NBA DFS Picks Tonight: Best Value Plays, Sleepers for DraftKings & FanDuel (12/5)

Get winning NBA DFS lineup picks and player projections for tonight's games on DraftKings and FanDuel. Max Kulish's expert analysis helps you build optimal daily fantasy basketball lineups for December 5th, 2025.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Tonight, we have a massive 11-game slate, highlighted by the doubleheader on Prime Video of the Lakers at Celtics, followed by the Mavs at Thunder. Note that DraftKings is not including the Mavs-Thunder game in the main slate, while FanDuel will. For this article, I will only feature players in games on both sites. Whichever site you're playing on, there are plenty of good DFS fantasy basketball options to consider. These articles focus on the best overall plays, which are typically more suited to cash games. However, some exceptions may apply, depending on the size of the slate.

As always, watching the injury report updates will be critical to finalizing your strategy. Some big names will be on the sidelines for this slate, including Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo. There are many more players out, and there will undoubtedly be players who pop up on the injury report tomorrow, or even get ruled out, so keep a close eye on the NBA injury news and make adjustments as needed.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/5/25. 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 and DraftKings. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where our experts are talking about the slate up until lineups lock!

NBA DFS Core Picks

James Harden, LAC - PG (DK $9.2K, FD $9.6K)

Harden profiles as an elite cash play tonight. He has the third-highest usage rate among all players on the slate (fourth-highest if including SGA on FanDuel), and has had the performance to match it. He's averaging 50.2 fantasy PPG on the season, and he's posted 48+ points in nine of his last ten full games.

In addition, he has an excellent matchup against the Grizzlies, who rank in the bottom five in fantasy PPG allowed to PGs. After a distraction-filled 48 hours for the Clippers, I expect them to lean on their stars tonight on the road and see Harden as the leader of the charge.

James Harden tonight:

27 Points
9 Assists
4 Rebounds
3 Steals
37 Minutes

Clippers get a much needed Win. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cF4ykPoXqO

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 4, 2025

Donovan Mitchell, CLE - SG (DK $9.4K, FD $9.3K)

Mitchell also sees elite usage numbers; he has the highest usage by a player not named SGA on the slate (32.8%), and should see a massive workload tonight. The Cavs are expected to be without both Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen, and in a game where the Cavs have an implied team total of 121.5, Mitchell should get up plenty of shots tonight.

Don't be surprised if he takes more shots than any other player tonight - the Cavs are 7- 1 this season when Mitchell scores 35+ points this year. Fresh off a home loss to the Blazers on Wednesday, the Cavs can't afford to drop another home game to an inferior opponent. I expect Mitchell, among other Cavs players, to be highly owned tonight.

Donovan Mitchell 43 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 16/27 FG, 4/10 3FG, 69.4% TS vs Pacers https://t.co/RpGraMmkcC pic.twitter.com/JLpmEX5udR

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) December 2, 2025

NBA DFS GPP Pivots

Nikola Jokic, DEN - C (DK $12.9K, FD $12.8K)

Jokic is the most expensive player on the slate by a whopping $2,200. Of course, he is the best player in the league and could break the slate on any given evening, but on a slate this large, there are simply so many options. +

At this price tag, anything short of a 70+ point fantasy performance simply won't get the job done at such a large price tag. Hitting that key number of 70+ might be a bit of a challenge, though, as Jokic has scored 70+ only twice in his last eight games, and has only cleared 63 points three times in that span. He's always worth a look when building lineups for tournaments, but be warned that anything short of an explosive performance could sink your ship.

Cade Cunningham, DET - PG (DK $10.4K, FD $10.5K)

Cade's ownership should stay in check tonight with all of the options on the slate, and I think he's primed for a bounce-back. He's coming off a season-low 17 points in a loss against the Giannis-less Bucks. Surprisingly, the Pistons sit atop the Eastern Conference as of this moment in time - I expect them to bounce back and take care of business at home, where they are 9-2 this season, against a lesser opponent.

Portland is slightly below average defensively as a team, and they rank in the bottom-10 against PGs in fantasy this season. Cunningham is a stat sheet stuffer, and he possesses a ceiling that few other players on the slate can compete with. There will be a lot of popular mid-range PG plays tonight, so if

NBA DFS Value Picks

AJ Green, MIL - SG (DK $5.2K, FD $5K)

Green has been on fire lately, playing what is probably the best ball he has ever played in the NBA. Over his last five games, he's averaging 31 fantasy PPG, while shooting greater than 50% from three and overall. Green is starting to really come into his own in his fourth year, being one of the best shooters of the league through the first quarter of the year.

It’s time to have a discussion about AJ Green pic.twitter.com/7EGhMK6VER

— 🎰 (@playoffbuck) December 4, 2025

Luke Kornet, SAS - C (DK $4.9K, FD $4.9K)

Kornet has been a rock for the Spurs since Victor Wembanyama went down. Kornet has scored 20+ fantasy points in six straight games and has no real competition at his position. If he does miss tonight's game, Kelly Olynyk would immediately become one of the best value options on the slate.

Lonzo Ball, CLE- PG/SG (DK $4.5K, FD $4.7K)

Ball is expected to join the Cavaliers' starting five in the absence of Darius Garland tonight. The Cavs are extremely thin in their backcourt, and Lonzo should see closer to 30 minutes instead of his usual 25. This game has a 238.5 implied total, and Lonzo is a cheap, starting player with upside. In addition, being playable at both guard spots makes him an easy pairing with a star guard of your choosing.

Today's Top Game Stacks

Spurs at Cavs (238.5 O/U) - The Cavs, and their injury-ridden roster, are what separate this game from the pack tonight. The Cavs will be extremely chalky, while the Spurs will continue to be a bit of a crapshoot outside of De'Aaron Fox and his somewhat limited ceiling outcomes.

Pacers at Bulls (237.5 O/U) - This game features two teams in the top 10 in pace (CHI #2, IND #8) and sees both teams dealing with a handful of injuries apiece. The Pacers are extremely cheap from top to bottom, and while the Bulls aren't quite as discounted, their prices are pretty manageable as well, making this an easy game to feature multiple players from each side.

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: Donovan Mitchell
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Donovan Mitchell
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Cade Cunningham
• My favorite VALUE play: Luke Kornet

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis