Saturday sees the NBA fun starting a little later than normal, with a 7:30 p.m. ET first tip on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays like RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Darius Garland and potential discount dandy Davion Mitchell, among others.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Saturday, Nov. 2
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks
RJ Barrett: Raptors vs. Kings
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 55.25 | FanDuel: 52.15
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 10.9% | FanDuel: 8.9%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $10,000
Tonight is the second game of a back-to-back, the third game in four days and the fifth game since last Saturday for Toronto, while Sacramento is on a back-to-back as well, playing the fifth game since Saturday. The biggest difference is that the Raptors have been at home for all but one tilt, while the Kings have been home for only one of their matchups in this stretch.
There should be ample fantasy goodness in this matchup, even if the participants are a little lead-legged. Each team is in the top 10 for pace, and Toronto has the worst defensive efficiency rating in the league, allowing 120.5 points per 100 possessions. RJ Barrett missed the first three games of the season with a shoulder issue, but that has not been an impediment in his three active games. Prior to joining Toronto, the former Duke Blue Devil had a 42.3% field goal conversion rate. That jumped to 55.3% in 32 games last year with the Raptors, and through three games this season, he is at 54.1%. This is a wild dichotomy, so it will be interesting how long he can keep his .615 effective field goal percentage.
Immanuel Quickley (right pelvic contusion) is likely to miss his sixth consecutive game, and budding superstar Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) is out for the next three weeks. Bruce Brown Jr. and Kelly Olynyk are convalescing from their respective injury woes and have yet to set foot on the floor.
This has opened things up for Jakob Poeltl to get more shots, and he is averaging 13.7 over the last three tilts and a solid 18.3 points. This has been accompanied by 15.7 rebounds per game during this stretch, making the Austrian a strong foundational building block. Gradey Dick has also risen to the occasion, with 25, 15, 30 and 31 points and setting new personal highs in three of the four games. Last night he had a whopping 26 field goal attempts, including 11 from beyond the arc, and if he is still available on waivers in season long leagues, GRAB HIM NOW!
The thinned-out rotation has also given additional opportunities to Davion Mitchell, who was traded from Sacramento to Toronto just after the 2024 NBA Draft. The injury to Quickley pushed the former King into the starting lineup, and while his fantasy production has never been consistent, he does average around 0.8 fantasy points per minute, buoyed by his defensive proclivity. When Mitchell’s shot is falling, he can be a DFS difference maker. You can skip him on the blue site with the more expansive player pool, though Mitchell does have some utility as part of an in-game synergy piece on DraftKings.
DeMar DeRozan (39 minutes), Keegan Murray (39) and De’Aaron Fox (37) saw extra playing time last night with the Kings just edging out the Hawks 123-115 in Atlanta. Domantas Sabonis fouled out, otherwise he would have been closer to his compatriots rather than getting only 33 minutes. Sabonis and Murray each double-doubled, while Fox had 31 points and four steals; DeRozan weas not far behind with 27 points and a trio of takeaways. This is the core four when selecting players from Sacramento.
Kevin Huerter has been ruled out with an illness, which pushes Malik Monk into contention as the next player to join the three key Kings. Even if he comes off the bench, he should see plenty of minutes. Huerter’s absence does not really impact Murray, who is already logging heavy minutes and set in his offensive role.
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Darius Garland: Cavaliers at Bucks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 33.68 | FanDuel: 32.4
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 25.3% | FanDuel: 16.9%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $6,600 | FanDuel: $6,400
Cleveland currently leads the league with a 6-0 record, having played one more game than the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-0). The Cavaliers have not been pressured at all with an average differential of +17.0 points per game, which has led to Darius Garland playing fewer than 24 minutes in three games.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old has been getting there on efficiency, with 30-plus fantasy points in each of the last four games, including a 50 burger when he played a season-high 32.8 minutes against the Knicks in New York. In these appearances, he has averaged 15.0 field goal attempts, with a 56.7% success rate, including converting on 48.3% of his 7.3 3-pointers. This has culminated in 23.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.6 combined blocks and steals. The Bucks are 1.5-point home favorites, so expect a hard-fought battle as they search for their second win of the season in front of the Milwaukee faithful.
Donovan Mitchell also has been coasting along at 28.8 minutes per game, though he too has been efficient with 23.5 points. 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 “stocks” in just 28.8 minutes per game. This dynamic backcourt duo looks good across the DFS sites, while Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are strictly DraftKings plays.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are in the tournament mix on both DraftKings and FanDuel. They continue to carry the load with Khris Middleton still sidelined due to his lower leg issues. Antetokounmpo has been phenomenal, recording 30.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and one stock, while Lillard checks in at 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 0.8 stocks. No other player is averaging more than 12 points, which has most of the league no longer fearing the deer.
Someone is going to need to step up; with Antetokounmpo posting stats similar to his two MVP seasons, it is hard for him to do much more. Even though this is his age-34 season, Lillard is only 2 points lower than his career average, which is impressive considering he is no longer the lead option on offense.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Jordan Clarkson is out and Lauri Markkanen is doubtful, but we can still pick on Keyonte George in the sports wagering world.
Tonight the under on his 17.5 points prop is worthy of our attention. By using Portfolio EV to do the heavy lifting when researching favorable bets, we can quickly spot inefficient lines like this one, and having accounts at multiple sportsbooks allows us to pivot to the best number quickly.
This pits the books against each other, which shows that the trio of Unibet, BetRivers and SugarHouse lines have jumped way ahead of all the other major operators.
Odds are constantly shifting and moving, so when you find a good number, pounce on it. That is the beauty and power of Portfolio EV to find the best odds at any point in the day.
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have George projected for 32.8 minutes and 16.56 points. That is below the 18 points needed for this under to fail, and with George mightily struggling from the field, there are a few ways he can whiff on this wager. Volume has not been kind to the second-year guard who is averaging 15.0 field goal attempts, which is just over four more when compared to last year. However, his conversion rates have cratered from 39.1% to 28.0% overall, and he is down to 20.0% from behind the arc after at least hitting a neutral 33.4% in his rookie campaign.
Last year he had 18 or more points in 21 of 75 (28%), but he has failed to get there this year. Tonight he will be playing in the thin Denver air, which is not quite the advantage against Utah players as it is against the rest of the league, but the Mile High City is still 1,000 feet higher than Salt Lake City.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Get all the latest news and updates for NBA DFS picks today on the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 6:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, breaking down all of the key elements for today’s slate.
