Seven games on the NBA docket tonight. Let’s see if we can locate the best DFS plays and props to hone in on!

Written By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter &  LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Straight Locks🔒 | NBA Props w/ Shannon & Tyler!

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

What’s this? Another comfortable mid-sized NBA slate? You won’t catch me complaining! Two teams we’ll be practically forced to look at for value include the Heat and the Suns. The majority of those teams’ starting five have been ruled out tonight, so be prepared to see quite a few Heat/Suns players highlighted in today’s newsletter. Let’s go out there and crush it… best of luck today!

Today’s Key Injuries:

Pistons: B. Bogdanovic - OUT, J. Duren - OUT, M. Bagley III - OUT, I. Livers - OUT

76ers: J. Embiid - Questionable, PJ Tucker - Probable

Thunder: A. Pokusevski - OUT, J. Robinson-Earl - OUT, O. Dieng - OUT

Heat: B. Adebayo - OUT, T. Herro - OUT, K. Lowry - OUT, C. Martin - OUT, G. Vincent - Probable, D. Robinson - OUT, D. Dedmon - Probable, N. Jovic - OUT

Hornets: K. Oubre Jr. - OUT, G. Hayward - Doubtful

Raptors: O. Porter Jr. - OUT (Porter underwent season-ending surgery, I will no longer mention him in these injury reports)

Cavaliers: D. Wade - OUT

Jazz: K. Olynyk - OUT, C. Sexton - OUT, T. Horton-Tucker - OUT

Suns: D. Booker - OUT, C. Paul - OUT, D. Ayton - OUT, C. Johnson - OUT, C. Payne - OUT, L. Shamet - Questionable, T. Craig - Questionable

Warriors: K. Thompson - Probable, J. Kuminga - OUT, J. Wiseman - OUT, JaM. Green - OUT

Magic: C. Okeke - OUT

Trailblazers: J. Nurkic - Probable, G. Payton II - Probable, J. Winslow - OUT, N. Little - OUT

Mavericks: L. Doncic - Probable, D. Finney-Smith - OUT, M. Kleber - OUT, Josh Green - OUT

Clippers: P. George - OUT, L. Kennard - OUT

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Note: NBA position designations are never going to perfectly align between the major DFS sites. For the purposes of these newsletters, positional designations will default to DraftKings.

💫 = Favorite Play

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

PG Luka Doncic, DAL | DK: $12.6k, FD: $12.4k | @ LAC | Cash & GPP

There is an abundance of value to be had on this slate so fitting in a superstar like Luka Doncic will be about as easy as it’s ever been. Luka sat out the back end of a B2B on Sunday with an ankle issue but he’s been upgraded to “probable” for tonight’s game against the Clippers. It’s not a stellar match-up but Luka did drop 35/11/5 with three steals (63.25 DKFP) against the Clips earlier this season and went for 75+ DKFP the final two times he faced them last season. He is about as match-up proof as it gets and, of note, Luka has averaged 68.35 FPPG in close games this season. Dallas heads into tonight as slight one-point road favorites.

💫PG/SG Victor Oladipo, MIA | DK: $5.3k, FD: $5.7k | vs. OKC | Cash & GPP

In relation to his current DFS salaries, Oladipo has been playing very well and routinely returning solid value with a 32.9 FPPG average over his last five games. There seems to be no semblance of a minutes restriction on him now, as he has averaged 31.3 Min/Gm in that same five-game stretch. Tonight, Oladipo should play as many minutes as he can handle and take on a significant usage bump. The Heat will be without key starters B. Adebayo, T. Herro, and K. Lowry along with multiple other rotational players. With Adebayo, Herro, and Lowry off the court this season, Oladipo has handled a team-high +10.92% usage increase. This is also a major up-tempo spot against the Thunder, who rank 3rd in pace this season.

💫PG/SG Duane Washington Jr., PHX | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.7k | @ GSW | Cash & GPP

Duane Washington Jr. steps in as another big usage beneficiary due to several key absences today. D. Booker, C. Paul, D. Ayton, C. Payne, and C. Johnson are all sidelined tonight. Besides Deandre Ayton, the other four Suns players listed were also out during Sunday’s game against the Cavs. Washington ended up putting up 25 points and 31.25 DKFP in 25 minutes played while posting a mammoth 42.6% USG%. The match-up is even better tonight against a Warriors team that ranks 1st in overall pace and inside the bottom half of the league in defensive efficiency. The Suns are massive +12.5 underdogs tonight but whether he starts or continues to come off the bench, Washington will be blowout-proof given the lack of backcourt depth that the Suns have available tonight.

Other Guards to Consider:

PG James Harden, PHI | DK: $10.4k, FD: $10.3k | vs. DET | GPP Preferred (Monitor Embiid news)

PG/SG Donovan Mitchell, CLE | DK: $9.6k, FD: $8.9k | @ UTA | GPP Preferred

💫PG Damian Lillard, POR | DK: $9.5k, FD: $9.1k | vs. ORL | Cash & GPP

PG Killian Hayes, DET | DK: $5.7k, FD: $7.1k | @ PHI | GPP/DK Preferred

💫PG/SG Terrance Mann, LAC | DK: $4k, FD: $4.5k | vs. DAL | Cash & GPP

SG/SF Hamidou Diallo, DET | DK; $3.5k, FD: $4.4k | @ PHI | GPP Preferred

💫PG/SG Gabe Vincent, MIA | DK: $3.3k, FD: $4k | vs. OKC | GPP Preferred

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

💫PF Jimmy Butler, MIA | DK: $8.9k, FD: $9k | vs. OKC | Cash & GPP

Butler actually hasn’t seen a significant usage or production bump with Adebayo, Herro, and Lowry off the court this season but one does have to imagine that he’ll be locked in as the top scoring option for Miami tonight. Butler is only averaging 14.2 FGA/Gm over his last 20 starts but his shot attempts could easily venture into the 20-25 range this evening. Jimmy might run some point guard as well (possible boost to assist numbers) and he’s usually good for at least a couple of steals per game -- OKC allows the 10th most steals per game to their opponents. Even with all of the Heat absences, Miami is still a slight two-point favorite. This game should be competitive through all four quarters and Butler will have to play a huge role for the shorthanded Heat to pull off the “W.”

