It’s Tuesday, April 8th. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has 10 total games on the schedule. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks play at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/Max in the front end of a doubleheader, while the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns meet in the nightcap at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Here are our top NBA DFS lineup picks and advice for tonight’s slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC)
- DraftKings: $11,400
- FanDuel: $11,400
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not only averages 53.6 fantasy points per game, but he is facing a Los Angeles Lakers defense with an opponent rank of 22, making him worth the exorbitant DFS salary.
Gilgeous-Alexander is consistent, going for 27 points, 6.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, while also adding 1.7 three-pointers and one blocked shot per outing. In the front end of the back-to-back with the Lakers on Sunday, he went for 26 points, nine assists, three boards and a pair of triples, while hitting 12-of-23 from the field.
Paolo Banchero (PF – ORL)
- DraftKings: $9,800
- FanDuel: $9,800
Paolo Banchero heads into this one averaging 45.2 fantasy points per game. He faces an Atlanta Hawks defense with an opponent rank of 29. You’re going to want to populate your DFS lineup with a couple of Magic players, because this should be a wild, high-scoring affair.
Banchero has appeared in this column frequently, mostly when the matchup is favorable. It is extremely so on Tuesday. He went for 33 points with 18 rebounds and eight assists last time out in Washington, and that would be the high end of what to expect. However, a double-double is likely, with at least a couple of triples and perhaps a blocked shot and a steal or two.
Tyrese Haliburton (PG – IND)
- DraftKings: $9,100
- FanDuel: $9,400
If you want another strong point guard option, or you simply can’t bring yourself to risk that kind of salary on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton is a fantastic option against the defensively-challenged Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are dead last with an opponent rank of 30, and he is coming off a stinker. Haliburton had just nine points last time out, although he salvaged the line with 14 assists. He should bounce back against Washington. He had 29 points with six assists and seven three-pointers in Washington on March 27th in a game the Pacers dropped a ridiculous 162 points.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Ivica Zubac (C – LAC)
- DraftKings: $8,000
- FanDuel: $8,100
Ivica Zubac continues to put up healthy numbers, and he has become a favorite in this space. He is working on 11 consecutive double-doubles since March 16th, including 25 points with 10 rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot while shooting a perfect 11-for-11 against Dallas last time out on Saturday.
Zubac is in line to do big things against the San Antonio Spurs, a team that lost Victor Wembanyama for the season a while ago due to deep-vein thrombosis in his shoulder. Zubac went for 21 points, 22 rebounds and three assists in the most recent meeting in San Antonio on January 29th.
Darius Garland (PG – CLE)
- DraftKings: $7,800
- FanDuel: $7,500
Darius Garland is likely to be tasked with shouldering more of the offensive load with Donovan Mitchell on the shelf due to a calf ailment suffered last time out against the Kings.
Garland was disappointing against the Kings, hitting just 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from downtown, ending up with nine points and seven assists. The thinking here is that he’ll have a chip on his shoulder and more opportunity to shine.
Jarrett Allen (C – CLE)
- DraftKings: $6,700
- FanDuel: $7,300
We’ll go with the Cleveland two-fer here, as Jarrett Allen should also see an uptick in production. He was a very efficient 7-of-9 from the field last time out, going for 17 points against Sacramento, while posting five boards and four dimes.
He is averaging 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Allen should see a bump in these numbers with more offensive responsibilities due to Donovan Mitchell’s absence.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
Nic Claxton (C – BKN)
- DraftKings: $6,100
- FanDuel: $6,000
Nic Claxton exploded for 18 points, six rebounds and five assists with two steals while hitting 9-of-10 from the field against Minnesota in 24 minutes on Thursday. If he can replicate that kind of production, he is a steal at this price. The New Orleans Pelicans have an opponent rank of 29th, so he should have a ton of production again.
Matas Buzelis (PF – CHI)
- DraftKings: $5,800
- FanDuel: $5,900
The 20-year-old rookie has hit double digits in points in two straight games, averaging 11 PPG with eight rebounds and two blocks per game, while totaling four three-pointers. He has connected on at least two threes in seven of the past eight games.
Jonathan Kuminga (PF – GSW)
- DraftKings: $5,200
- FanDuel: $5,200
Jonathan Kuminga faces a Phoenix Suns defense with an opponent rank of 28, so this is a juicy matchup for the Warriors, and Kuminga, in particular. He is good for 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in April. But, more importantly, he dropped 34 points with nine boards and two triples last time these teams faced each other on December 28th in San Francisco.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Ty Jerome (PG – CLE)
- DraftKings: $4,500
- FanDuel: $5,600
Ty Jerome is more of a value at DraftKings, but worth using on both sites with Donovan Mitchell sidelined by a calf injury suffered last time out. Jerome went for 20 points on Sunday against Sacramento in just 23 minutes off the bench, hitting an efficient 9-of-13 from the field with four boards and two assists.
Jerome also added a steal and a three-pointer. If his minutes bump up to the 30-minute range, he’ll be a steal at this price.
Kris Dunn (PG, SG – LAC)
- DraftKings: $3,900
- FanDuel: $4,500
Kris Dunn disappointed last time out with just three points in 20 minutes against Dallas, but he is still good for 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game with a field-goal percentage of 60% in three games in April. He is a low-cost option who could get into double digits with a handful of boards and a three-pointer or two, making him a good salary saver.
Royce O’Neale (SF, PF – PHX)
- DraftKings: $4,500
- FanDuel: $4,700
Royce O’Neale is likely to remain in the starting five, although that doesn’t automatically mean success. Kevin Durant (ankle) will miss another game, so whether he starts again or not, O’Neale should see at least 20-25 minutes. He is averaging 11 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.25 assists per game in his past four outings, while knocking down a total of 14 three-pointers in the past four games.
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