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Fantasy Basketball Picks – NBA DFS Game by Game Breakdown – December 6

By Adam Strangis

DraftKings NBA: NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 24, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
DraftKings NBA: NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 24, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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The fantasy basketball slate may not be nearly as big as last night but we have an interesting NBA DFS slate to dive into and we will go game by game with our top Fantasy Basketball Picks.

If you played the Wednesday night slate, you already know what kind of terror the NBA can be with late news that send your lineups into a tizzy. The John Wall news came in plenty of time to make things happen but everything else came close to lock(or after like Khris Middleton) that completely sent the slate haywire. Hopefully you were able to navigate everything successfully and are ready to move on to Thursday night and our top Fantasy Basketball Picks in each game.

Fantasy Basketball Picks – Knicks at Celtics

Pace Ranks – Knicks at 16th, Celtics at 22nd

Knicks Breakdown 

On a bigger slate, it would be fairly easy to not pay the Knicks much attention. Heading to Boston isn’t a good spot to be in no matter what and the Knicks have unsettled rotations, to say the least. Boston is also giving up the fifth fewest real points in the NBA while the Knicks are at the ninth fewest so that’s not a great mix. Tim Hardaway is the safest player as far as minutes go but the matchup is not good and he just does nothing else but score. I mean that very literally from the last game, as he scored 20 real life points and landed on 25 DK points. That’s just generally not the type of player that I want on most nights, especially against a good defense.

I almost never use centers against the Celtics because Al Horford is very solid and that will continue tonight. Boston gives up the second least DK points to the position and there’s no reason to test them with Enes Kanter when he could get just 25 minutes. Damyean Dotson might get some love for his recent production but keep in mind he’s shot 62.5 percent form the floor his last four games. Emmanuel Mudiay should see decent minutes tonight since Trey Burke is out but perhaps the secret weapon for the Knicks is Courtney Lee. The veteran made his season debut and played close to 20 minutes and is near minimum on DK. He’s a worthwhile punt that you don’t need much from to play another stud.

Personal Plays – Lee as a cheap punt

Players to Consider – Hardaway Jr., Kanter, Mudiay, Dotson

Celtics Breakdown 

The Boston side of this game is generally more appealing and we start with Kyrie Irving. He’s the clear leader in usage on this team with a 1.33 FPPM and the Knicks are just average against the point guard position. Irving still attacks the rim frequently with 10 drives per game and has taken over 25 percent of his shots from within five feet. The Knicks are giving up the eighth most shots and eighth highest field goal percentage on those type of shots.

Given the lack of defensive prowess down low, I think Al Horford is a solid mid-range option as well. The usage isn’t anything special but the FPPM is actually second on the team. Gordon Hayward has been pretty tough to nail down, as he’ll have a monster game and then a bunch of mediocre ones. His scoring is the one thing that takes a big hit with this team as he’s under 12 points a game. I would have felt better about him had Jaylen Brown remained out. The Celtics are very spread out when everyone is healthy as far as where the production comes from.

Personal Plays – Irving, Horford

Players to Consider – Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum, Brown, Hayward

DraftKings NBA
PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 05: Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers flexes after drawing a foul against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA preseason game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 5, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Basketball Picks – Suns at Blazers

Pace Ranks – Suns at 19th, Blazers at 17th

Suns Breakdown 

If you had any questions about what kind of team the Suns are without Devin Booker and T.J. Warren, look no further than the last game when they got destroyed by the Kings. There’s every reason to be a little careful here as the Blazers should blow this team out of the water. There are players to know and I might pass on Deandre Ayton against Jusuf Nurkic. Ayton still has a good rate of the usage and FPPM without Booker but Portland has been solid against centers. De’Anthony Melton is someone who I think could be a worthwhile investment. Elie Okobo has given Phoenix nothing at the point guard spot while Melton played well in the blowout loss. Keeping in mind it’s just a 50 minute sample, Melton has a 0.98 FPPM without Warren and Booker on the floor.

The Blazers have had point guards on lockdown through most of the season but the minutes might be too many to pass on for Melton. Josh Jackson is likely going to be popular again as he leads the team in usage with the two big guns off the floor. He just struggles with his shot so much that there’s a lot of volatility the comes along with him. One last interesting player would be Richaun Holmes. He’s actually right at the same FPPM as Ayton for $2,400 less and has played at least 22 minutes the past two games. Phoenix is thin and he’s been very productive in limited minutes.

Personal Plays – Melton, Holmes, Jackson

Players to Consider – Ayton, Trevor Ariza, Jamaal Crawford

Blazers Breakdown 

C.J. McCollum might be out of this game and if that happens, I think a lot of my lineups would start with Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic. Lillard is a massive usage hog without McCollum, checking in at 51.9 percent and a 1.68 FPPM. That’s an insane amount and he would be well worth his high price tag. If McCollum is in, I think Lillard could be a fade at five digits. Nurkic gets the soft matchup of Ayton down low, something we’ve targeted all season long. Even if the Blazers blow them out, Nurkic can still have a big game. The Suns are in the bottom 10 in points and rebounds given up and dead last in rebounding percentage.

Evan Turner pops up nearly every night for me as a safe cash play and. he might be chalk with a McCollum absence. He’s pretty steady and stuffs the stat sheet every night in his minutes. Phoenix can’t defend any position on the floor, giving up the fifth most points in basketball.

Personal Plays – Lillard, Nurkic, Turner

Players to Consider – Al-Farouq Aminu

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Fantasy Basketball Picks – Rockets at Jazz

Pace Ranks – Rockets at 29th, Jazz at 21st

Rockets Breakdown 

It seems crazy to see the Rockets so far down in pace but that’s where we’re at right now. I also have a hard time paying the full price for James Harden with Chris Paul active and in the lineup. Since Harden has a little bit of a tougher time getting to 60, it’s just a non-starter to me. I’m not sure how much it matters but the Jazz have been the toughest matchup for shooting guards on the board. Paul himself has been underwhelming as well so I’m not sure where to spend up on Houston or if it’s a good idea.

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Clint Capela might be the way to go since Rudy Gobert has struggled defending the pick and roll. Caplea averages 1.21 points per possession in that set. I think those are really the only players to consider heavily. P.J. Tucker is always a fine play since he plays the 11th most minutes per game in basketball. He just happens into fantasy points. Someone needs to be out to feel good about playing Eric Gordon. The one note to keep in mind is that the Jazz allow a top 10 field goal percentage from three-point land. Houston leads the league with 42.3 attempts a game.

Personal Plays – Capela, Tucker

Players to Consider – Harden, Paul

Jazz Breakdown 

It’s a good thing Harden is such an amazing offensive player because it raises his net rating to a positive. The real story is he’s not rated well as a defender at all. That makes Donovan Mitchell very intriguing as he was on pace for a solid game last time out but the Spurs couldn’t keep the game close. The Rockets are giving up a little over 23 points a game to shooting guards. I generally don’t play point guards against Chris Paul and Ricky Rubio won’t make me change that policy.

The Rockets get torched from within five feet of the hoop and Rudy Gobert seems like a safe bet to try to guard Capela on the other side. He’s been on fire lately and remains a very good play tonight. If you wanted to take a low-owned stab at a punt, Kyle Korver has been seeing minutes as a member of the Jazz. He absolutely needs to drain the three because he does nothing else but the price isn’t prohibitive.

Personal Plays – Gobert, Mitchell

Players to Consider – Korver, Derrick Favors, Jae Crowder

Next. NFL game by game DFS breakdown week 14. dark

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