NBA DFS Cheat Sheet Today: Picks & Predictions for NBA Thursday
A six-game slate is on the cards for NBA Thursday, with some of the league’s best players in action. In the PrizePicks NBA DFS Cheat Sheet for Thursday, January 2, we’ll give you the best picks and predictions for today’s slate on PrizePicks.
Two MVP contenders, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, take on the Nets and Clippers respectively. While SGA is looking to continue his hot run of form, Antetokounmpo just returned against the Pacers Wednesday afternoon after missing a few games. The Greek Freak was slow to start but put together a monster second half to lead the Bucks to a comeback win.
Also on the slate are two nationally televised games on TNT. The first game is between the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves features Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards. The second leg of that doubleheader features Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
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NBA DFS Cheat Sheet for Thursday: Picks for PrizePicks
Find game previews, NBA DFS projections, and PrizePicks NBA picks below for NBA, January 2nd. You can find all of today’s NBA DFS Projections on the PrizePicks app.
Games to Target for NBA DFS
NBA DFS Picks for PrizePicks Today
- Nets G D’Angelo Russell vs Bucks: 14.5 Points — More
- Clippers G James Harden vs Thunder: 5.5 Rebounds— More
- Sixers C Joel Embiid vs Warriors: 9.5 Rebounds — More
- Lakers G Austin Reaves vs Trail Blazers: 26.5 Pts+Asts — More
Pacers vs. Heat: How To Watch, Preview
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: NBA League Pass
These teams have met twice already this season and have put up a ton of points. In both meetings, both the Heat and the Pacers have at least put up 110 points and have split the season series so far.
The Pacers are top-10 in the league in pace while the Heat are in bottom-3 in that stat. In these matchups however, the team who has the slower pace, Miami, tends to play with a bit more tempo to keep up with Indiana.
The contrasting styles continue even more when you look at how these teams score and play defense. The Heat are top-10 in fewest points allowed and are in the bottom half of the league in scoring while Indiana is the reverse of that.
Both of these games took place early in the season, and did not have Jimmy Butler, so he will be inserted in the lineup this time around.
PrizePicks NBA Pick: Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton 8 Assists — More
Trail Blazers vs. Lakers: How To Watch, Preview
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: NBA League Pass
The Lakers meet the Trail Blazers for the second time this season in what is one of the best fantasy matchups a team could have. Portland allows the fourth-most fantasy points on average with only the Wizards, Jazz, and Bulls ahead of them.
When you break it down by individual positions, Portland is top-five in fantasy points allowed to all positions except the power forward spot, so there is a chance most of the starting lineup could feast tonight.
In their previous meeting, the Lakers were without both LeBron James and Austin Reaves and are both expected to play tonight. Without their superstar and a key role player, Portland hung in to make this game competitive only losing by nine.
Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell led the way respectively with 30 and 28 points in the first matchup. With James and Reaves in the lineup, there should be a more balanced attack this time around.
PrizePicks NBA Pick: Lakers F-C Anthony Davis 12.5 Rebounds — More
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NBA DFS Picks Today for PrizePicks
Below, you’ll find the top NBA DFS picks today for PrizePicks for Thursday, January 2.
Nets G D’Angelo Russell vs Bucks 14.5 Points — More
D’Angelo Russell is back in Brooklyn once again; in his first stint with the Nets, Russell thrived. He kicked off his second stint in Brooklyn with a 22-point performance against the Raptors in the first leg of a back-to-back.
Tonight he goes up against the Bucks who are allowing the second-most points to opposing point guards this season. Last night, the Raptors were in the top-half of the league in point guard points allowed which Russell was also able to take advantage of.
This game will be the first time that both teams are running their teams at full strength. Bucks SG Khris Middleton missed the first two meetings for Milwaukee while Nets SG Cam Thomas missed the last two meetings. Thomas is expected back tonight, but will get a much tougher matchup with Middleton as his primary defender.
Russell will draw Damian Lillard as his primary defender, and Dame has never been the best defender. Russell came off the bench yesterday against the Raptors and played 26 minutes. Despite potentially getting the start tonight, it wouldn’t be a shock if Russell gets some run with the bench unit to be the team’s primary ball handler and scorer, which could give him more opportunity to score here.
Clippers G James Harden vs Thunder: 5.5 Rebounds — More
The Clippers and Thunder have met twice this season, and PG James Harden has soared over this rebounds number in both beetings. Harden finished double-digit rebounds in both games and despite his lack of rebounding numbers in the last few games, he faces a Thunder team who are number one in rebounds allowed to opposing point guards.
This season, Harden is averaging just over six rebounds a game with about nine potential rebounds per game. Over the last five games, his average has dropped to 4.8, but he still has the same amount of potential rebounds.
Against the Thunder, he is averaging 12 rebounds with over 13 potential rebounds, meaning he is wildly efficient at taking his rebounding opportunities. Even with a slight dip in efficiency, he should be able to take advantage of this matchup.
Other opposing point guards with more than 5.5 rebounds against the Thunder include the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Malcolm Brodgon, so this is the perfect get-right matchup for Harden on the glass.
Sixers C Joel Embiid vs Warriors: 9.5 Rebounds — More
Joel Embiid’s rebounding numbers are down massively this season, currently averaging seven rebounds per game, the first time he is averaging single-digit rebounds since his first year in the league. Tonight he goes up against the Warriors where he’ll matchup against a much smaller Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Golden State as a whole is allowing the fourth-most rebounds to their opponents and are also allowing the fourth-most rebounds to opposing centers. Some of the league’s best centers accrued double-digit rebounds against the Warriors such as Sengun and Jokic but others like Naz Reid and Myles Turner were able to take advantage of this matchup as well.
Embiid is currently averaging 7 rebounds with 12 potential rebounds on the year. His splits on the road are much better though, averaging close to 9 rebounds a game with 14 potential rebounds. Embiid sat out last night’s game against the Kings so he is likely to see a full workload tonight.
Lakers G Austin Reaves vs Trail Blazers: 26.5 Pts+Asts — More
After missing their earlier meeting, Reaves returns in this meeting with one of the best matchups possible. Portland gives up the third-most points and the fifth-most assists to opposing point guards this season, and Reaves has had success this season being the team’s primary ball-handler. Portland also is allowing the ninth-most assists to their opponents this year.
Russell, who is no longer on the Lakers, torched Portland in that last game with 28 points and 14 assists off the bench. Reaves is currently averaging just under six assists per game with ten potential assists. Lately though, those numbers have shot up massively.
In his last 10 games, he leads the team in assists with over 8.5 per game and is just behind LeBron in terms of potential assists.
With the departure of Russell, you can expect Reaves to get some playing time with the second unit where he will enjoy his biggest usage.
Lock In Your NBA Thursday Lineups on PrizePicks
Despite a smaller slate on Thursday, we will still get to see the league’s superstars in action tonight. Some of these players have some great matchups tonight too so don’t be surprised if you see them put up insane numbers.
Use these picks in the NBA DFS Cheat Sheet to build your Lineups on PrizePicks. PrizePicks is the easiest way to cash in on your NBA knowledge; just pick more or less on at least two player stat projections and get paid if you’re correct. The more you pick, the more you stand to win.
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