Sunday wraps up the weekend with early NBA action, locking at 3:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Given the variables in play as the NBA season progresses, we are looking into the best NBA DFS building blocks and picks for today. Let’s break down Sunday’s options like James Harden and Cade Cunningham, with plenty of pending news likely to spawn discount dandies prior to tip off.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Sunday, Feb. 2
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
James Harden: Clippers at Raptors
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 44.85 | FanDuel: 42.43
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 11.5% | FanDuel: 24.8%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,100 | FanDuel: $9,200
In a shocking trade, Los Angeles has traded PJ Tucker, Mo Bamba and a second-round selection to Utah for Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills. OK, that was a shocking trade since it didn’t make a lot of sense — at least until the other Los Angeles team made a deal that put a new meaning on the word shocking.
Norman Powell (hip) and Kris Dunn (knee) are both out, which has the Clippers running short on guards as they head north of the border.
Fun fact: The Clippers had the best defensive efficiency rating in the league over the last 10 games, allowing 103.4 points per 100 possessions, with Toronto (106.8) the next best team. James Harden has a lofty salary, particularly when considering these variables, which is why he is not particularly popular at the moment. We have seen that the present-day NBA has become chaos when it comes to player availability. Just last night, both Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards were late additions to the injury report, with both players ultimately sitting out.
Looking at the landscape today, we should anticipate someone potentially getting a rest day for the Celtics given Boston is a double-digit road favorite against Philadelphia. Dallas has Daniel Gafford (ankle), PJ Washington (knee) and Kyrie Irving (shoulder) all listed as questionable on the road in Cleveland after receiving news of a franchise altering trade in the middle of the night. Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell are already out and Maximilian Kleber and Markieff Morris were traded to LA, so if one or more of the remaining regulars are out, that means opportunities for the understudies. The ripple effect continues to the host team, with the Cavaliers already favored by 13.5 points. The quicker the Cleveland starters take care of business, the faster the reserves can take over, again creating more secondary plays that are waiting to be revealed.
Harden and the Clippers are 5.5-point road favorites in what is a winnable game. Regardless of how it plays out, The Beard and Ivica Zubac are going to be doing the heavy lifting on offense. Kawhi Leonard should be in the mix for around 28-ish minutes, providing scoring, though his fantasy upside will be hard to attain without efficiency and secondary stats, which are hard to trust at this time. Harden and Zubac each have a median fantasy point projection that has them in the top 10 this afternoon and their motivations are clear, making them core building blocks.
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Cade Cunningham: Pistons vs. Bulls
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 53.1 | FanDuel: 49.97
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 26.5% | FanDuel: 52.2%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $10,200
Giannis Antetokounmpo is not available on FanDuel, with the blue site electing to skip the final game on the docket. This is manifesting with Cade Cunningham projecting to be on at least half of all tournament rosters.
The fourth-year guard is putting up personal bests across the board with 35.6 minutes, 20.9 field goal attempts, 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 9.2 assists, accompanied by a solid 1.7 combined blocks and steals per game.
Detroit finally got a win, ending a three-game slide. That has the Pistons with a 24-24 record and half a game behind the Miami Heat, who are just above the Play-In Tournament cutoff line. Chicago has been average on defense, but this is a franchise caught in the middle of having a ceiling no higher than a first-round playoff exit yet too many capable veterans to tank. The team is looking for trade partners for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, though the market has not been particularly interested in these aging stars.
LaVine has been away from the team tending to a personal matter, but if he returns tonight, he is a strong DFS option. Vucevic is one of many center plays, so it is harder to be excited for him, other than his viability as a tournament differentiation piece. If LaVine remains unavailable, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Josh Giddey and Lonzo Ball are viable options to sprinkle across tournament portfolios.
Everyone is healthy for the Pistons, which makes things crowded, aside from Cunningham. This rotation is running nine or 10 deep, even with Jaden Ivey out for the season. Coach JB Bickerstaff has been leaning on veterans Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. to steady the rotation while working in a host over younger players. That makes it tricky to pinpoint a specific Piston to target, though Malik Beasley can get there with an efficient scoring night and Ausar Thompson is a tournament wild card on FanDuel, where blocks and steals are worth 3 fantasy points and there are two fewer teams in the player pool.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
RJ Barrett is bubbling up in the model with a rare over, so for those needing to root for positive outcomes — other than winning money, of course — the over on his 5.5 rebounds prop tonight against the Clippers is worthy of our consideration.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager projects to win 56% of the time. That combined with the -115 odds on DraftKings leads to a strong 5.0% expected value when accounting for the -128 “True Odds.”
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Barrett projected for 33.8 minutes and 6.57 rebounds. Barrett finally is thriving, having put forth solid statistical production since being traded to Toronto.
This season, the six-year veteran is averaging a career-high 6.7 rebounds and 7.2 per 36 minutes. Across his last eight games, he corralled six or more caroms on six occasions (75%), averaging 6.8 per game in this stretch, which is right in line with his season rate. Act fast as this wager is not likely to be available for long on DraftKings at this favorable figure.
