RADIO
The quarterfinals of the in-season tournament continue tonight with two more matchups. The Knicks host the Hawks in the Eastern Conference, while the Warriors face a very good Houston team in the Western Conference.
I recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs in today's edition while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks. If you want DraftKings picks, see who Zach Thompson likes by reading his piece here.
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/11/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on FanDuel.
FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK - C ($9,500)
Towns is probable for tonight's game and fresh off a beastly performance against the Raptors on Monday when he went for 60 FD points and hit the game-clinching three-pointer in the final seconds.
We dem boyz pic.twitter.com/yViyi74nrw
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) December 10, 2024
After missing one game against Detroit, KAT was back to his dominant ways, rolling up his third straight game with 20+ points and 15+ rebounds. He's been fantastic in New York this season and the move back to center has done wonders for his fantasy output.
Josh Hart is questionable tonight, but his absence likely boosts OG Anunoby and some other Knicks more than Towns. KAT will be the focus on offense regardless and should continue to pile up stats in this matchup.
He went for 34 points and 16 boards against Atlanta the first time these teams met over a month ago and he's easily my first click into lineups tonight of the available stars on this slate.
Stephen Curry, GSW - PG ($8,600)
You're going to have to choose between Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, and Curry tonight unless you fade Towns (not advised) and while stacking the Knicks game is a solid move for GPPs, I still think I like Curry the most of all three players at his price point.
Curry has yet to face Houston this season, missing both of the Warriors games against them. Golden State has managed to win both of those matchups without him, but they'll need a strong outing from Curry tonight as Houston is a very solid defensive team with the type of depth to match the Warriors bench unit, too.
Houston does allow the third-most points to opposing point guards and while I respect Fred VanVleet as a defender, Curry is still one of the best to ever do it and capable of carrying this offense with his shooting and play-making.
In three meetings last year, Curry averaged 40 FD points. I think we see him push up closer to 50 tonight in a tough, hard-fought game against a good Houston club as the Warriors ultimately prevail (grab the Warriors money line at plus money!)
Others Under Consideration: Jalen Brunson - PG ($10,600), Mikal Bridges - SG/SF ($6,600)
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
De'Andre Hunter, ATL - SF/PF ($5,900)
The big news we are waiting for is the status of Jalen Johnson for Atlanta. He missed Sunday's game against Denver with a shoulder injury and is listed as questionable. As much as these teams want to win these tournament games, there's just no way that they're going risk players' health - especially a guy like Johnson who has been the main catalyst for the turnaround in Atlanta this season.
While Hunter didn't start in Johnson's absence, he maintained his role as the team's sixth man and poured in 20 points in 24 minutes against the Nuggets. That was the fourth straight 20+ point game for Hunter and the sixth in his last seven contests. Look for him to pick up some of the slack on offense if Johnson is out and if Johnson plays, he becomes a contrarian play.
OG Anunoby, NYK – SF/PF ($7,000)
Anunoby gets a bump tonight if Josh Hart is forced to miss his first game of the season. He would likely slide over to power forward for a lot of this game and will probably pick up a few more minutes, too. He's already playing a ton of minutes, too, with 38. 39, and 41 in his last three games.
OG Anunoby’s Last 5 Games:
3 BLK | 2 STL
2 BLK | 4 STL
2 BLK | 4 STL
2 BLK | 0 STL
3 BLK | 4 STLHE’S NOT NORMAL 🔥 https://t.co/cErSPu9qLq pic.twitter.com/WvYiK1NQc8
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) December 10, 2024
Anunoby is having a fantastic year and is in the midst of a great stretch on the defensive end (see stats above). Those defensive stats add up quickly as they're worth three points each on FanDuel. Just consider the fact that Anunoby went for 33.8 FD points in a game last week while only scoring seven actual points.
The Hawks play fast and turn the ball over a lot. This is a great spot for him to pile up some steals and blocks in addition to knocking down open shots and helping contribute on offense. He's easily one of my favorite plays in the mid-tier of pricing tonight.
Others Under Consideration: Jalen Green - SG ($6,700), Andrew Wiggins- SF/PF ($6,100)
Want more NBA DFS tools and exclusive content? Check out our premium daily content from proven winner Will Priester! Grab an NBA season pass and get access to our daily projections, optimizer, Will's personal picks, props, advice, and VIP chat rooms. Use promo code THUNDERDAN at checkout to save 10%
FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Miles McBride, NYK – PG/SG ($4,200)
Deuce McBride is back to his 25-minute role as the sixth man and pumping out 20+ FD points with ease on most nights. He could end up starting if Josh Hart is out tonight and the Knicks go small unless they start Achiuwa at PF instead. Either way, expect McBride to play a lot tonight in a great game environment.
Dillon Brooks, HOU - SG/SF (4,600)
Brooks is a high ceiling/low floor play but he has been hot lately. He went for 43 FD points against the Clippers in his last game and has seen his minutes trending up for Houston lately. He's not my favorite play, but we need some cheap options on the wing tonight if we are going to cram in multiple studs.
Larry Nance Jr., ATL – PF/C ($4,400)
If Jalen Johnson ends up missing tonight's game, then Nance will be the chalk LOCK that you need to get into all of your builds.
Larry Nance Jr. things 😤 pic.twitter.com/87qBDOOhAm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 9, 2024
We know what Nance is capable of when he gets minutes - he's always been a solid per-minute fantasy producer. And his performance on Sunday against Denver was a reminder of that as he went for 31 FD points in just 24 minutes. I'm going to be playing Nance and Hunter both together if Johnson misses as they both could combine to give us what Johnson usually does (for around the same price as Johnson usually costs).
Buddy Hield, GSW – PG/SG ($4,400)
Buddy is a gunner who can get hot shooting on any given night. He torched the Rockets already once this season and is far too cheap for his ceiling (though his floor is also low, so he's a GPP option only).
Others Under Consideration: Gary Payton II, GSW - PG/SG ($3,900), Precious Achiuwa - PF/C ($4,300)
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Karl-Anthony Towns
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Karl-Anthony Towns
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: DeAndre Hunter
- My favorite VALUE play: Larry Nance Jr. (assuming Johnson is out)
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!
