NBA DraftKings Picks 2/24: Best NBA DFS lineup advice for Friday’s daily fantasy basketball tournaments
We have an action-packed eight-game NBA DFS Main Table Friday night, including a doubleheader on ESPN. It begins with the Heat continuing their four-game road trip against the Bucks ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder taking on Devin Booker and the Suns on the second night of a back-to-back at 10 p.m. ET. Our DraftKings lineup has a good mix of veterans and sleepers with multiple values under $6,000, which are the kind 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 competitions: Three-point shot made (+0.5 points), recoil (+1.25 points), supports (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+2 points), double-double (+1.5 points – maximum one per player) and triple-double (+3 points – maximum one player).
MORE NBA DFS: Today’s FanDuel lineup
NBA DraftKings Picks Friday Night: Lineup of NBA DFS for GPP tournaments
Main program Friday night, budget $50,000
PG Jalen Brunson, Knicks @ Wizards ($8,800). Before the All-Star break, the Vet shone against the Hawks with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists for 44.8 DraftKings points. Brunson has scored 40 or more DraftKings points in five straight games and is averaging 49 DraftKings points per game this month. He’ll look to add another 40-point performance against the Wizards, who grant the PGs the 13th-lowest DraftKings points per game (48.03). It’s not an ideal matchup for the veteran point guard, but he’s played well in two games against the Wizards this season, averaging 33.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.5 assists per game. Brunson also shot an efficient 47.9 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range. With this type of production, we’ll be taking our chances with Brunson as our lead guard for tonight’s lineup.
SG Paul George, Clippers vs. Kings ($8,200). George will be our starting two guard for tonight’s main roster as he will face a Kings team who just played the Trail Blazers on Thursday night. The All-Star wing has scored 20 or more points in five of their last six games, which bodes well for tonight. George, 32, played well in the Clippers’ last game against the Suns, recording 26 points, six rebounds and five assists. George has 43 DK points in this competition and has broken the 40-point threshold in four of his last six games. The veteran winger could battle Sacramento tonight, who concede the SGs the 12th lowest DraftKings points per game (41.97). However, when George faced the Kings in October, he had 40 points (16-31 FG, 3-10 3pt), six rebounds and six assists. If the veteran can produce such a complete performance again tonight, our backcourt should be in top form in the starting XI.
SF Khris Middleton, Bucks vs. Heat ($6,300). With Giannis Antetokounmpo (wrist) listed as questionable for tonight’s game, Milwaukee may have to lean on the Middleton and Jrue Holiday duo. Middleton has not returned to the starting line-up since returning from a knee injury, but he has still been productive. The 31-year-old small forward has averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in his last 10 games. He’s also hit double digits in six straight games and averaged 32.2 DraftKings points per game. One of those games was against today’s opponent – the Heat, where Middleton had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes (39.3 DK points). Miami has struggled against opposing SFs this season and conceded the eighth most DK points per game (42.76).
PF Cameron Johnson, Nets @ Bulls ($5,200). Johnson will be one of our first value plays for tonight’s main list. The 26-year-old forward has scored 10 or more points in his first three games for the Nets. The former Suns forward did not feature in the last meeting in Brooklyn on February 9. However, Johnson should be a good focal point for DFS players looking to save some salary. With Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges attracting attention on the fringes, Johnson should be able to get his as Chicago is allowing the 10th most DraftKings points per game at PFs (41.62) this season.
C Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves vs. Hornets ($7,200). Gobert didn’t look like the all-star center we’ve seen with the Jazz in recent years. However, in his first season with Minnesota, he still averages 13.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 33.1 DK points per game. Gobert, 30, has notched back-to-back 40-point DK performances against Dallas (40) and Washington (48.8). It wouldn’t be shocking if the veteran departs tonight against the Hornets, who concede the most DK points per game (60.32) to centers this season. When Gobert last played the Hornets in November, he had 17 points and 17 rebounds in a two-point win.
G. Gabe Vincent, Heat @ Bucks ($5,000). With Kyle Lowry (knee) out again for tonight’s game against the Bucks, Vincent will start for the seventh straight game. In his six starts so far, the 26-year-old combo guard has averaged 14.2 points and 25.2 DraftKings points per game. In addition, Vincent has at least 20 or more DraftKings points in the last five games. In the Heat’s last meeting against the Bucks earlier this month, Vincent had seven points, three rebounds and one assist in 34 minutes (17.8 DraftKings points). However, in the first two games against the Bucks, Vincent went off with 28 and 27 points. DFS players will be hoping for a similar performance tonight, especially as Tyler Herro (knee) is listed as likely.
F Jonathan Kuminga, Warrior Against Missiles ($4,200). The 20-year-old power forward is an underrated player in today’s main line-up as he is likely to start in place of Andrew Wiggins tonight. The former NBA G League standout Ignite had 10 points, five assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes against the Lakers on Thursday night. It was the second straight game in which Kuminga scored in double digits and racked up more than 20 DK points. We played on Cam Reddish last night as a value play so hopefully we can have the same luck with Kuminga tonight.
UTIL Immanuel Quickley, Knicks @ Warriors ($4,700). Our last player for tonight’s main list will be Quickley, who has scored double figures in five straight games. During that period, the former Kentucky guard also averaged 27.24 DraftKings points per game. The last time Quickley played the Wizards on Jan. 18, he had 18 points (6-13 FG, 2-6 3 points) and five rebounds in 32 minutes (26.8 DK points). The third-year Guard should be on many DFS players’ radars as the Wizards rank 27th in OPRK against PG/SGs.