NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Saturday, December 2. - Main Slate

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Saturday, December 2. - Main Slate

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview - Main Slate

CLE at DET: Pistons on 16-game losing streak. 

ORL at BKN: Magic on nine-game win streak. 

NOP at CHI: Pelicans have won two in a row; Bulls 2-8 in last 10 games. 

IND at MIA: Pacers on two-game slide; Heat 5-2 at home. 

ATL at MIL: Bucks 8-1 at home. 

OKC at DAL: Thunder 6-2 on the road; Mavs 5-3 at home. 

MEM at PHX: Grizzlies on two-game win streak; Suns on two-game slide. 

POR at UTA: Trail Blazers on two-game win streak; Jazz on two-game slide. 

DEN at SAC: Nuggets on four-game win streak. 

HOU at LAL: Rockets on two-game slide and 0-7 on the road; Lakers 7-2 at home. 

For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

Injuries to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report       

CLE  - Caris LeVert (knee): OUT
Isaac Okoro and Craig Porter will have to step up. 

DET - Bojan Bogdanovic (calf), Ausar Thompson (face): Probable; Joe Harris (shoulder): OUT
Alec Burks shoudl get more time in the absence of Harris.  

ORL - Jonathan Isaac (ankle): Questionable; Wendell Carter (finger), Markelle Fultz (knee): OUT
Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Anthony Black continue to get a boost in the backcourt. Goga Bitadze also continues to start in place of Carter. 

BKN - Dennis Smith (back): Probable; Lonnie Walker (hamstring), Ben Simmons (back): OUT
Cam Thomas and Dorian Finney-Smith are in line for more playing time.  

NOP - Jose Alvarado (ankle), Matt Ryan (calf): Questionable; Larry Nance (ribs), CJ McCollum (chest): OUT
Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins will continue to have room to step up.  

CHI - DeMar DeRozan (ankle): Questionable; Zach LaVine (foot): OUT
Jevon Carter, Ayo Dosunmu and Torrey Craig could be up for bigger roles.  

IND - Tyrese Haliburton (knee): Questionable; Jalen Smith (heel): OUT
T.J. McConnell would get a boost, if Haliburton is out. Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin are up for added playing time, without Smith.  

MIA - Jimmy Butler (ankle): Probable; Bam Adebayo (hip), Tyler Herro (ankle): OUT
Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin pick up more responsibility in the absence of Herro. Thomas Bryant is expected to start in place of Adebayo. Kevin Love must also step up. 

ATL - Jalen Johnson (wrist): OUT
Saddiq Bey and Onyeka Okongwu should see more action.  

MIL - Pat Connaughton (ankle): OUT
MarJon Beauchamp picks up more opportunity.   

DAL - Tim Hardaway (back), Luka Doncic (personal), Maxi Kleber (toe): Questionable
Josh Green and Derrick Jones are in line for more action, if Kleber or Hardaway are out. Kyrie Irving must step up, if Doncic is out.  

MEM - Luke Kennard (knee), Marcus Smart (foot): OUT
Derrick Rose and David Roddy are expected to start. 

PHX - Devin Booker (ankle): Questionable; Bradley Beal (back): OUT
Eric Gordon and Jordan Goodwin remain up for more responsibility.  

POR - Anfernee Simons (thumb): OUT
Malcolm Brogdon is up for another start.   

UTA - Kelly Olynyk (shoulder): Questionable; Jordan Clarkson (thigh), Lauri Markkanen (hamstring): OUT
Simone Fontecchio, Ochai Agbaji and Talen Horton-Tucker continue to face more opportunity.  

DEN - Aaron Gordon (heel), Jamal Murray (ankle): Questionable 
Reggie Jackson must step up if Murray is out. Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan would get a boost without Gordon.  

SAC - Keegan Murray (back): Questionable; Trey Lyles (ankle), Alex Len (ankle): OUT
Sasha Vezenkov is up for extended action in the frontcourt.   

LAL - Anthony Davis (groin), Jaxson Hayes (elbow), Cam Reddish (groin): Probable; LeBron James (calf): Questionable; Gabe Vincent (knee): OUT
Taurean Prince and Christian Wood are in line for more playing time.  

