Thursday has a condensed slate, with the action locking 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 Zach Collins and Charles Bassey, with several San Antonio players also getting a boost with Victor Wembanyama’s absence.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Thursday, Dec. 5
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Devin Vassell: Spurs vs. Bulls
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 35.75 | FanDuel: 34.08
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 73.7% | FanDuel: 35.8%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $5,000 | FanDuel: $6,000
Victor Wembanyama has been ruled out tonight with bilateral back soreness and there is a chance he misses Friday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
Even without their superstar, San Antonio is still a 2-point home favorite against the Chicago Bulls.
Wembanyama vacates 32.5 minutes, 18.2 field goal attempts and 23.5 points. The main beneficiaries, of course, will be Zach Collins and Charles Bassey, who will be sharing the center minutes. In the three games that Wemby missed in mid-November, Collins averaged 24.4 minutes, 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.4 combined blocks and steals. Bassey had similar minutes with 23.3 per outing in this stretch, with less production, but still stellar from a fantasy point per dollar perspective. Blocks were key, with a wicked 3.7 per game, along with 7.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals.
Devin Vassell is looking like a wildly popular play on DraftKings and among the 10 most rostered options on FanDuel. He has played in only seven games this season, but his last three since returning from his most recent absence have seen him go from 21 to 24 to 27.6 minutes. The 24-year-old is in the midst of his third straight injury-plagued season, and it is hard to believe this is his fifth year in the league. He has been wildly efficient with a 52.9% success rate on 12.1 field goal attempts per game, including a 48.8% conversion rate on 6.1 3-pointers. These are not sustainable rates, but that doesn’t mean they have to end tonight against a mediocre Chicago defense.
Jeremy Sochan is back, so that crowds things for him, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson. Chris Paul will likely get help from Sochan as a secondary facilitator, though Tre Jones is still out.
Chicago will be without Patrick Williams, yet again and Coby White is also out, with Josh Giddey questionable. If Giddey is out, then Ayo Dosunmu, Matas Buzelis and Talen Horton-Tucker would see an uptick in minutes and trickledown production. If Giddey starts, he is a fine option.
Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are always in play for tournaments and, of course, the San Antonio defense is far less intimidating without Wembanyama.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Andrew Wiggins loses some cover tonight, with Stephen Curry out with an illness. That may increase his offensive volume, but make no mistake, he is going to have the attention of the Houston defense. That makes the under on his 17.5 points prop look like an appealing opportunity.
Checking out the screen shot of Portfolio EV, we can see this wager is likely to come to fruition 54% of the time, and with a -105 payout, that brings a solid 4.8% expected ROI.
BetMGM and Fliff are offering the -105, which, which far exceeds the “True Odds” of -116 and the -124 of most other books.
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Odds move fast. To stay ahead, you need accounts across multiple sportsbooks so you can pounce on the best lines the moment they pop up. That’s where Portfolio EV shines — it’s always scanning for the top odds, ensuring you’re first in line for every golden opportunity.
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Wagner projected for 33.7 minutes and 17.62 points. That is right around the median outcome, so we are going to want to get a line as close to even money as possible.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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