Tuesday provides an enticing eight-game featured slate, locking at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Scotty Pippen Jr., Luke Kennard, Desmond Bane, Cameron Payne, Karl-Anthony Towns and more!
These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page!
For TODAY ONLY, we have a special offer: Receive 14 days of Portfolio EV for FREE when you use promo code TRAE, in honor of the coolest cat in Atlanta, “Ice” Trae Young!
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Tuesday, March 25
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Scotty Pippen Jr.: Grizzlies at Jazz
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 31.46 | FanDuel: 31.63
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 65.7% | FanDuel: 49.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $5,000 | FanDuel: $5,900
Yes, we have been disappointed by Scotty Pippen Jr. on several occasions this season, but forgiveness is in the air tonight. Ja Morant (hamstring) is out for a fifth consecutive game, and Memphis has a delightful matchup against the tanking Utah Jazz.
Pippen moved into the starting lineup on Friday, though even if he does not reprise that role, he averaged 29 minutes in his last three outings without Morant.
In this trio of tilts, Pippen posted 14.7 points, five rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.4 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals). Expect something approaching 30 minutes again tonight as Luke Kennard and Desmond Bane help to facilitate the offense, both with and without Pippen on the floor. Kennard is a reasonable option on both DraftKings ($4,800, 5.8%) and FanDuel ($4,800, 13.3%), though he would be better served as an option on a sub-slate. In a matchup like this, he should push for something close to a fantasy point per minute, and depending on how the matchup goes, he could help maintain a lead in the final frame, along with Pippen, giving Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. some in-game rest.
Bane struggled in the last game against the Los Angeles Clippers, who have a far better team and individual defense than what he will see tonight. He tallied a 44-point game, as well as a near triple-double, in the last four games, showing his versatile skillset.
Jackson stepped into the offensive void the injury to Morant created, averaging 17.8 field goal attempts over the last four games. This resulted in 20 points, four rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.1 stocks for the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Though he made only one foray to the 40-fantasy point plateau in these games, he has the upside to reach 50 fantasy points on any given night, particularly with the increased offensive responsibilities.
Per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page, the expectation is that rookie Jaylen Wells and most likely Santi Aldama will round out the first five. There is a chance that Pippen and Kennard will reverse roles, though both will remain in play regardless. Aldama is a far better option on FanDuel ($5,800, 38.2%) than DraftKings ($6,400, 8.1%), which is demonstrative of the difference in salary caps between the two sites.
Vince Williams Jr. is a wild card who is enticing on DraftKings ($3,500, 27.7%) while being a tertiary target on FanDuel ($4,100, 17.2%). The oft-injured 24-year-old did see 22:39 minutes of run in the last game, though he did not get to 18 in the preceding four. Stokastic has him for a tick over 20 minutes tonight, which is an acknowledgement of the inferior opponent.
Lauri Markkanen is out due to an “illness” with the main symptoms being the Utah front office worried about an injury to their key player. Depending on the availability of other players for this tanking team, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier can be sprinkled across lineups, assuming Jordan Clarkson is out and with the understanding that it would be a major bonus to see any of these players top 28 minutes.
From now through only Tuesday, March 25, you can grab any NBA DFS package at 50% off using promo code BUZZER! Click any of these links to sign up with the promo code automatically applied:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Cameron Payne: Knicks vs. Mavericks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 31.43 | FanDuel: 30.45
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 73.1% | FanDuel: 84.9%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $4,600 | FanDuel: $4,100
Cameron Payne will forever be known as the “Tank Commander.” However, he has been demoted from that position now that he is on a team with lofty postseason aspirations.
Tonight he is expected to play a prominent role both for New York and in the DFS world, with Jalen Brunson (ankle) missing a ninth straight game and Miles McBride (groin/quad) sitting for a second. The FanDuel salary algorithm must not have been paying attention on Sunday, when Payne saw 29.6 minutes in a spot start where the Knickerbockers dismantled the Washington Wizards 122-105 in the Big Apple.
Tonight the Knicks are facing a decimated Dallas roster that ceded 123.0 points per 100 possessions over the last 10 games while playing at an elevated pace of 101.9 possessions per 48 minutes. Payne could push above a 90% representation for FanDuel tournaments, especially with his dual-guard eligibility.
Rookie Tyler Kolek saw 18:24 minutes, playing the entire second quarter over Payne on Saturday. Those 12 minutes and his 2:37 in mop-up duty do not constitute a strong push for similar run tonight. In the eight games without Brunson, skipping the last appearance, Kolek set foot on the court in four games for a grand total of 12 minutes. He collected eight rebounds and three steals, which represents nearly 20% of his entire fantasy production for the season. Caveat Emptor.
There is some risk with Karl-Anthony Towns not being needed much in the latter stages of this matchup, though he does lead Tuesday’s player pool with a low-50s median fantasy point projection in a reasonable 34.6 minutes of run. That is a tick below his 35-minute average this season, with, of course, coach Tom Thibodeau seemingly not thinking towards the postseason, running his starters into the ground yet again.
Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges are pushing to crest into double-digit popularity on DraftKings, and O.G. Anunoby joins them on FanDuel. Any of this trio are live for 40 fantasy points in this matchup, but their salaries have all pushed upwards due to the extended absence of Brunson.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
What’s cooler than cool? Why that would be “Ice” Trae Young, especially when using PROMO CODE TRAE will get you 14 days of Portfolio EV for F-R-E-E!
Tonight we can consider Young’s teammate Dyson Daniels as an option in the sports wagering world for the under on his 9.5 rebounds + assists prop at Hard Rock.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that with the combination of today’s matchup variables and the +105 odds, there is a stellar 7.3% expected value when factoring in the -110 “True Odds,” and we can see that FanDuel has listed this wager at -122, which is a NEGATIVE 5% expected ROI.
Portfolio EV does all the heavy lifting, including determining that the under on 10.5 rebounds + assists at -135 on ESPN BET and -140 on DraftKings is actually a worse wager, even with the higher 10.5 threshold.
Wondering what is Portfolio EV? Well, it’s the best sports betting tool on the market! Check it out now and start building your bankroll.
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Daniels projected for 33.1 minutes, 5.65 rebounds and 4.53 assists, which at 9.88 is right around the target but below the 10 needed for this wager to lose. The “Great Barrier Thief” leads the league with 3.1 steals per game, though in this tricky road matchup against Houston, it may be tough for Daniels to get to double digits with his combined rebounds and assists.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate tonight’s NBA DFS slate!