SF/SG Norman Powell, LAC | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5.4k | vs. DAL | GPP Preferred

Powell is going to fly a bit under the radar today with all of the other value out there on this slate. He owns a team-high +4.57% USG% boost and +10.12 FP per 48-minute average with Paul George and Luke Kennard (both out tonight) off the court this season. Powell played 31 minutes with both of those players out on Sunday and over his last 20 games, he has averaged 1.07 FPPM. There is some pretty solid potential for 6x value at Powell’s current DFS salaries and he has shown a 40+ FP ceiling this season.

💫SF/PF Haywood Highsmith, MIA | DK: $3.1k, FD: $3.9k | vs. OKC | Cash & GPP

We go back to Miami with a punt play in Haywood Highsmith. He’s just barely above the minimum salary threshold on both sites, he’s essentially a lock to be in the starting lineup, and he could easily surpass 30+ minutes in this game. Highsmith is not a very productive per-minute player (0.71 FPPM L20Gms) but it’ll be difficult for him *not* to hit value if he plays those big minutes.

Other Forwards to Consider:

SF/PF Lauri Markkanen, UTA | DK: $9.7k, FD: $8.2k | vs. CLE | GPP/FD Preferred

SF/PF Kawhi Leonard, LAC | DK: $8.7k, FD: $8.4k | vs. DAL | GPP Preferred

SF/PF Scottie Barnes, TOR | DK: $6.6k, FD: $7.7k | vs. CHA | GPP/DK Preferred

SF/SF OG Anunoby, TOR | DK: $6.4k, FD: $6.9k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

💫SF/SG Gary Trent Jr., TOR | DK: $6.1k, FD: $7k | vs. CHA | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

SF/SG Landry Shamet, PHX | DK: $5k, FD: $5.6k | @ GSW | GPP Preferred (Note: Shamet is currently questionable)

SF Luguentz Dort, OKC | DK: $4.9k, FD: $5.8k | @ MIA | GPP Preferred

SF/SG Max Strus, MIA | DK: $4.5k, FD: $5.1k | vs. OKC | GPP Preferred

PF/C Dario Saric, PHX | DK: $3.3k, FD: $3.8k | @ GSW | GPP Preferred

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Pascal Siakam, TOR | DK: $10.1k, FD: $9.5k | vs. CHA | GPP Preferred

As is often the case, center pricing on DraftKings is much softer than FanDuel but Siakam is one high-end option that checks in as a better value on FanDuel. He has cooled off recently, averaging only 39.40 FPPG and 0.99 FPPM over his last five. Clearly, for a $10k-ish player, we’re going to need more production than that. But “bigs against Charlotte” has been the gift that keeps on giving this season. Siakam is locked into massive minutes and we could see him flash that 60+ FP upside this evening. 

💫C Orlando Robinson, MIA | DK: $3.1k, FD: $5.7k | vs. OKC | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

There may not be much meat on the bone at $5,700 on FanDuel, but at $100 above the stone minimum on DraftKings, Orlando Robinson represents some major, major value. He will be expected to soak up most of the minutes at center with Bam Adebayo sidelined tonight. In the last two games that Adebayo missed (12/15 @ HOU & 12/26 vs. MIN), Robinson played 36 and 27 minutes while posting 30.0 DKFP and 35.75 DKFP, respectively. Pending injury or foul trouble, Robinson should comfortably coast to big value on DraftKings tonight.

Other Centers to Consider:

💫C Jarrett Allen, CLE | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7.5k | @ UTA | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

C Mason Plumlee, CHA | DK: $6k, FD: $6.9k | @ TOR | Cash & GPP/DK Preferred

C Ivica Zubac, LAC | DK: $5.2k, FD: $6k | vs. DAL | GPP Preferred

PF/C Isaiah Stewart, DET | DK: $5.1k, FD: $5.6k | @ PHI | GPP Preferred

C Walker Kessler, UTA | DK: $4.7k, FD: $5.5k | vs. CLE | GPP Preferred

💫C Jock Landale, PHX | DK: $3.2k, FD: $3.9k | @ GSW | Cash & GPP

NBA Player Props 📊

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Jimmy Butler OVER 1.5 Steals | -160 (DraftKings) | 2.5 Units

Pascal Siakam OVER 40.5 Points/Rebounds/Assists | -120 (DraftKings) | 2.0 Units

PrizePicks Power Play ⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's NBA action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these bets so I don't just lightly throw these out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Mason Plumlee MORE than 14.5 PTS + ASTS

Pascal Siakam MORE than 40.5 PTS + REBS + ASTS

🆕 Props Edge+ 🆕

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That will wrap us up with today’s “Daily Dribble” edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!