NBA

The crazies come out quick in there when you point out the obvious.

1. Embiid: 11.7 FTA/game on 88.3%

2. Giannis: 10.7 FTA/game on 65.7%

3. Luka: 8.7 FTA/game on 78.5%

4. Shai: 8.6 FTA/game on 87.0%

5. Jimmy: 7.9 FTA/game on 86.3%

I just hope the Raptors got a chance to draft Alex Sarr

DinoSarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Not only 0 FTs from the Celtics, here's another hard to beat record from this historic match.

Disclaimer: only been following the W for ~4 years so i'm also a relatively new fan and probably am off on some.

Las Vegas Aces: 2018 Warriors. Dominant superteam built from the draft and 1-2 key signings, likely to repeat.

NY Liberty: 2015 Cavs. The other superteam that is less good but has the MVP and a few less impressive but very good core players.

Chicago Sky: 2024 Raptors. A few years removed from their championship, now in full rebuild mode having shipped off their final piece.

Indiana Fever: 2023 Thunder. Super young team with tons of raw talent, but will they be too young?

Phoenix Mercury: Aged, past their prime legends trying to have one last run with a free agency move. 2013 Lakers?

Atlanta Dream: 2016 Trailblazers. Two awesome guards likely playoff bound, but not quite good enough to be a top team

Minnesota Lynx: oof..this one was hard. A thoroughly mediocre team, good defensively but nothing special. The 2023 Knicks?

LA Sparks: 2024 Trailblazers. Lost their only good player in offseason, is in full rebuild mode.

Connecticut Sun: 2022 76ers. Solid core of players, including an MVP-level big, who are very good but can't quite get over the hump in the East.

Dallas Wings: 2021 Nuggets. Two very good young players - one guard and one big, who show a lot of promise.

Washington Mystics: 2023 Nets Star "taking break from basketball", should be good but more likely will be disfunctional.

Seattle Storm: 2022 Clippers. Was bad for a bit but re-upped in free agency and added tons of talent for their one current good player.

Lmk how good/bad these comps are!

I've been looking SINCE last night for a highlight vid and can't find anything. Any one else have any luck?

Be careful what you say here as it all matters.

SARRDONIC WRATH

Tyrese will put up 25-5-13 on 55-45-90 splits and Pascal will put up 28-10-6 on 57-38-84 splits to beat the Lakers in 4, getting their IST revenge.

I know this because it’s true.

Kobe Bryant and Joe Bryant - 38,895 points

Of course the Bryants take the top spot because Kobe alone has the fourth most points (33643) in NBA history. The Black Mamba played for a total of 20 seasons while his father Joe, who played in the league from 1975–1992, finished his career with 5,252 points.

Stephen Curry and Dell Curry - 34,857 points

One of the most popular father-son duos in NBA history, Dell and Steph have a total of 34,895 points together. Most are obviously by Steph, who currently has 22,187 and is regarded as the greatest three point shooter of all time. Additionally, Dell retired as the Charlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points and three-point field goals made, amassing to a total of 12,670 points.

Klay Thompson and Mychal Thompson - 27,226 points

Next comes Curry’s teammate, Klay Thompson and his father Mychal Thompson who have a total of 27,226 points together. Klay has already surpassed his father’s total as he now has 14,416 while Mychal walked away from the game with 12,810. Together, they have a total of six championships, and that’s a lot of rings in the Thompson household.

Bronny has a chance to be the Brent Gretzky of the NBA.

I can’t find any as of right now when going through the top 30 players all time. Lebron didn’t do it, KD might’ve done it but I might have to check his age to make sure, and Duncan did it by 26. I think luka might be the 1st ever, but I need some confirmation.

Edit: KD was the first to do it, luka is the second.

An anecdote from :

Jamal Murray told me that the late, great Kobe Bryant challenged him to make an NBA all-defensive team. Murray said Kobe knew what he was capable of offensively, but he challenged Murray to the best all around player he could be.

Last night he became the first guard this season to record 4 steals and 4 blocks in a game.

Murray has a career high in blocks this season. 38 and counting.

He’s third on the Nuggets in total deflections, behind Jokić and KCP. 105 and counting.

Murray to me last night: “it’s crazy how something like that can stick with you.”

My picks were flames last night. Brunson and Edwards went nuclear. Poole and Wemby were rock solid. Memphis value smoked. It was a solid night for me, as I doubled up across the board. I lost some of that back in MLB, but whatever.

Hopefully my advice helped you out last night. The goal is to keep the good times rolling tonight. Let's take an early look at the most stackable games and my favorite plays. Then be sure to take an updated look at this slate via my show (@TheDFSBuild) on YouTube (link in reddit profile).

And. Here. We. Go.

Best NBA DFS Environments for Wednesday

• Hornets vs. Hawks (10, 220)

• Raptors vs. Nets (10, 222)

The games with the best spreads are likely to miss key players, boast elite defenses, or run at a slow pace. Does that mean we can't pay up for Luka or play Bucks and Spurs? Nope, but it does make their environments a bit less enticing.

