Friday wraps up the work week with an elite eight-game featured slate, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. The player pool is packed with intriguing options, making it a great slate to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks. Let’s break down today’s core plays, including Zach LaVine and Alperen Sengun.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Friday, Nov. 22
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Alperen Sengun: Rockets vs. Trail Blazers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 67.62 | FanDuel: 64.67
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 22.8% | FanDuel: 6.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $12,200 | FanDuel: $12,500
It has been 12 days since Nikola Jokic last laced up his sneakers and stepped between the lines. Expectations are that he will be on the court tonight after being away from the team for family reasons.
However, since the return is not yet official, let’s take a look at Alperen Sengun, who is a strong play himself or as a pivot off of Jokic.
In a fun twist, Sengun actually surpassed Jokic on Wednesday, setting an NBA record for the most assists by a center prior to their 23rd birthday. Sengun will not reach that age threshold until July, so he will continue to set the record with each subsequent dime.
Sengun has seen his scoring dip from 21.1 points per game last year to 18.4 this season, though that is also somewhat impacted by him playing three fewer minutes per game and posting a career-low 49.8% effective field goal rate through the first 16 contests. He is averaging a career-high 11.1 rebounds and 2.3 combined blocks and steals, but his assist rate is a tick below last season. The fourth-year pivot also has 12 double-doubles and two triple-doubles, which has his fantasy supporters happy. Tonight he gets a matchup against a Portland frontcourt that will be undersized without Deandre Ayton, giving Sengun the ability to operate with impunity in the paint.
Well, technically, Robert Williams III will be battling the Turkish behemoth, though the oft-injured “Time Lord” will likely be on the court for around half the game. That will still give Sengun some minutes without him and instead facing rookie Donovan Clingan.
Houston has won eight of the last 10 games, and the Rockets being stingy against opposing offenses this season, posting a 104.8 defensive efficiency rating that ranks second in the league behind Oklahoma City (102.7) and just ahead of Orlando (109.2).
Williams is in play on DraftKings ($4,800), though his usefulness is buoyed by power forward eligibility. On FanDuel, Nicolas Claxton outpaces him at the $3,500 minimum salary on the blue site, having missed the last three games.
It is appropriate that Anfernee Simons plays in the City of Roses since he is a delicate flower. After missing a couple games with an illness, the oft-injured guard now is questionable with a wrist issue he picked up in practice. Scoot Henderson is questionable after leaving the last game with a quad injury. This is less about opportunities for the Portland backcourt and more ideally that one of these guys plays, which should help keep the game a little closer and competitive longer, which would benefit this next group …
Jalen Green stands out on DraftKings and FanDuel. Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks look great on FanDuel, with Brooks likely to be on nearly one in four DraftKings tournament lineups. Fred VanVleet has seen an uptick in his offense after being dreadful last year, though he is best left for the evening sub-slate.
Zach LaVine: Bulls vs. Hawks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 39.01 | FanDuel: 37.09
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 30.6% | FanDuel: 42.2%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $7,400 | FanDuel: $7,400
Atlanta is in the bottom third of the league, allowing 115.0 points per 100 possessions. The Hawks trail only the Bulls 104.6 to 104.1 for possessions per 48 minutes.
Over his last half dozen games, Zach LaVine is averaging 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 combined blocks and steals. He should be among the top 5 most popular plays tonight in this cherry matchup.
Ayo Dosunmu and Josh Giddey are also projecting to be on 20% or more of all rosters across the main DFS sites, with each possessing the ability to thrive in this up-tempo environment. Nikola Vucevic is in the mix on DraftKings, though he falls out of favor on FanDuel, where there are ample center options for the single roster slot.
Torrey Craig is one month shy of his 34th birthday, and he feels like fool’s gold after popping off for 30 fantasy points on Wednesday, in a spot start for the injured Patrick Williams. Williams is out again, so the 3-and-D veteran wing is likely to get another turn with the first five. Consider him placeholder value for now, though even at $3,800 on both sites, there are likely to be better options that appear as more injury reports are released.
Clint Capela continues to chug along, pushing for 25 to 28 fantasy points more often than not, despite playing 22 to 24 minutes per game. It is hard to recommend him with much fervor, as he is still awaiting his first foray over the 40-fantasy point plateau, but gamers are not “wrong” for keeping him in their player pool.
Jalen Johnson and Trae Young have been the key fantasy producers for the Hawks, though De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic are now both healthy. That makes things a little crowded with that duo and Dyson Daniels, who was in the midst of a breakout season, and Onyeka Okongwu is also likely to feel the pinch with more offensive options and rebounders on the court alongside him. Still, this is a game with a 247.5-point total, and there should be someone who ends up being needed in high-flying tournament lineups from this paragraph.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Claxton has missed the last three games with a combination of soreness and back spasms, though he is currently on track to play tonight.
It will be interesting to see how many minutes he plays, which means the over on his 8.5 rebounds prop is rather enticing.
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This approach effectively pits the sportsbooks against each other, revealing that DraftKings has posted -110 odds that are well above those offered by other major operators.
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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Claxton projected for 25.6 minutes and 7.84 rebounds, which is below the nine needed for the over on the 8.5 threshold. The “True Odds” of -105 and a 53% win rate show that there is a 4.2% expected ROI.
It would not make sense to rush Claxton into action, and in his last nine games (five of which were starts), he had nine or more rebounds four times, with eight on another occasion. He is averaging 8.3 per game in 26.4 minutes, and this matchup could look even better if Joel Embiid (knee) is out. Since leaving Philadelphia, Ben Simmons has faced his former team just four times, seemingly finding excuses to miss the game, even when “relatively” healthy. If he and Claxton are splitting the pivot minutes, Claxton is still in play for this over.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Catch all the latest news and updates for NBA DFS picks on the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show today at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, where we’ll dive into all the key elements of tonight’s slate.
