Breaking Down Today’s Small NBA Slate: Top Picks and Game Analysis

Alright, let's get hyped up for some ballin'! Five games are ready to rock your world today, starting with the Nuggets vs. Pistons at 07:00 PM EST in the Little Caesars Arena. Kings and Nets are ready to drop some serious points, but don't count out the Magic and Suns who may surprise us with a low-scoring thriller. This is where the real DFS pros make their moves, so check out our predictions and player breakdowns to make sure your lineup is straight fire.

Top Stars On The Main Slate

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12000/DK) was pretty average in his last game, puttin up 36 points, 8 assists, and 11 rebounds while shooting 11-20 from the field in 35 minutes against the Suns. Today he faces the Pacers ranked #5 in the league against the PF, allowing 38.9dfs per game or -2.5 less vs average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 63.8DK and 63.0FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 5.3.

Nikola Jokic ($11600/DK) had an okay outing in his last game, puttin up 28 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds while shooting 10-12 from the field in 35 minutes against the Raptors. Today he faces the Pistons ranked #14 in the league against the C, allowing 51.6dfs per game or -1.8 less vs average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 68.1DK and 67.4FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 5.9.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($9600/DK) was just okay in his last game, puttin up 35 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds while shooting 11-23 from the field in 36 minutes against the Nets. Today he faces the Raptors ranked #2 in the league against the SG, allowing 43.0dfs per game or -5.0 less vs average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 51.5DK and 52.1FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 5.4.

Devin Booker ($9900/DK) was just okay in his last game, puttin up 30 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting 12-24 from the field in 43 minutes against the Bucks. Today he faces the Magic ranked #2 in the league against the SG, allowing 40.1dfs per game or -3.8 less vs average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 44.6DK and 44.7FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 4.5.

Standout Mid-Value Players

Aaron Gordon ($6200/DK) put in a just-alright outing in his last game, puttin up 18 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebounds while shooting 8-12 from the field in 34 minutes against the Raptors. Today he faces the Pistons ranked #23 in the league against the PF, allowing an average of 49.1 per game which is +2.7 more compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 26.6DK and 26.7FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 4.3.

Spencer Dinwiddie ($7900/DK) was meh in his last game, puttin up 16 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds while shooting 5-12 from the field in 39 minutes against the Thunder. Today he faces the Kings ranked #14 in the league against the PG, allowing an average of 47.2 per game which is -0.8 less compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 47.4DK and 46.7FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 6.0.

Buddy Hield ($6400/DK) had a rough outing in his last game, scoring only 7 points, 4 assists, and 8 rebounds while shooting 2-5 from the field in 22 minutes against the Pistons. Today he faces the Bucks ranked #3 in the league against the SG, allowing an average of 42.0 per game which is -1.9 less compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 31.3DK and 31.1FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 4.9.

Deandre Ayton ($7400/DK) had a tough time in his last game, scoring only 16 points, 0 assists, and 8 rebounds while shooting 8-18 from the field in 25 minutes against the Bucks. Today he faces the Magic ranked #11 in the league against the C, allowing an average of 50.4 per game which is -3.1 less compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 37.2DK and 37.0FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 5.0.

Jaden Ivey ($7000/DK) was mid last game, puttin up 16 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 3-10 from the field in 32 minutes against the Hornets. Today he faces the Nuggets ranked #22 in the league against the SG, allowing an average of 44.5 per game which is +0.6 more compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 40.6DK and 38.7FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 5.8.

Cheap Value Players

Seth Curry ($3300/DK) got roasted in his last game, scoring only 8 points, 1 assists, and 2 rebounds while shooting 1-1 from the field in 18 minutes against the Thunder. Today he faces the Kings ranked #14 in the league against the PG, allowing an average of 47.2 per game -0.8 less compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 15.2DK and 14.2FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 4.6.

Jevon Carter ($3900/DK) was so-so in his last game, puttin up 9 points, 1 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 0-1 from the field in 23 minutes against the Suns. Today he faces the Pacers ranked #11 in the league against the PG, allowing an average of 46.1 per game -1.9 less compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 14.2DK and 13.1FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 3.6.

Cameron Payne ($3400/DK) lit up the court in his last game, dropping 13 points, dishing out 2 assists, and pulling down 2 rebounds while shooting 1-4 from the field in 17 minutes against the Bucks. Today he faces the Magic ranked #21 in the league against the PG, allowing an average of 49.7 per game +1.8 more compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 15.0DK and 14.1FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 4.4.

Gary Trent ($4300/DK) was just okay in his last game, puttin up 11 points, 0 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 3-6 from the field in 25 minutes against the Nuggets. Today he faces the Thunder ranked #23 in the league against the SG, allowing an average of 45.0 per game +1.1 more compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 13.2DK and 14.3FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 3.1.