Elite Players

Guards

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($10,500) at Mavericks 

Gilgeous-Alexander topped 50 DK points in each of the last four games, including a high of 73.3, on a night in which he totaled 40 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, a steal and three blocks. He faces another great chance to shine against the Mavericks, who are giving up the leagues' third-most points and third-most assists per game to opposing point guards. The Mavericks could also remain without Luka Doncic, which would provide an even better opportunity for Gilgeous-Alexander to thrive. 

Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers ($9,200) at Pistons 

Mitchell continues to fill the stat sheet, with 40 points and 11 rebounds in the game before last and 48.8 DK points in his previous outing. Mitchell is averaging 27.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals on the season, and he should thrive against the Pistons, who have dropped their last 16  games and are giving up the league's seventh-most points per game. 

Forwards/Centers

LeBron James, Lakers ($9,700) vs. Rockets 

James has been playing through a questionable tag for a couple of weeks but has showed no signs of slowing down, averaging 24.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.4 steals over the last 10 games. He also delivered 62.5 DK points in the previous meeting with the Rockets, on November 19. He will likely find a chance to pad his stats at the foul line, as the Rockets are giving up the league's fourth-most free-throw attempts per game. 

Kevin Durant, Suns ($10,000) vs. Grizzlies

Despite recent troubles for the Suns, Durant continues to dominate on the offensive end, averaging 32.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.2 blocks, over the last 10 games, including three outings with more than 60, and a high of 72. He faces a good opportunity to stand out against the Grizzlies, who are allowing opponents to knock down 15.0 threes per game, while shooting a league-high 40.0 percent from deep. 

Alperen Sengun, Rockets ($8,800) at Lakers 

Sengun surpassed 50 DK points in three of the last five games, while averaging 23.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 blocks over that span. He produced 45.0 DK points in the Rockets' previous meeting with the Lakers, on November 19, and he should be up for another solid outing, as the Lakers give up the league's sixth-most rebounds to opposing centers. 

Expected Chalk 

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks ($11,300) vs. Hawks 

Antetokounmpo continues to excel, averaging 31.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks over the last 10 games, including five with more than 60 DK points and a high of 73.3. He totaled 50.3 DK points in a previous meeting with the Hawks this season, and he should be up for another big game, as they are giving up a league-high 28.1 points per game to opposing power forwards.

Mid-Range Money 

Cameron Johnson, Nets ($6,300) vs. Magic 

Johnson topped 42 DK points in two of the last five outings, averaging 17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists over that span. He faces a favorable matchup against the Magic, who are on the second night of a back-to-back and who give up the league's sixth-most free throws per game. 

Chet Holmgren, Thunder ($7,800) at Mavericks 

Holmgren is averaging 18.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.8 blocks, over the last 10 games, including two outings with more than 50 DK points and a high of 64.5. He faces a favorable matchup against the Mavericks, who are giving up the league's seventh-most points and fourth-most rebounds per game to opposing centers. 

Value Picks

Andrew Nembhard, Pacers ($3,900) at Heat 

Nembhard topped 17 DK points in two of the last three outings and is averaging 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 0.9 steals on the season, including a high of 32.5 DK points. He should find room to get his shot going against the Heat, who are giving up the league's eighth-highest three-point-shooting percentage. Nembhard could also be up for an increased role if Tyrese Haliburton is out. 

Isaiah Joe, Thunder ($4,500) at Mavericks 

Joe has gone over 20 DK points in the last seven games, including a high of 34.8, while averaging 14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals, over that stretch. He is averaging 20.7 minutes per game off the bench and he is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, including 46.3 percent from long range, on the season. 

Sasha Vezenkov, Kings ($3,600) vs. Nuggets 

Vezenkov surpassed 19 DK points in each of the last two games. He will likely pick up extra playing time in the absence of Trey Lyles and Alex Len, and he could also get a major boost if Keegan Murray is also sidelined. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Bruno plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: duelingdan.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NBA Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NBA fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Bruno
Dan has been writing all things NBA for RotoWire since 2014. He is an active fantasy sports player, with a love for DFS. Dan is a certified Coach with the Ontario Basketball Association and is a recreation professional in his home city.
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Sunday, December 15
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Lineup Strategy for Saturday, December 14
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Lineup Strategy for Saturday, December 14
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Saturday, December 14
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Saturday, December 14
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Saturday, December 14
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Saturday, December 14