Wednesday wraps up the 2024 NBA Cup quarterfinals round, with the action getting underway at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. The player pool is packed full of exciting options, making this the ideal slate to spotlight the top NBA DFS building blocks and today’s must-have NBA DFS picks. Let’s dive into the day’s core plays, including discount dandies like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Fred VanVleet and others on this important slate.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Wednesday, Dec. 11
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Karl-Anthony Towns: Knicks vs. Hawks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 54.12 | FanDuel: 51.68
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 47.1% | FanDuel: 44.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,700 | FanDuel: $9,500
The second batch of four teams are up as the NBA In Season Tournament quarterfinals wrap up. Tuesday brought a spirited pair of games, with hopefully more of the same tonight.
We know that there is no love lost between the Knicks and Hawks, plus both squads are on the upswing.
There was a bit of an adjustment period, but Karl-Anthony Towns has really picked things up with his new squad. On the season, the 29-year-old is averaging a personal-best 13.3 rebounds per game, accompanied by 25.1 points, which is the second most of his career. Last month Towns had 34 points, 16 rebounds, one assist, one steal and four blocks in Atlanta, showing out against both Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu.
Jalen Brunson of course is the engine of the Knicks, but it is great to see him alongside a more versatile frontcourt player than Julius Randle. KAT has more than filled the rebounding void left by Isaiah Hartenstein and his outside shooting has opened up new angles for Brunson to attack the rim. It will be interesting to see how this duo manages to cover up some defensive shortcomings in the postseason, but for now it is full-steam ahead.
Trae Young enjoys his outings in Madison Square Garden and it is interesting to see him projected to appear on only one-quarter of all tournament lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Now to be fair, the scoring has been down this year for Young, however, he is leading the league with 12.2 assists per game. In a fun note, the last time an assist leader topped 12 per game was in 1995, by John Stockton.
Young is down to 20.9 points per game, though his rebounds are up by one and his steals are holding steady at 1.3 per game. Some of the scoring is down, since he is taking two fewer field goal attempts per game, though his 8.5 3-point attempts are the same. It is a 38.5% field goal rate, 31.0 3-point rate and a 46.2 eFG% all being a career-lows. The ceiling is still there.
Josh Hart (ankle) is questionable and if he is out, the Miles McBride and OG Anunoby would see an uptick in fantasy opportunities. Mikal Bridges is always a wild card, with Precious Achiuwa a lottery ticket.
Jalen Johnson (shoulder) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (quad) are questionable. De’Andre Hunter is good to go, but value could materialize, depending on the availability of Johnson an Bogdanovic.
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Fred VanVleet: Rockets vs. Warriors
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 37.81 | FanDuel: 37.48
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 37.5% | FanDuel: 47.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $7,300 | FanDuel: $7,200
Fred VanVleet is my favorite player in the league, though since he moved on from Toronto, he has not graced this article series with much frequency. The 30-year-old is at a six-year-low 16.0 points and 5.9 assists per game, for his years as a full-time starter. However, this is a short slate and VanVleet still has slate-wrecking upside, even though his younger and improving teammates get most of the opportunities.
Alperen Sengun (knee) is questionable, but he was at shoot-around, so that is a positive sign. If he is out, then that opens up 31 frontcourt minutes, plus nearly 20 points of offense. Steven Adams (knee) is also questionable, so if both pivotmen are out, venerable veteran Jeff Green could be pressed into duty for 10-to-12 minutes or Houston could roll five-out, since Kevon Looney and Draymond Green are not exactly offensive threats.
If Sengun starts, he is a fun tournament option, though the ‘Dubs held him to 16 points and eight rebounds last Thursday and 14 points, with 10 rebounds in early November. Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. are all neutral options, who are perfectly fine to sprinkle across tournament lineups.
Jonathan Kuminga is popping in the models for both DraftKings ($5,400) and FanDuel ($6,000) as the most popular Golden State option. Draymond Green and Stephen Curry are always in play, though it looks like only Moses Moody is missing this game. Andrew Wiggins, Buddy Hield, Brandon Podziemski, Kyle Anderson and Gary Payton II all crowd each other out, limiting their tournament appeal.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Jalen Johnson is a fun DFS option, but with the Atlanta frontcourt healthy and Johnson dealing with his own shoulder issue, the under on his 9.5 rebounds prop is in play tonight.
Looking at the screen shot of Portfolio EV, we can see this wager is likely to come to fruition 53% of the time, and with the -105 odds, this works out to a solid 3.6% expected ROI when factoring in the -113 “True Odds” assessment.
DraftKings is offering the -105 line, which, which far exceeds the True Odds of -113 and the -125 or worse of most other books.
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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Johnson projected for 36.1 minutes and 8.51 rebounds. The 23-year-old is averaging 36.3 minutes per game and at career-high 9.9 rebounds. This of course was compiled while Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu and De’Andre Hunter in various stages of availability and health.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Stay ahead of the game with tonight’s NBA action! Tune in to the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 5:30 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert breakdowns, sharp insights, and everything you need to dominate tonight’s NBA DFS slate!
