Sunday has differing lock times for the main DFS operators, as FanDuel is tipping off at 6 p.m. ET for an eight-game featured slate and DraftKings going one hour later with a five-game set, albeit including ample sub-slates. 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 LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, James Harden and plenty of others.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Sunday, Dec. 1
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
LeBron James: Lakers at Jazz
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 51.86 | FanDuel: 49.53
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 32.3% | FanDuel: 41.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $9,400
LeBron James will be celebrating his 40th birthday at the end of this month, which makes his continued high level of play even more remarkable. The Lakers are embarking on a four-game road trip, with the next stop tomorrow in Minnesota.
Tonight Los Angeles is a 3.5-point favorite in Salt Lake City against the Jazz, who lost 106-94 last night to the vising Dallas Mavericks.
D’Angelo Russell is doubtful with an illness and Austin Reaves is questionable with a pelvis injury, which occurred in the Lakers’ last game on Friday. Tonight is the winnable game, as compared to being underdogs to the Timberwolves on Monday, so aside from any shenanigans, we should see James and Anthony Davis getting their usual complement of minutes.
James has seen his field goal rate slip below 50% for only the second time in the last 10 seasons, but most players would be thrilled to have a 49.8% success rate. He is still averaging 22.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists, and a solid 1.1 combined blocks and steals. Even with Walker Kessler back, Utah has been a bottom-5 defense on the season and over the last five games.
Davis has missed only one game this season while putting up some of the best numbers of his career, including a personal-high 28.4 points per game, ranking seventh with 11.6 rebounds and fourth with 2.1 blocks per game. He also has a dozen double-doubles, which are the ninth most in the league.
If Reaves starts, he should be considered a full-go, and he projects to be one of the seven most popular plays across the main DFS sites. He gets a slight benefit of not having to share offensive opportunities with Russell, which leaves one less competitor for the closing unit. In the event Reaves misses, then Dalton Knecht will be a prominent option, with some field goal attempts shifting to Rui Hachimura as well. If Reaves plays, this duo is only worth our consideration on DraftKings, where the featured-slate player pool is smaller by six teams.
It would appear that John Collins has figured out how to coexist with Lauri Markkanen and Kessler, as the former Atlanta Hawk has found his footing as a secondary frontcourt scorer and also is working hard to clean the glass. The ceiling is not particularly high, but he is a steady contributor that does provide some in-game synergy with his Los Angeles counterparts.
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James Harden: Clippers vs. Nuggets
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 47.29 | FanDuel: 45.17
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 21.7% | FanDuel: 16.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,200 | FanDuel: $9,600
It is a hilarious twist that James Harden forced his way out of Philadelphia to the Clippers last year, only to see Paul George head to the City of Brotherly Love in the offseason to join up with the chronically injured Joel Embiid.
Kawhi Leonard may not end up playing this season, yet The Beard just keeps chugging along and kept L.A.’s second franchise in the mix with a 12-9 record, despite being in the loaded Western Conference.
Kevin Porter Jr. is out, and while he didn’t threaten Harden’s playing time or production, he was a key contributor with the second unit. Norman Powell has missed the last six games with a hamstring issue, but if the Clippers leading scorer — yes, he actually is with a career-high 23.3 points per game — returns to action, he should be considered a viable tournament option.
Kris Dunn and Terance Mann should absorb the minutes vacated by Porter, keeping them in the mix on DraftKings as discount dandies. In his last two meetings with Nikola Jokic, Ivica Zubac has held his own to the tune of 19 points and 15 rebounds, averaging nearly 37 minutes. He is another tournament option, though there are better plays tonight.
Jokic, of course, is always a priority, as the reigning NBA MVP is once again churning out stellar statistical production. Aaron Gordon has missed the last 10 games with a calf issue, and if he remains out tonight, then Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray will retain their appeal for the large-field tournaments.
Luka Doncic was projected to miss a week with his wrist issue, so the savvy gamer will have a lineup plan if he plays since that will likely be late-breaking news, and against the backdrop of NFL Sunday and scattered NBA slates, it could be relatively unnoticed. Jokic’s game tips off later, so he would be the backup plan for those who put a 2v2 swap in place to gain that ever-elusive edge.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Tonight Alperen Sengun has a tough matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who now have Isaiah Hartenstein patrolling the paint. When Chet Holmgren is healthy, this is going to be one of the best defenses in the league.
Sengun has a -108 on the under for his 19.5 points prop, which is an interesting target. Looking at the screen shot of Portfolio EV, we can see this wager is likely to come to fruition 56% of the time, which brings a strong 7.6% expected ROI.
BetRivers, SugarHouse and Unibet each have posted the -108 line, with Hard Rock and BetMGM still favorable at -120, when considering the true odds of -127. The lesson today is that by simply choosing one of the three most favorable books, we can gain nearly a 5% expected ROI. Considering how slim the margins are, that is tremendous.
Leveraging Portfolio EV to run the numbers makes identifying favorable bets effortless. This tool quickly highlights inefficient odds, allowing you to spot opportunities with ease. By maintaining accounts across multiple sportsbooks, you can act swiftly to lock in the best available odds.
Odds are constantly shifting, so when you spot a favorable line, speed is key. That’s where Portfolio EV excels — it continuously tracks the best odds, ensuring you never miss a valuable opportunity.
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Sengun projected for 31.9 minutes and 19.96. Though that is just above the 19.5 threshold, the range of outcomes still have this as a favorable wager.
Sengun is averaging 18.7 points per game, which are below his 21.1 from last season, albeit in two fewer minutes. He has tallied 20-plus points in five of his last nine games, but one of those was exactly 20 and three more were only 22 points. This wager is likely to go down to the wire, but the math is still in our favor.
