usage with a modest 1.10 fantasy point per minute this year with LaVine OFF the court.

 

Value Tier Core Plays

Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz

Sexton is arguably playing better than any other Jazz player as of late. He is getting the run, seeing 30+ minutes on most nights, and has recorded 35+ fantasy points in seven-straight games. Half of those games saw 40+ to boot. This is a great match up here against the Wizards as we know.

Tyus Jones, Washington Wizards

I think you can stack this game up a bit and I think Tyus will easily be a low-owned pivot here as he is fresh off one of his worst games of the year with just 16 fantasy points against the Timberwolves, who have arguably the best defense in the league. The Jazz are not that great on defense and this game is too good to not have multiple pieces in. Tyus is still seeing 30+ minutes a night, and has put up some good games lately, including 35+ fantasy points in three of his last five.

Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings

Monk has seen his minutes bump quite significantly as of late, seeing at least 25 or more minutes in his last seven consecutive games. This is a bit more than his 22.2 mpg game average that he has seen vs the Warriors in three meets so far this season, in which he is averaging a shade over 26 fantasy points in. Monk has eclipsed 27 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games played. 

Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors

It seems that Draymond should continue to come off the bench and is still somewhat being held at a 22-23 minutes limit as he ramps back up into game shape. That is great for Kuminga, as he has played excellently in the extended run as a result. Kuminga has played at least 25 or more minutes in his last eight games, while putting up 47, 34, 40, and 36 fantasy points in his last four-straight contests. Fully expect him to continue to be a vital part of this Warrior's rotation moving forward.

T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers

McConnell loves to play against his former squad in the Sixers, and the Pacers are still without Tyrese Haliburton here tonight. Nembhard continues to get the starting nod as the direct back-up, but McConnell is the more impactful PG when he hits the floor. In two games, averaging just 16.5 minutes per game, McConnell has averaged almost 20 fantasy points vs the Sixers this year. Haliburton played in both of those games.

Marvin Bagley, Washington Wizards

Since the Wizards traded for Bagley, he has come on very strong for this frontcourt. Bagley has played 39, 36, 18, and 26 minutes in his first four games while putting up 47, 42, 24, and 39 fantasy points. This is an excellent game environment and Bagley is out to prove he should be getting more run.

Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls

We all love the good ole revenge narrative! We get that here with Caruso heading back to LA to take on his old team in the Lakers. In the last meet between these two, Caruso recorded 28 fantasy points in 28 minutes of action. Caruso is getting extended run with and behind White with LaVine out, and that should continue here tonight against the Lakers. Caruso has touched at least 26+ fantasy points in four of his last five games played.

Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz

This Wizards have absolutely bled fantasy points to opposing centers so far this season, and Walker has been getting a bit more run as of late. Over his last four contests, Kessler has played 24, 25, 32, and 25 minutes and as a result recorded 22, 30, 33, and 22 fantasy points. He is likely one of the lower-owned players out of this game, so could a nice snag in tournaments.

Simone Fontecchio, Utah Jazz

Price really just hasn't caught up with Fonte here lately. He has played 24 or more minutes in his last six-straight while putting up 24, 24, and 32 fantasy points over his last three games. As long as he stays in the starting unit for the Jazz, he is in play. Especially at his price point.

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