We have an excellent nine-game NBA DFS main slate on Thursday night, including a doubleheader on TNT. It starts with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies going on the road to play Joel Embiid and the Sixers at 7:30 p.m. ET before Klay Thompson and the Warriors open up the second half of the season against the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET. Our DraftKings lineup has a good mix of veterans and multiple value sleepers under $6K who are the type of low-risk, high-reward options that are key in daily fantasy basketball tournaments.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Made three-point shot (+0.5 points), rebound (+1.25 points), assists (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+2 points), double-double (+1.5 points -- max one per player) and triple-double (+3 points -- max one player).
MORE NBA DFS: Tonight's FanDuel lineup
Thursday night's NBA DraftKings Picks: NBA DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Thursday night main slate, $50,000 budget
PG De'Aaron Fox, Kings vs. Blazers ($9,800). Fox has scored 30-plus points in four-straight games, and before the All-Star break, the veteran point guard had an efficient performance against the Suns, scoring 35 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also had four rebounds and four assists, giving him 47.5 DraftKings points. This month, Fox is averaging 50.05 DraftKings points per game. He should have another big performance tonight against the Trail Blazers, who allow the 10th-most DraftKings points per game to PGs (49.81) this season. It will be easy for DFS players to overlook the first-time All-Star, especially with Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden on the main slate. Nevertheless, Fox is worth the selection as DFS players can save some salary to spend at another spot.
SG D'Angelo Russell, Lakers vs. Warriors ($6,500). To round out our backcourt, we will go with Russell, who has played well since joining the Lakers at the trade deadline. In three games with Los Angeles, the veteran point guard has averaged 17.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He's also scored 25-plus DraftKings points in each of those contests. One of those games was against the Warriors when Russell had 29.3 DraftKings points (15 points, six assists, and five rebounds) in his second Lakers' debut. The last two times Russell faced Golden State this season, he averaged 32.9 DraftKings points. DFS players will be hoping for a similar performance tonight as the Lakers try to make a late-season push toward the postseason.
SF Keldon Johnson, Spurs @ Mavericks ($7,000). Johnson might have to do most of the scoring tonight for the Spurs, as Tre Jones (foot) is listed as doubtful and rookie Jeremy Sochan (quad) is questionable. Johnson has scored 20 or more points in five-straight games and is averaging 33.4 DK points per game over that span. In San Antonio's final game before the All-Star break, Johnson produced 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists (37 DK points) against the Hornets. He'll be facing a better team tonight in Dallas, but Johnson should still be able to get his points. In their first meeting on Christmas Eve, the former first-round pick had 30 points (10-19 FG, 4-5 3pt) and four rebounds in a one-point loss.
PF Evan Mobley, Cavaliers vs. Nuggets ($8,000). Mobley does not have a favorable matchup against the Nuggets tonight, who allow the 10th-fewest DraftKings points per game to PFs (43.88) this season. They also give up the eighth-fewest points (20.82) and second-fewest rebounds (8.78) per game to the position. It's not an ideal matchup for the young power forward, but we will still put him in our starting lineup based on what he's done over the past five games when he's averaged 37.5 DraftKings per contest. The Nuggets will be without Aaron Gordon (rib) tonight, which is a notable loss to their frontcourt but excellent news for Mobley and center Jarrett Allen.
C Wendell Carter Jr., Magic vs. Pistons ($5,800). There are a lot of great centers on tonight's main slate, but we will save some salary and take Carter Jr. against the Pistons. Carter is averaging 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game (31.9 DK points per game) this season, and in the Magic's last game before the All-Star break, the former Duke big man went off for 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists (43 DraftKings points) against the Raptors. The last time Carter scored 40 or more DK points in a game was on Feb. 5 against the Hornets, where he also had a double-double consisting of 20 points and 12 rebounds (41.5 DraftKings). It might be hard for Carter Jr. to grab a double-double against Detroit's young frontcourt, but we still like him to score 25-30 DK points against the Pistons, who allow the ninth-most DK points per game to centers (55.6) this season.
G Cam Reddish, Blazers @ Kings ($3,600). With Anfernee Simons (ankle) out for tonight's game against the Kings, we could see additional playing time for Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, and Shaedon Sharpe. DFS players are hoping Reddish can have another good performance, as he scored 18 points (7-12 FG, 4-7 3pt) against the Wizards last week. It was the second time Reddish scored in double-figures since joining the Trail Blazers at the trade deadline. At just $3,600, the former Duke standout is worth taking a flier on as the Kings rank 24th against SG/SFs (OPRK) this season.
F Talen Horton-Tucker, Jazz vs. Thunder ($4,800). Horton-Tucker could be spending a lot of time handling the ball tonight with Colin Sexton (hamstring) ruled out. The former Lakers' wing has fit in nicely with the Jazz and is starting to carve out a role for himself as a facilitator. THT has dished out six-plus assists in five-straight games and scored in double figures in three of those contests. Horton-Tucker is another player like Reddish, who provides roster flexibility, so you could put him in the UTIL spot or move him into your starting lineup at SG or SF.
UTIL Kevon Looney, Warriors @ Lakers ($4,400). Our final play for tonight's slate will be Looney, who does not do a lot of scoring but does an excellent job cleaning the glass. When the Warriors and Lakers last played each other on Feb. 11, Looney produced two points and 13 rebounds (29.3 FanDuel points). Even though he only scored one basket, he was still productive in NBA DFS. The veteran center has picked up double-digit boards in four out of his past five games and had a double-double in his last two contests against the Clippers and Wizards.
