Hello, Everyone! The NBA is back after a Thanksgiving Hiatus with an eight-game main slate. There are a few great matchups tonight with a ton of star power. We have Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets taking on the Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets. Then we have De'Aaron Fox, and the Sacramento Kings taking on Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Plus, we have a Pistons-Pacers matchup with a massive game total.

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!

 

Here's the NBA DFS Podcast for today's slate. Like the video and subscribe to our channel!

Notable NBA Injury Updates

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Pace Up Spots

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 Totals

Top Tier Core Plays

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

Even though this game has one of the lower game totals on the slate, Joker is still my top play of the night, The last time the Nuggets and Rockets matched up Jokic went absolutely crazy. Jokic finished with a 26-point, 21-rebounds, 11-assist, triple-double finishing with  84.75 fantasy points just breaking the slate. I'm not going to sit here and say he is going to do it again tonight, but I love his opportunity to do so, in a game that should stay close according to the -3 line.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis comes in a close second behind Jokic tonight but he as well is a great option. The tie-breaker for me was this game could end up being a blowout, which the -13 spread indicates. However, Giannis dominated the Wizards in the last matchup. He posted a 42-point 13-rebound double-double in 34 minutes just four days ago for 75.75 fantasy points. I would say he is in line for another huge night with a game total of 246.5. He is questionable with an illness heading into tonight, so that is something to monitor tonight.

Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers

Haliburton is priced the highest he has been all season and rightfully so. The matchup is a juicy one for the young point guard and has been on fire as of late. Haliburton has scored over 60 fantasy points in four of his last five games. This Pacers team is not interested in playing defense, as they just want to outscore you, and Haliburton is the main catalyst of this team. If with the price bump, Haliburton is still in play tonight in a great matchup.

Scottie Barnes, PG/SF, Toronto Raptors

Not a great game environment for Scottie Barnes in this one with both of these two teams ranking amongst the worst in the NBA in pace. However, the Bulls have struggled against Scottie Barnes, as they just don't have a great matchup to throw at him. Alex Caruso will most likely be matched up on Siakam, so that leaves either Zach LaVine or DeMar Derozan, I like attacking that, and the last time these two teams met up Barnes finished with a 22-10-10 triple-double for 55 fantasy points.

Anthony Edwards SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

I like the matchup for Anthony Edwards as he is taking on the Sacramento Kings. The Kings aren't interested in playing much defense this year as they are 18th worst in the NBA in defensive efficiency, plus they rank in the top-12 in pace meaning a solid game environment in this one. We have seen an aggressive Ant over the past three games as he has taken at least 19 shot attempts in each game. Edwards is just so active all the time giving him a high ceiling every night, making him a very solid play at his $8,700 price tonight.

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C Minnesota Timberwolves

Like his teammate above, I like the matchup for Karl-Anthony Towns in this one against the Kings. Keegan Murray is out once again tonight means Chris Duarte will most likely start for the Kings. That means the Kings will be very small. I expect KAT to use his size in this one and have a big night. He has been great over his past five games as well scoring over 40 fantasy points in four of his past five games. Plus, he has been giving you stats outside of his scoring blocking two shots in three straight games and five steals over his past two games. 

Alperen Sengun, C, Houston Rockets

Jokic is my top play tonight, and you might as well come right back around with Alperen Sengun who will be matched up with Joker. Joker one the first matchup between these two, but Sengun held his own. Sengun finished with 45 fantasy points 23-8-5 line. This offense continues to run through Sengun as he is leading this team in usage, making him a solid play tonight, even in a tough game environment.

James Harden, PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers

I like the price of James Harden tonight as he is sitting at just $8,100 tonight taking on the Pelicans. James and Jon made the point in the show earlier today that Harden will most likely see the best matchup on the floor tonight with the Pels having their hands full with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. He played 36 minutes the other night, and this game once again should stay close. He also has a solid floor each night with him dishing out at least nine assists in back-to-back games along with taking 15 free throws over that span as well. Harden is definitely worth a thought tonight.

Ausar Thompson, SF, Detroit Pistons

Ausar Thompson has disappointed over his past few games, but now it has caused a price drop. He is now priced under 7K on DraftKings which I love. This guy is just a ball of energy on the court, he just needs to stay out of foul trouble which he has struggled with. He has also struggled on the offensive end, failing to score double-digit points in four of his past five games. But the rebounding floor is there each and every night. I am going to bank on him bouncing back tonight in a game that possesses a great game environment.

Khris Middleton, SG/SF, Milwaukee Bucks

He finally saw the Bucks play Khris Middleton Middleton 30 minutes in his last game. However, I do not expect that to happen tonight against the Wizards, but we do not need him to. He played just 23 minutes the last time these two teams matched up and he finished with 34 fantasy points going over 5x value. It's not a high-ceiling play by any means but 20 fantasy points is in the realm of possibilities tonight.

Value Tier Core Plays

Buddy Hield, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers

Buddy Hield has been inserted in the starting lineup and has shot the absolute lights out. He has shot 21-28 over that two-game span including 13-18 from behind the arc. His shooting numbers won't always be this efficient, but lest keep riding the wave tonight in a great game environment. With him going for 30 and 50 fantasy points in back-to-back games makes him a no-brainer play for me tonight.

Jaime Jaquez, SF/PF, Miami Heat

This Heat-Knicks matchup has a very low game total tonight sitting at just 212 tonight. That makes me want to stay away from the star power in this one but not the role players. Jamie Jaquez has been so solid for this Heat team this year. He has scored over 34 fantasy points in back-to-back games. He is getting around 30 minutes a night and will get that tonight with Duncan Robinson once again out. 

Alex Caruso, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls

Since Alex Caruso has been moved into the starting lineup he has been fantastic. It's not just his outstanding defense and his hustle that he is known for, but he also has a ton of confidence on the offensive end. He has scored over double-digit game points in seven straight games. He is doing that on the back of a career-high 48% from behind the arc. With him still priced under 5K on DraftKings, Caruso is in play once again tonight.

Naji Marshall, PF, New Orleans Pelicans

With all the injuries to the Pelicans, Naji Marshall has been doing a solid job holding down the fort so to speak. He has scored double-digit points in four of his six games played this season, plus he has gone over 20 fantasy points in those six games as well. Marshall should once again provide you with the value you need at that $4,700 price point against the Clippers tonight.

Caleb Martin, SG/SF, Miami Heat

I mentioned above that Duncan Robinson was ruled out for tonight's game and the biggest benefactor of that is Caleb Martin. Martin has played in only five games this season as he is dealing with knee issues. However, in his last game played, he played a season-high 26 minutes with Robinson out, which was his second game in a row of over 20 minutes. He scored over 25 fantasy points in that outing. You will gladly take that again tonight at his 4K price on DraftKings against the Knicks.

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SHEET UPDATE! The grid below is listed as our PLAYER POOLS, not our core plays. We've switched the formatting and the players written up above are the players we're using as CORE options. Everyone in the grid are options we would use too.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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