Saturday keeps the NBA action rolling, with a four-game featured slate tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including James Harden and Ivica Zubac as core options, with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro providing some differentiation, albeit through the lens of a four-game slate.
These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page!
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Saturday, April 5
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
James Harden: Clippers vs. Mavericks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 46.32 | FanDuel: 43.91
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 24.5% | FanDuel: 32.8%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $9,500
It is expected that Kawhi Leonard will sit on this back-to-back, even though he played a scant 24 minutes last night in this same matchup. Los Angeles easily dispatched Dallas 114-91 and the Clippers have been installed as 8-point home favorites tonight.
In his 14 games preceding Friday’s festivities, Leonard has been averaging 36.4 minutes per appearance, with five games of 39-plus minutes. Make no mistake, the Clippers need this win tonight, since they are currently in a three-way tie with Memphis and Minnesota, with two of the three teams likely landing in the Play-In Tournament. Golden State (one game), Denver (1.5 games) and the Lakers (two games) are just ahead of this trio, with things shaping up for a chaotic finish to the final seedings on the season.
James Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac should be enough to handle the Mavericks, though it is important to note that Anthony Davis (adductor) is probable, while Daniel Gafford (knee/conditioning) and Jaden Hardy (lower leg) are doubtful, while Klay Thompson is questionable with an illness. Dereck Lively II is easing back, though it would be a surprise to see him play much more than the 16 minutes he had on Wednesday, considering he missed 36 games with his ankle injury.
Gamers may have sticker shock when looking at Harden’s salary, but the 35-year-old is in the midst of a renaissance season, having made the All-Star Game for the first time in three years, while keeping LA afloat while Leonard was out for the early part of the season.
The Clippers are 13-3 in the last 16 games, with Harden averaging 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.4 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals). Powell is averaging a career-high 22.2 points, while being a surprise with his 58.5% effective field goal rate.
Zubac is also in the midst of a career-year, with 16.4 points, 12.5 rebounds (fourth overall), 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks (18th) and 0.7 steals, missing only two games. This trio will be the most likely to pick up the scoring left behind by Leonard, with Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. the discount dandies, receiving trickledown opportunities.
Bogdan Bogdanovic should get the largest minutes increase, which has the do-everything wing surging in popularity on DraftKings ($3,700, 73.2%) and being a top-five choice on FanDuel ($4,600, 36.6%).
Wrapping up Dallas, Davis racked up 69 points in the last game, with five blocks and a steal, to go with 34 points and 15 boards. This was all accomplished in 29 minutes, so it is possible he can be a difference maker, but we should not expect him to play more than 28-to-30 minutes. The Mavericks should make the Play-In Tournament, with a 2.5-game edge over the pitiful Phoenix Suns. That is when The Brow will truly be needed, so expect subdued minutes tonight and on Wednesday in his old stomping grounds against the Lakers. Phoenix has lost five-straight and three of the Suns last five games are against playoff bound teams, with the last game of the season in Sacramento against the Kings, who are currently the 10th seed.
Depending on where the dust settles with the rest of the Mavericks, Spencer Dinwiddie, Max Christie, Naji Marshall and PJ Washington are all in play. Be sure to tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 6:00 p.m. ET to get all the latest news and DFS information.
Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for today’s slate:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Bam Adebayo: Heat vs. Bucks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 43.24 | FanDuel: 42.13
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 19.7% | FanDuel: 28.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $8,700 | FanDuel: $8,700
This is a great matchup between the Heat and Bucks, with the game basically a coinflip. Miami needs the victory, since the Heat are tied with Chicago, with the Bulls holding the tiebreaker, which will enable them to host the Play-In Tournament game if the standings remain the same. Miami is only 1.5 games behind Atlanta for the second-best Play-In Tournament record, which would give them a mulligan if they don’t win the first game.
Milwaukee could use the win as well, trailing Detroit by half a game for the five-seed. However, the Bucks have a five-game cushion from the Play-In Tournament, though one more win guarantees they can avoid that extra hurdle.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of course has the best median fantasy point projection in the eight-team player pool, but the Bucks play again tomorrow in New Orleans, so he could see some in-game rest, if things are lopsided in the final frame.
Bam Adebayo gets the slight nod over Tyler Herro, who is questionable with a bruised right thigh. Herro has really stepped up his scoring, both during the Jimmy Butler saga and with Andrew Wiggins missing the last four games with a hamstring injury. Adebayo’s popularity will increase by at least 50% if Herro is out, so keep that in mind as you map out tonight’s strategies.
Per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page, it looks like rookie Pelle Larsson will continue to start, though it is important to remember that Duncan Robinson returned after a five-game absence. He played 10.8 minutes off the bench, but he is in direct competition for minutes with the NBA newbie, along with Haywood Highsmith.
Davion Mitchell and Alec Burks would have the most to gain if Herro is out, with each moving up to tertiary targets, from their current status as afterthoughts. Rookie Kel’el Ware keeps chugging along, though with his increased salary cap hit, he is best employed on the pick’em sites for the over on 24.5 PRA (points+rebounds+assists) or his 22.5 PR (points+rebounds). On an interesting note, Ware has only two assists in his last six games (169 minutes), though the over 13.5 PA (points+assists) does project with a positive ROI on the pick’em sites.
Aside from Antetokounmpo, the rest of the Bucks have seen their salaries elevate for the absence of Damian Lillard. In this tougher road matchup, none of them are projecting to reach double-digit popularity, even with only four-games on the featured docket.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate tonight’s NBA DFS slate!