Joe Ingles ($4200/DK) delivered a nothing-special performance in his last game, puttin up 6 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 0-0 from the field in 27 minutes against the Suns. Today he faces the Pacers ranked #5 in the league against the SF, allowing an average of 38.9 per game -2.5 less compared to the league average. Over the last 3 games he is averaging 27.8DK and 26.4FD which puts him at a 3 game rolling value of 6.6.

NBA Slates Available For Optimization

Multi Game Slates
DraftKings	03/16 06:00 PM	Classic	Featured	5 Games
FanDuel	03/16 06:00 PM	Tournament	Main	5 Games
DraftKings	03/16 06:30 PM	Classic	Turbo	2 Games
FanDuel	03/16 06:30 PM	Tournament	Express	2 Games
DraftKings	03/16 07:00 PM	Classic	Night	2 Games
FanDuel	03/16 07:00 PM	Tournament	After Hours	2 Games
Single Game Slates
DraftKings	03/16 06:00 PM	Showdown Captain Mode	DEN vs DET	1 Game
DraftKings	03/16 06:30 PM	Showdown Captain Mode	SAC vs BKN	1 Game
FanDuel	03/16 06:30 PM	Tournament	SAC @ BKN	1 Game
DraftKings	03/16 09:00 PM	Showdown Captain Mode	ORL vs PHX	1 Game
FanDuel	03/16 09:00 PM	Tournament	ORL @ PHO	1 Game

Today's NBA Matchups

Denver Nuggets -14.0 vs Detroit Pistons +14.0
The stage is set for a thrilling matchup as the Nuggets brings their 46-23 record to Detroit to take on the lacking Pistons and their 16-54 record. Nuggets field a respectable defense, while they are known for their explosive #4 ranked offense. Pistons need to improve on the defensive end, while they are known for their lackluster #29 ranked offense.

Pistons hit the over 6 out of the last 15 games
Nuggets hit the over 7 out of the last 15 games

Oklahoma City Thunder +5.5 vs Toronto Raptors -5.5
The stage is set for a thrilling matchup as the Thunder brings their 34-35 record to Toronto to take on the mediocre Raptors and their 33-36 record. Thunder field a bottom-tier #21 defense, while they are known for their high-powered offense. Raptors are known for their solid defense, while they are known for their decent offense. The Thunder are one of the top teams in the NBA at generating DFS points at a whopping 237 per game which is 2.9% above the NBA avg. The Raptors are the NBA leaders at stealing the ball causing a turnover 9.7 per game which is 31.9% above the NBA avg.

Raptors hit the over 5 out of the last 15 games
Thunder hit the over 10 out of the last 15 games

Sacramento Kings +2.5 vs Brooklyn Nets -2.5
Expect a highly competitive game as the Kings with a 41-27 record battle the solid Nets who hold a 39-30 record in Brooklyn. Kings field a bottom-tier #27 defense, while they boast a dynamic #2 ranked offense. Nets are struggling as a #16 ranked defense, while they have room for improvement on the offensive end with a #25 ranked team. The Kings run a quick pace ranking #1 in the league with 127.2 points per game which is 10.3% above the NBA avg.

Nets hit the over 4 out of the last 15 games
Kings hit the over 11 out of the last 15 games

Indiana Pacers +13.5 vs Milwaukee Bucks -13.5
The stage is set for a thrilling matchup as the Pacers brings their 31-38 record to Milwaukee to take on the durable Bucks and their 50-19 record. Pacers field a bottom-tier #23 defense, while they are known for their high-powered offense. Bucks possess a top-10 defense, while they are the most potent offense in the league. The Bucks can crash the boards ranking #1 in the league with 49.3 per game which is 14.1% above the NBA avg. The Pacers rank #29 in the league at rebounding with 39.1 per game which is -9.5% below the NBA avg. The Bucks put up a bunch of points ranking #2 in the league at scoring with 122.4 points per game which is 6.1% above the NBA avg. We have an imbalance at the boards as the Bucks rank #1 at grabbing a rebound while the Pacers struggle ranking #25 in the league at grabbing them. The Bucks rank #2 at putting points on the board with 122.4/gm, 6.1% above the average, while the Pacers rank #27 at defending them allowing an average of 121.7 pts per game.

Bucks hit the over 6 out of the last 15 games
Pacers hit the over 7 out of the last 15 games

Orlando Magic +7.5 vs Phoenix Suns -7.5
Magic, average with a 28-41 record, march into Phoenix to take on the fair Suns with a 37-32 squad. Magic are average on the defensive end, while they field a bottom-tier offense. Suns are anchored by a top-5 defense, while they are powered by a top-5 offense.

Suns hit the over 7 out of the last 15 games
Magic hit the over 8 out of the last 15 games