Sunday brings a festive five-game featured slate, tipping off at 6:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. With a slate full of critical decision points, it’s the ideal opportunity to highlight the top NBA DFS building blocks and picks of the day. Let’s dive into Sunday’s standout plays, including Domantas Sabonis and discount dandy Cole Anthony.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Sunday, Jan. 5
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Cole Anthony: Magic vs. Jazz
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 37.15 | FanDuel: 35.89
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 88.1% | FanDuel: 94.2%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $5,300 | FanDuel: $5,100
Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris are joining Paulo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner on the sidelines tonight. That means massive opportunities and minutes for Cole Anthony as one of the few remaining ambulatory facilitators on the roster.
Anthony is a capable backup who can produce when called upon. He had 30 fantasy points in the last game, and just two weeks ago, he dropped 62 fantasy points on the Miami Heat. That is unlikely to occur again, though a foray over the 40-fantasy point plateau is in the cards.
This is a back-to-back for Utah after the Jazz absolutely crushed the Heat in Miami 136-100. It was such a laugher that Colin Sexton (31) was the only starter to play over 28 minutes, while second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh led the team with a career-high 34 points. Jordan Clarkson is doubtful for Utah, which has the first five looking like solid plays against the shorthanded Magic. Over his last 11 games, Sensabaugh topped 23 fantasy points twice, so do not expect a reprisal of Saturday’s fireworks.
John Collins was back after a five-game absence, logging 28.3 minutes, 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four combined blocks and steals. He is the only member of the Jazz reaching double-digit popularity on both DraftKings and FanDuel, which has Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton and Keyonte George lining up as tournament differentiators.
Goga Bitadze is one of several solid center options from a fantasy point-per-dollar perspective, with Anthony Black, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tristan da Silva other Orlando players worthy of DFS consideration.
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Domantas Sabonis:
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 49.87 | FanDuel: 46.98
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 52.6% | FanDuel: 38.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,000 | FanDuel: $9,400
De’Aaron Fox (glute) is doubtful, while Keegan Murray (ankle) is questionable and at risk of missing a third consecutive game. That means Domantas Sabonis is in play for his fifth triple-double of the season.
Currently that wager is available at +650 on BetRivers, Unibet and SugarHouse, well over +200 better than the next best book. Check out the live odds, courtesy of Portfolio EV, to see where the wager sits in real-time.
Sabonis is tied for the league lead with 30 double-doubles in his 32 games. Karl-Anthony Towns also has 30, but he has logged two more tilts. Last year, Sabonis led the league with 26 triple-doubles, but the addition of DeMar DeRozan and ascension of Murray have held him back this season. The Rebound King has won the crown the last two seasons, and his career-high 13.7 per game are a tick behind the 14.0 of Towns.
DeRozan is a solid selection regardless of Murray’s status, with the third-year forward a decent click if he is starting since there is no reason for the team to rush him back. DeRozan is averaging 20.8 points per game, which is his lowest rate of the last decade but still strong for a 35-year-old. He will pick up some of the facilitation duties with Fox out, though the offense is still going to run through Sabonis on most possessions.
If Murray is out again, then Trey Lyles is in play as a discount dandy, with Keon Ellis earning that designation as the likely replacement for Fox. Last, but not least, Malik Monk is always live for a tournament-worthy performance, so he remains on the short list for Sunday’s action.
Stephen Curry had Saturday off, but he is going to be a key part of any Golden State success tonight with Jonathan Kuminga out for the next three weeks, Gary Payton II unavailable for the next 10 days and Brandin Podziemski out once again. Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green each get a boost with Kuminga out, and Trayce Jackson-Davis continues to chug along.
Dennis Schroder and Buddy Hield are not as intriguing as they were without Curry, but that duo is in the mix as tertiary tournament targets.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Curry is clearly a desired DFS option; however, we can also look to the under on his 25.5 rebounds prop as a savvy selection in the sports wagering world.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager projects to win 55% of the time. With the -110 odds, leading to a fun 5.4% expected value when accounting for the -123 “True Odds.”
Hard Rock is the operator offering +-110, which exceeds the True Odds of -123 and the -130 (or worse) that most other books are offering, with some also electing to lower the threshold to 24.5.
Let Portfolio EV do the hard work for you, eliminating the guesswork in finding +EV bets. This advanced tool identifies inefficient odds in real time, making it simple to uncover profitable opportunities with ease.
With odds changing rapidly, having accounts at multiple sportsbooks is essential for locking in the best lines fast. Portfolio EV excels by continuously scanning multiple platforms, ensuring you’re always prepared to seize every valuable opportunity as soon as it appears.
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Curry projected for 34.4 minutes and 25.05 points, which is right in line with the 25.5 threshold.
This season, Curry is averaging 22.3 points per game, which are his second fewest of the last 13 seasons. In his last game, he nailed all eight of his 3-point attempts, which is impressive. Not so impressive is that he has only 10 games of 26 or more points in his 27 starts, with 11 games of 20 or fewer points. Curry will be celebrating his 37th birthday this spring, and while he is still amazing, he can no longer carry a team on command.