I never feel inclined to stack one game on a 6-gamer, but if I did, I'd start with these two games. Both of these games have 10-point spreads, but those lines feel a bit long considering the teams we are dealing with.

Atlanta pushes the pace and doesn't defend, so even the lowly Hornets have a shot to keep this one close. If ownership is low here, I like the idea of full stacking this game.

Toronto could get Quickley back after he was rested last night, so they feel odd as 10-point dogs. See what happens with their lineup, but I can see this one staying close and the 222 total isn't bad for this slate.

Overall, I won't force a stack. I'd start with the Hawks game, but I'll largely just be picking my spots tonight.

Top NBA DFS Picks for 4/10

• PG: Dejounte Murray ($9.7k)

• SG: Cam Thomas ($7.7k)

• SF: De'Andre Hunter ($6.k)

• PF: Bobby Portis ($6.7k)

• C: Nic Claxton ($6.6k)

I see Damian Lillard with Giannis almost surely out. He's cheaper and his role will be massive. You can play him or pair these guys, but I see Dejounte as a possible leverage play in tourneys. The price is close, and Murray has the better projection, offers a superior ceiling, projects as the better smash play, and is the better points per dollar play. He also has the vastly superior matchup and game environment. Lillard obviously looks great, but could going with Dejounte and using other Bucks be the call here? Quite possibly.

This price is not cheap for Thomas. However, we know he has a ceiling and tonight he gets a bad Raptors defense. I don't know that we absolutely have to play Cam on this slate, but he has the second best projection among SGs and the guy ahead of him is $1.5k more expensive. He's a solid value in a smash spot, so he's very much on my radar.

Jalen Johnson is down for the count. We can get more exposure to my favorite game of the night via Hunter, who popped off for 49 fantasy points last night. Charlotte is a fantastic matchup and his usage grows with Johnson sidelined. You can also look at Boggy, but Hunter is cheaper.

Bobby Portis looks great with Giannis likely out. He's not exactly cheap, but his role will expand and he's already offered steady production. He enters the night with the 6th best projection among PFs and most of Orlando's defensive attention will be on Dame/Khris. It's still never fun to play guys against Orlando, but the price and role look good.

If we catch word that Wemby is playing and won't be limited, he may end up being the best play of the slate. Pop was non-committal and it's the 2nd leg of a b2b set, though, so I'd be worried. If we can't use Wemby, center sucks big time immediately.

That takes me to punt szn or some mid-range guys. If we go mid-range, I am looking at Claxton or Capela. Daniel Gafford just went 12-12 (!!) against Charlotte last night, so Capeal could feast. I do favor Clax here, though, as the Raptors are a really good matchup and he projects for more minutes and more fantasy points.

Chet Holmgren is also super appealing if Wemby is out. He's viable either way since it's the Spurs, but without Wemby they'd have nobody to stop him.

Best NBA DFS Values

• PG: Jordan Goodwin ($5.9k)

• SG: Jermaine Champagnie (4.5k)

• SF: Pat Connaughton ($4k)

• PF: Grant Williams ($5.4k)

• C: Zach Collins ($4.9k)

There is already a lot of good value on this slate, so tonight could be a (fun) disaster to navigate. I don't know why, but I love chaotic slates, so here's to hoping.

Memphis is still without so many guys, so they're the logical place to start. All of their guys would remain in play, but I'd favor whoever starts. Both Jordan Goodwin and Scotty Pippen Jr. stand out as the most reliable options. Both smashed last night and they're the same price on this slate. Goodwin won't get 19 rebounds again (!!) but he projects better and is my preferred play of the two. I'll probably have at least 3 Grizz again, unless they randomly get some guys back.

The Spurs are another terrific source of value. Champagnie played less than expected due to a blowout win, but he still projects well for his price. San Antonio could be without Wemby here, so feel free to fire up any Spurs. That includes Zach Collins and Mumu. I prefer Collins if Wemby is out, but Mumu is the better play if Wemby is in and is even more viable if Wemby sits. You can play them together if Wemby is out, too.

Giannis is likely out, so Pat and Jae Crowder are viable values for the Bucks. I'd go with whoever starts. Pat is a little more expensive, but he projects better and tends to do a little more when he's out there. The matchup stinks, but the value is there to be had.

Grant Williams makes me nauseous, but he's still nicely priced for a guy who pushes for 35 minutes a night. He also gets the Hawks, which is a sublime spot. I like the Hornets more than anyone should, but they're all cheap and Atlanta makes for a fun environment.

My Strategy for Wednesday

Giannis is almost definitely sitting and it's very possible Wemby rests, too. That makes this a Luka slate, in theory. The problem? He played 35 minutes last night and is now on the road against a slow Miami team that defends well.

I won't tell you not to play Luka on a smaller slate like this, especially given the value we're already seeing. I think you can easily pair him with Dame or Dejounte and I'll aim to do just that.

Just make sure you're doing 1-2 things differently so you don't end up with chalky dame/luka and all of the same values everyone else is using.

Also, be sure to tune into my video later today, as I'll look at updated injury news and give you my favorite plays for every game.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!