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Today's top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel on January 4, 2024. Dawn's NBA DFS sleeper picks for building winning DFS lineups.
After a fun-filled NBA holiday schedule, we are back to our typically small Thursday night slates. We have just two games tonight: Milwaukee at San Antonio and Denver at Golden State. The only team on a back-to-back is Milwaukee, so be sure to keep an eye on the possible resting of players tonight.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/4/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
As always, feel free to follow my X/Twitter (@dtepdc) to keep up to date with NBA news and for my nightly NBA bets if you're into that sort of thing. Let's go!
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Today's DraftKings, FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jamal Murray, PG, DEN at GSW – PG ($8,000 DK; $8,500 FD)
Murray is in a great position at Golden State as they rank toward the bottom of the league against guards, allowing between 23 and 26 points per game to point guards and shooting guards, respectively. Murray is a better value on DraftKings and could be lower owned if DFS players are going for "stars and scrubs" lineups, trying to jam in Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama.
Murray has consistently scored 29 points per game against the Warriors for the past two seasons and has had success getting looks from beyond the arc. Although the Warriors have been performing decently without Draymond Green, his absence gives Murray more opportunities to score by driving to the basket, which I anticipate he will do tonight.
Tre Jones, PG, SAS vs. MIL – PG ($5,100 DK; $5,000 FD)
Looking for someone other than Wemby to add to your lineup(s) tonight? Or in addition to? How about Jones, who, in the Spurs' last game against Milwaukee, had 14 points, one rebound, and five assists in 24 minutes? The Bucks are tougher on guards than most, but they are allowing a higher-than-average amount of assists to point guards per game, averaging 7.3 this season. $5,100 on DK/FD should prove to be a great value and allow you to add other higher-priced studs onto your roster.
Also Consider: Damian Lillard ($9,300 DK; $8,600 FD)
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Today's DraftKings, FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at SAS – PF/C ($12,000 DK; $12,100 FD)
I don't see how we don't play Giannis tonight unless he sits out after putting up 26 points last night in the Bucks' loss in Indiana. If you are playing tournaments, sure, fade him and play Jokic instead or Lillard and Brook Lopez together, but this game total is too high to fade him in cash games (if he plays).
Even with the Spurs being among the lowest in the league in defense, they are a bit tougher on power forwards than the other positions. This isn't much of a concern with Giannis, as he's not like most PFs, so if you are playing cash games, he's a lock on a two-game slate.
Victor Wembanyama, SAS vs. MIL – PF/C ($8,300 DK; $9,500 FD)
In his first season with the Spurs, Wemby is averaging 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 2.9 assists. The Bucks have been a bit stingy towards the PF/C position, allowing just an average of approximately 22.5 points per game. Where they are not stingy is in how they defend rebounds to these positions, allowing 10.1 rebounds per game to PFs and 14.4 to centers. This is going to be the highest-scoring game on the slate, and at $8,300 on DK, rostering him should allow you to add at least two more studs to your lineups.
Oh, and it's his 20th birthday today!
Also Consider: Michael Porter Jr. ($6,600 DK; $6,800 FD)
Today's DraftKings, FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic, DEN at GSW – C ($11,600 DK; $11,900 FD)
Given the high scores we expect from the Milwaukee/San Antonio game, Jokic and the Nuggets could be slightly overlooked tonight. With just two games tonight, he is probably not as overlooked as we would like, but I expect his ownership to be lower than that of Giannis. The Warriors are allowing 14.3 rebounds per game this season to centers, along with two blocks per game. Without Draymond Green to help harass the big center, the Joker shouldn't have a problem on the road at the Chase Center.
Brook Lopez, MIL at SAS – C ($6,200 DK; $7,300 FD)
If you are fading Giannis, Lopez is your man. You could, of course, play both if you are trying to be a bit different at the center position. As mentioned above, the Spurs are allowing among the highest amounts of points in the league to centers, allowing 25 points per game. This season, Brook is averaging 31 minutes, 13 points, and 5.1 rebounds per game. San Antonio is allowing 16.3 rebounds per game to centers, and Giannis won't be able to get to all of them, leaving Lopez room to run up his peripheral fantasy points.
Also Consider: Trayce Jackson-Davis ($5,700 DK; $5,700 FD)
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