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Free expert daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use John's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on February 4, 2024.
It's a Sunday in the NBA and we have a rather nice seven-game slate to break down. I hope you all had a fantastic start to 2024, and let's head forward with a massive win and get our bankrolls prepared for the long haul.
We have just one team on a back-to-back on tonight's slate: the Milwaukee Bucks. Let's see how that affects some of our lineups and how we want to attack this slate.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 2/4/23. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 6:00 PM EST on FanDuel and DraftKings.
Today's NBA DFS Core Plays
Miles Bridges is in a great high-paced matchup tonight with LaMelo Ball out. With both teams in this matchup ranked in the bottom five of defensive efficiency, it seems like a good game to target, right? Well, Bridges has to be one of the best options overall. He projects to play 38 minutes, mostly from a pseudo-power forward position, where the Pacers rank 28th in defensive efficiency. Bridges projects to 21.96 points, 8.78 rebounds, and 3.58 assists.
There aren't many slates where Nikola Jokic isn't the "optimal" play at the center position, particularly of late. The Joker has been dominating over his last three games. He's logged at least 25 points in each, grabbed 54 (!!!) rebounds, and had back-to-back 12-assist games in that span. Tonight, he projects to a 30.18% usage rate across 36 minutes, compiling 26.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 9.23 assists.
Top Core Plays:
- Miles Bridges, CHA vs. IND – SF/PF ($8,400 DK; $8,600 FD)
- Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. POR – C ($11,800 DK; $12,100 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Value Plays
With the ongoing emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the addition of Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey has seen his usage rate drop from previous seasons. It means little tonight, though, as the Thunder will likely be without Jalen Williams and Giddey projects to a 22.21% usage rate tonight across 26 minutes. Assuming Carson Wallace gets the nod at the shooting guard spot tonight, Giddey has a fantastic matchup against the Raptors who rank 30th in defensive efficiency against the position. Giddey projects to 11.2 points, 6.87 rebounds, and 4.87 assists.
Malik Beasley sits among one of my favorite archetypes of player when it comes to DFS: a high-minute, low-usage player who has the upside to break a slate if he gets hot from the floor. He projects to 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.48 assists tonight. The Jazz rank 28th in defensive efficiency against shooting guards (25.4) and if he can start the game off shooting well, he could be in for a big night.
The hope (for DFS purposes) is that Robin Lopez obtains the starting nod at the center position for Milwaukee tonight, pending the status of his brother Brook Lopez and Jae Crowder going into this game. This opens up what could potentially be a free square and opens up some wiggle room at other spots. My model doesn't have any projections for Lopez at this time, but I'll be monitoring the situation throughout the day.
Top Value Plays:
- Malik Beasley, MIL vs. UTA - SG ($4,500 DK; $4,600 FD)
- Robin Lopez, MIL vs. UTA - C ($3,000 DK; $3,500 FD)
- Josh Giddey, OKC vs. TOR - PG/SG ($5,900 DK; $6,500 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Point Guard
We just got the news that he participated in the shootaround this morning, and if he ends up seeing a bit less in terms of minute restrictions -- it has to be Tyrese Haliburton. If he's going to get even a bit of a boost in minutes tonight, it could be well worth taking a shot on him in your lineups. Haliburton projects to 14.75 points, 3.22 rebounds, and 7.63 assists. However, he does project to a 28.03% usage rate, and I'll be monitoring his minutes projections throughout the day.
Top PG Options:
- Jrue Holiday vs. UTA ($6,100 DK; $7,000 FD)
- Tyrese Haliburton vs. CHA ($9,000 DK; $9,800 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Shooting Guard
I'll shoot for Bucks value again, as mentioned under my value plays, and look at Malik Beasley if Jae Crowder and Brook Lopez take tonight off. Even if they play, I still like taking the shot on Beasley here. We should see a lot of points in that matchup, especially with the Bucks coming in on a back-to-back.
Top SG Options:
- Josh Giddey vs. TOR ($5,900 DK; $6,500 FD)
- Malik Beasley vs. UTA ($4,500 DK; $4,600 FD) prefer on DraftKings
- Jordan Clarkson vs. MIL ($6,000 DK; $6,700 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Small Forward
As mentioned in my core plays, it has to be Miles Bridges. This is easily the top game stack on the slate, and with the injury issues that Charlotte seemingly always deals with, Bridges is such a good shout.
Top SF Options:
- Miles Bridges vs. IND ($8,400 DK; $8,600 FD)
- Jayson Tatum vs. MEM ($9,700 DK; $10,100 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Power Forward
Nobody stands out here, but given the potential injuries surrounding their lineup tonight, I think the top player at the position has to be Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Jazz rank 30th in power forward efficiency, which is a recipe for disaster with Giannis lining up across from them.
Top PF Options:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. UTA ($11,400 DK; $11,900 FD)
- Jayson Tatum vs. MEM ($9,700 DK; $10,100 FD)
- Pascal Siakam vs. CHA ($8,500 DK; $8,000 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Lineup Picks: Center
I gave both a core play and value play at the position with Nikola Jokic and Robin Lopez. There's another guy to look at here too: Bobby Portis. As the day goes on it feels more likely that Portis will nab the start at the 5 for Milwaukee tonight. While the matchup isn't as good as say, Giannis's, I still like Portis who should get a usage bump that will take him north of 20%, and we should see him play north of 20 minutes in this one.
Top C Options:
- Nikola Jokic vs. POR ($11,800 DK; $12,100 FD)
- Bobby Portis vs. UTA ($6,100 DK; $5,500 FD)
- Robin Lopez vs. UTA ($3,000 DK; $3,500 FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Indiana @ Charlotte (236.5 total)
- Milwaukee @ Utah (246.5 total)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
- I'll be fading from the Houston/Minnesota game.
- I'll also be wary of grabbing anyone from the Clippers and Miami game. Both teams look to regress on the offensive side of the ball tonight.
My Favorite NBA DFS Lineup Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite overall play on the slate: Nikola Jokic
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Miles Bridges
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Malik Beasley / Robin Lopez
- My favorite value play: Josh Giddey
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