Thursday brings a rollercoaster of NBA motivations, with the fun getting underway at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks, including Ty Jerome as the lead fantasy point-per-dollar option, with Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Ja Morant and Zach Edey looking like strong plays.
These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page!
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Thursday, April 10
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Motivation once again is key to understanding how teams may approach tonight’s games. Even then, there is no guarantee as health of players still outweighs potential playoff matchups.
New York is all but locked into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks hold the tiebreaker over Indiana, so it will be interesting to see how the teams play their hands tonight.
The Pacers are hosting Cleveland, with the Cavaliers holding out Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus. The Cavs have clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference and have a miniscule chance to overtake Oklahoma City for homecourt advantage if these teams somehow meet in the NBA Finals. That has Cleveland doing the prudent thing and protecting the health of their stars. Ironically, the Cavs are in New York tomorrow then at home against the Pacers on Sunday.
Per the F-R-E-E Stokastic Starting Lineups page, it is no surprise that Ty Jerome will be the lead guard, with Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and most likely De’Andre Hunter joining Jarrett Allen in the starting rotation.
Hunter and especially Allen are going to be crucial for the postseason success of the Cavs, so it will not be a surprise if they see limited minutes or even end up not playing.
Even with Jerome having a pedestrian 27.5-minute projection, he rates out as one of the best point-per-dollar options across the DFS sites.
Sam Merrill is another strong discount dandy from Cleveland, looking like one of the 10 most popular plays on both DraftKings ($3,300, 21.9%) and FanDuel ($4,200, 20.2%), even with a conservative 24 projected minutes. There is room for additional run since he is not likely to see more than eight minutes an outing in close postseason games.
The Pacers’ motivation is a little cloudier at this time. They have a three-game lead over Milwaukee, though Indiana has the tiebreaker. Giannis Antetokounmpo was added to the injury report earlier today, so it remains to be seen if he is playing tonight. Considering that New Orleans is coming into Wisconsin as a 14.5-point road dog, there is little fear that the Deer will lose tonight, regardless of the availability of their two-time NBA MVP.
Milwaukee is in Detroit tomorrow then at home on Sunday, closing out the season against the Pistons. The men from Motor City have motivation since they could make up the two-game deficit on the Bucks with a win tonight and then victories on Friday and Sunday. That should have Cade Cunningham as a prominent DFS option, especially if Antetokounmpo is out.
New York has ruled out Josh Hart, O.G. Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, so it is within the realm of possibilities that one or more of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns will see similar treatment before lock. Expect big minutes from Precious Achiuwa with Robinson out, and he could get ridiculous playing time if Towns sits as well. The rest of the Knickerbockers are tricky until we have more clarification, so tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for all of the up-to-date analysis and breaking news.
Atlanta at least has clear incentive to win since the Hawks are trying to stay ahead of Chicago, with the Bulls half a game back. Whichever team has the better record will get a mulligan in the first round of the Play-In Tournament, should they lose in Orlando. Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu are good “raw point” options for DFS tournaments, even though the Brooklyn Nets are 13.5-point home dogs.
Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for today’s slate:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Anthony Edwards: Timberwolves at Grizzlies
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 46.71 | FanDuel: 44.37
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 25.2% | FanDuel: 38.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,500 | FanDuel: $9,300
For the lone Western Conference matchup, it is clear that both teams want to win tonight since Minnesota has a slim one-game lead that could evaporate with a Memphis victory.
The Timberwolves will be hard-pressed to climb out of the Play-In Tournament if they lose, though they could still nab the No. 4 seed if they win out and get help. Currently, they are favored by a bucket in Tennessee.
Anthony Edwards is in the midst of a career season, with personal highs of 36.4 minutes, 20.4 field goal attempts, 10.2 3-point attempts and 27.4 points per game. His 5.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists are also above his career averages. The three-time All-Star will be tasked with slowing down Ja Morant tonight, but he should still have plenty left in the tank to put fantasy points on the board.
Morant has been stellar in his last five games, with 28.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals) in a relatively sedate 31.6 minutes per appearance in this stretch. If this is a close game as expected, he has another five minutes in readily attainable playing time upside.
Zach Edey has been crushing it on the boards with 19, 21, 13 and 16 in his last four games. He is averaging nearly 30 minutes per game in this stretch while partnering with Morant for a major uptick in pick-and-rolls, with the change in leadership regimes catering towards Morant’s preferred playing style. The rest of the Grizzlies are fine as tournament differentiators, though none currently project to be on more than 7% of tournament lineups across the various DFS sites.
Prior to his 6-point dud in the last game, Rudy Gobert averaged a whopping 18.6 points per outing in the preceding seven games. During that timeframe, he also pulled down 16.3 boards per game, with 2.4 stocks. The veteran should be able to work over the rookie in the post tonight, so look to Gobert as a borderline core play who is going to be dramatically underrepresented in tournaments, especially on FanDuel, where gamers will be deciding between him and Edey.
Julius Randle and Mike Conley are the other notable Timberwolves on DraftKings, with Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo joining them on the blue site.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
If you’re serious about winning in NBA DFS, you know the edge comes from having the right tools. The same principle applies to sports betting — and that’s where Portfolio EV steps in.
Take tonight’s Vince Williams’ under 7.5 points, for example. It’s a +EV bet, meaning it has positive expected value when compared to the best odds available across the market. But the real strength of Portfolio EV isn’t about finding just one good bet — it’s about consistently finding dozens. With the Mass Entry tool, you can scale up, place a high volume of +EV bets, and let the math do the heavy lifting.
Just like you wouldn’t count on one DFS lineup to ship a GPP, you don’t count on one bet to carry your night.
Portfolio EV is built for long-term profitability. It helps you spot market inefficiencies, compare lines across books and generate a steady stream of +EV bets. It doesn’t chase heaters, but rather trusts the numbers, follows a process and builds sustainable profit over time.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate tonight’s NBA DFS slate!
React AppYou need to enable JavaScript to run this app.
