NBA DFS Building Blocks for Friday, December 10 | Today, 12/10/21

Friday, Dec. 10, brings a robust nine-game main slate tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the Yahoo main slate starting 30 minutes later. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.

NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Friday, Dec. 10

Yahoo Play of the Day — Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 39.96 | DraftKings: 40.87
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 12.0% | FanDuel 10.0% | DraftKings 9.0%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $35 | FanDuel $8,400 | DraftKings $8,300

Tonight the Suns will be taking on the Celtics, who are wrapping up a five game West Coast road trip with only one victory (Portland) to show for their efforts. Phoenix is a 5-point favorite even without Devin Booker, and Chris Paul has a favorable salary across the DFS sites and on Yahoo specifically. Since the beginning of last season, Paul has averaged 1.27 Yahoo points per minute when Booker was off the court. Boston has been abysmal on their road trip, allowing 116.8 points per 100 possessions, which is 8 points more than their full-season average. Once again, they will be without Jaylen Brown, and this is a nice matchup for Paul and the Suns.

Awesemo NBA DFS experts Greg Ehrenberg and Adam Scherer discuss Paul’s teammate Deandre Ayton as one of the main topics of conversation in Friday’s NBA DFS Injury Report video. Check out the video for even more injury news updates on other stars around the league.

Brandon Ingram: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Detroit Pistons

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.4 | DraftKings: 40.4
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 21.0% | FanDuel 21.9% | DraftKings 7.5%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $34 | FanDuel $7,700 | DraftKings $8,700

New Orleans faces Detroit tonight, which should provide plenty of fantasy goodness. Over their last 10 games the Pistons have allowed 112 points per 100 possessions, which is a bottom-10 defensive efficiency rate. Brandon Ingram has really stepped up his game during the last week, with 55 or more Yahoo points in two of his last three appearances. Unfortunately, the Pelicans have only two victories in their last six games. Ingram has produced at or just below career bests in most categories this season, and he should add to those figures tonight. Teammates Josh Hart ($17) and Jonas Valanciunas ($32) are also appealing with their reasonable salaries.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 37.84 | DraftKings: 39.2
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 13.2% | FanDuel 6.0% | DraftKings 11.5%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $35 | FanDuel $8,700 | DraftKings $8,200

There are 18 teams in action tonight, so there will be plenty of value options available to facilitate a stars-and-scrubs roster construction. On nights like this, one easy way to find differentiation is to look at players who are just outside of that stars category that still have plenty of fantasy upside. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will be taking on the Lakers, who lost last night 108-95 to a short-handed Grizzlies squad in Memphis. While Oklahoma City is currently listed as underdogs by nearly half a dozen points, this is still a winnable game.

Los Angeles is playing with a top-10 pace, and their defense from last year has not carried over to this season. Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear, and he has tallied at least 40 Yahoo points in each of his last five games. Look to his teammates Luguentz Dort ($20) and Darius Bazley ($13) for some salary relief. One could even consider a trio of Thunder players, along with one of the Lakers trio of stars for some add in-game synergy.

Yahoo Discount Dandies

Houston Rockets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Crash Davis once said that streaks should be respected because they do not happen very often. Somehow the Rockets, who started the season 1-16 and lost 15 games in a row, have now won their last seven games. While two of the victories were against the Thunder, who are actively trying to lose, and one was versus the hapless Magic, the streak started with wins against the Bulls and Hornets, who were at full strength. Brooklyn did not respect the streak, and they lost on Wednesday while deciding to rest Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge. Tonight the Bucks are 8.5-point road favorites, so this will be a true test of destiny. Garrison Matthews and Armoni Brooks are getting solid minutes, and they are among the best punt options at either guard position. On the 8:00 p.m. ET slate frontcourt players Kevin Martin Jr., Daniel Theis and Alperen Sengun enter the mix as additional minimum-salary options.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Sacramento Kings

While this game is not on the Yahoo main slate, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET, it is important to point out that P.J. Washington is doubtful with a non-COVID related illness. LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Ish Smith, Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels are all in the health and safety protocol, so now the Hornets are going to be incredibly short-handed tonight. This is important since the team is in the game with the highest-projected point total (231) of the night against a horrific Sacramento defense. Look to Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cody Martin to carry the load. From the Kings, De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Tyrese Haliburton are solid plays. Marvin Bagley III may retain some relevance as well with Richaun Homes out through the weekend.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Friday, Dec. 10 Slate

Eight of the nine games tip off within the first hour tonight, and then there is a two-hour gap until the lone 10:00 p.m. ET nightcap between the Celtics and Suns. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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