NBA Bets: Dejounte Murray Is a DFS Stud

Dejounte Murray has a great chance of making a splash in tonight’s NBA daily fantasy slate. Our AI-powered model predicts big games from Murray, CJ McCollum, and a couple of under-the-radar players.

Our model also disagrees with Vegas on a few game lines, which opens up lots of betting opportunities. I put my favorite picks at the bottom of this piece.

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NBA Fantasy Sample Lineup

Note: I used the 7:00 p.m. Eastern DraftKings Classic lineup for today, which includes six games. All fantasy points are calculated using the DraftKings scoring system.

CJ McCollum ($7,700) – 42 Projected Fantasy Points

The New Orleans Pelicans play the Phoenix Suns today, and they don’t have anyone who can keep a skilled guard like McCollum in check. McCollum will have plenty of opportunity to shine, and he’s been a good daily fantasy presence recently.

Clint Capela ($6,200) – 32 Projected Fantasy Points

This Hawks-Bulls game is very meaningful in the standings because the two teams are the 9 and 10 seeds as of this morning. Whoever ends up with a better record will have home-court advantage in the first play-in game, so this matchup should be competitive. Capela has size that few in Chicago can handle, making his performance attractive in DFS.

Dejounte Murray ($9,700) – 54 Projected Fantasy Points

Like I said above, this is a good matchup for fantasy. Not a lot of defense, but competitive teams and real shooting talent. Murray is the most skilled player suiting up for either team with Trae Young. The Bulls have some defensive-minded guards to throw at him, but he shouldn’t have that much trouble attacking Nikola Vucevic in drop coverage.

Under the Radar Daily Fantasy Picks

This is an ‘under the radar’ section instead of ‘budget’  because Dalano Banton is no longer a budget player. He’s still worth his salary, though, as I’ll explain.

Tre Mann | Charlotte Hornets

Mann is projected to get 26 fantasy points against the Celtics today. That passes the smell test, given that he could play half the game against Boston’s third unit if they take care of business. The Celtics should destroy the Hornets (although they have already dropped one to Charlotte this year), and Mann will be out there regardless. He’s averaging 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in his last 10 games.

Dalano Banton | Portland Trail Blazers

Someone has to score for this Blazers team with few established NBA players. Lately, Banton has been able to do just that. He scored 31 against Atlanta earlier in the week, and today he faces the Magic.

Kris Murray | Portland Trail Blazers

Don’t get this guy confused with his brother Keegan: You’ll be looking at a much higher salary. Kris Murray has shown some fantasy value lately, averaging 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in his last 6 outings. Our algorithm thinks he will pull in 20 fantasy points; I think he’ll get more.

Game Betting Lines

Here are some of the biggest discrepancies between our AI-powered model and Vegas on tonight’s NBA games. I provided the DraftKings lines, but they are similar on Fanduel, Bet MGM, and most major betting sites.

The Charlotte Hornets are projected to cover the +17 spread against Boston, our model thinks that Boston -12.5 is more appropriate, likely due to their inability to put teams away after clinching the one seed last week.

Similarly, our model thinks the Brooklyn Nets will cover the +12.5 spread against the Pacers, listing Indiana -7.5 as a better line.

The model likes the over 221.5 line on the Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls game, predicting a total score of 223.5. In addition to Dejounte Murray’s projected big game, breakout forward Jalen Johnson is expected to return from a long injury, which makes this matchup exciting.

Lastly, the Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans game is predicted to go over 223.5 total points and hit 225.

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