It’s Tuesday, November 18th. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of six games on the slate. At 8:00 p.m., the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers meet on NBC/Peacock, while in the second end of the doubleheader, the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings tangle at 11:00 p.m. ET. However, we won’t be covering the late game. Here are our top NBA DFS 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
- DraftKings: $12,100
- FanDuel: $12,500
If you find yourself with a little extra salary, Luka Doncic is always a worthwhile play, albeit an expensive one. He has rolled up 64.8 fantasy points per game, and he is facing a Utah Jazz team with an opponent rank of 23rd.
Those fantasy points per game for Doncic are 17 points higher than anybody else on the board. If you have the salary flexibility, taking Doncic is like buying insurance, except you actually use it, and you get your money’s worth.
- DraftKings: $9,300
- FanDuel: $8,700
Stephen Curry is always a solid play, and not a bad alternative at the top of your lineup if you don’t want to be too top-heavy with Luka Doncic and a bunch of other cheap options. He is facing an Orlando team with an opponent rank of 24th, and he puts up 42 fantasy points per game.
Curry had a rare poor outing last time out, hitting just 2-of-11 (18.2%) from the field, and an un-Steph-like 1-of-6 night from downtown, ending up with nine points in 28 minutes. That’s a 40-point drop-off from his previous outing. He averaged 47.5 points per game in the two previous games, and he is still averaging 27.8 points and 4.2 three-pointers per game in six November outings despite that egg laying.
- DraftKings: $8,800
- FanDuel: $8,600
If you’re considering a stack, look no further than the Celtics against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are winless at home, and they’ve allowed 121.9 points per game on the season, while teams are hitting 50.9% from the field against them, which ranks 29th. Brooklyn allows teams to hit 39.2% from behind the three-point line, ranking 28th.
Jaylen Brown had a solid 33 points with 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block with a three-pointer across 39 minutes against the Clippers on Sunday. He is working on a six-game streak with at least one three-pointer, too.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
- DraftKings: $8,300
- FanDuel: $8,300
De’Aaron Fox heads into this one averaging 38.9 fantasy points per game. He is facing a Memphis Grizzlies defense with an opponent rank of 27th. With Victor Wembanyama sidelined for multiple weeks, somebody has to pick up the pace and the No. 1 scoring option. It’s likely to be Fox carrying a huge load.
Fox is working on back-to-back double-doubles, averaging 26 points, 10.5 assists, two steals per game and four three-pointers per game. He has shot 21-of-42 (50% field goal rate) from the field in the past two outings. Fox should roll against Memphis, especially with Ja Morant (calf) out and not pestering him.
- DraftKings: $6,500
- FanDuel: $5,400
Devin Vassell is working on a streak of three straight games with double-digit point totals. Against a giving Memphis team, we should see him go for at least 10 points for the fourth consecutive game.
The Grizzlies have allowed 119.9 points per game, while teams are hitting 48.3% from the field and 36.3% from behind the three-point line. It’s a strong matchup for Vassell and the Spurs, even without Victor Wembanyama in the middle.
- DraftKings: $6,500
- FanDuel: $5,800
Dillon Brooks has racked up 33.7 fantasy points per game and faces a Trail Blazers defense with an opponent rank of 23rd. Brooks is coming off a 34-point effort on Sunday, as he finished with six boards, three three-pointers and three steals on 14-of-25 shooting from the field.
In the past two games, he has averaged 33 points per game, and he has hit at least one three-pointer in all eight of his games, including a three-game streak with three triples. Brooks also has at least one steal in every game, and two or more steals in five of his eight outings.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
- DraftKings: $5,200
- FanDuel: $4,700
Keldon Johnson is part of the Spurs stack against the Grizzlies. He is coming off his first double-double of the season, going for 14 points with 12 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes against the Sacramento Kings.
Johnson is a little better on the road, averaging 12 points per game on the road compared to 10.5 at home. However, he is averaging 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists at Frost Bank Center as opposed to just 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on the road.
- DraftKings: $6,100
- FanDuel: $5,700
If you have a little roster flexibility, Mark Williams is a decent pivot. He has tailed off in recent games, averaging just 6.7 points and five rebounds in the past three games.
However, while those numbers are definitely not very impressive, he is facing an extremely giving Portland defense. The Blazers have an opponent rank of 25th, and Williams should be able to get back to double digits in points.
- DraftKings: $5,400
- FanDuel: $5,100
With Victor Wembanyama (calf) expected to miss several weeks due to a strained calf, it appears Luke Kornet will get first crack at a job in the starting center spot for the Spurs.
The 30-year-old veteran from Vanderbilt did a great job last time out against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, hitting 5-of-5 from the field, going for 13 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and an assist across 28 minutes. He has hit 94.7% (18-of-19) from the field in four November outings.
NBA DFS Value Plays
- DraftKings: $4,200
- FanDuel: $3,800
Jaylen Wells is an option to pick up the scoring slack with Ja Morant sidelined. At his low cost, Wells is worth a roll of the dice. He, Cam Spencer and Vince Williams could all be low-cost options who could easily exceed DFS expectations.
- DraftKings: $4,700
- FanDuel: $4,000
Julian Champagnie has netted back-to-back double-digit point totals, averaging 13 points in the past two games, with 3.5 three-pointers per game in the span.
Champagnie has 12+ points in five of the past seven games. At this price, he is worth a roll of the dice for his scoring alone. Everything else is a bonus.
- DraftKings: $4,500
- FanDuel: $4,300
Anfernee Simons is worth kicking the tires on, as the Celtics are another good team to build a stack around. Simons is also versatile, available at either of the guard spots. He was blanked last time out and is 2-for-13 across his past two games, so it’s a bit of a leap of faith.
Simons is just a couple of games removed from a five-game run where he averaged 17.2 points. His six-game streak of two or more three-pointers was snapped on Sunday with his scoreless outing.
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