The 2024-25 NBA regular season continues Friday night with nine total games, including a pair of nationally televised contests. The Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers square off at 7 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and that can be viewed or streamed on ESPN. At 9:30 p.m. ET, the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves tangle at 9:30 p.m. ET, also on ESPN.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
- DraftKings: $10,000
- FanDuel: $10,200
Jayson Tatum is coming off a 37-point showing last time out at Indiana on Wednesday, while also finishing with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and five three-pointers. He has finished with exactly 37 points in three of his first five games. That alone, minus all of the other counting stats, makes Tatum worth a look most nights. He and the Celtics will be matched up with the Charlotte Hornets, a team allowing 119.3 points per game (PPG), with a defensive field-goal percentage of 46.8%. Tatum and the Celtics should have another productive night.
- DraftKings: $8,500
- FanDuel: $8,500
How about a little bit of one-stop shopping? Jaylen Brown has ended up going for 23+ points in all five of his games while grabbing at least six rebounds in each contest. In addition, Brown is good for three or more assists in each of the past four games, while going for three or more three-pointers in three of his five contests. Brown also chips in with 1.6 steals per game. Against Charlotte, Brown and his teammates should roll up another strong night.
- DraftKings: $8,700
- FanDuel: $8,700
Zion Williamson is a strong play at this price point. Here’s the deal — Williamson isn’t shooting very well out of the gate this season. He has misfired on three-quarters of his field goal attempts in two of his four games and is hitting just 36.4% from the field through four games. That’s wacky, as he generally takes a lot of supposedly high-percentage field-goal attempts. He is even struggling from the free-throw line, including a 2-of-7 night at Golden State on Wednesday. We’ve covered the negatives, but he also has two double-doubles so far and at least one blocked shot in each start. Indiana is allowing 120.2 PPG to rank 27th in the NBA, so Williamson and his teammates should get free for a lot of open looks.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
- DraftKings: $8,800
- FanDuel: $8,900
Even at 39 years of age, LeBron James is still plugging right along and posting big-time numbers. Through five games, he has 21.2 points per game (PPG), 6.8 rebounds per game (RPG) and 6.6 assists per game (APG) while hitting 48.7% from the field. James has scored 26+ points in two of his past three games while going for five or more boards in four games and knocking down at least two three-pointers in three of his past four contests. The Raptors are one of the worst defensive teams in the first couple of weeks, allowing 124.0 PPG, so look for the Lakers to pile up the points north of the border.
Donovan Mitchell (PG/SG – CLE)
- DraftKings: $8,200
- FanDuel: $8,700
Donovan Mitchell has posted 24+ points in each of his past three games while posting five or more assists in four straight outings. He has racked up three steals in three of his five games, too. Mitchell has hit 50.0% from the field while knocking down at least three triples in each of his previous three contests. Against the Orlando Magic, it won’t be a super high-scoring game. Orlando allows just 107.8 PPG and 44.9% from the field. Both of those defensive marks are in the top 10. However, teams also hit 38.1% from behind the three-point line, which ranks 26th in the NBA.
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $7,800
The 34-year-old center is about as consistent as they come and his price tag is extremely reasonable. Nikola Vucevic has registered four double-doubles in five games, going for 18+ points and 10+ rebounds in every start. He also has 5.0 assists per game in each of the past two games, while posting a blocked shot in three in a row. He has knocked down 10 three-pointers in the past four contests.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
- DraftKings: $6,100
- FanDuel: $6,400
Keegan Murray has been good for 14+ points in three of his four games while going for at least five rebounds in three of his four games. Similarly, he has gone for at least two three-pointers in three of his four games. The former University of Iowa standout will face an Atlanta Hawks team that has cashed the over in all five games to date, for those of your bettors out there. Atlanta is allowing 123.6 PPG to rank 28th in the NBA, while teams are hitting 42.1% on three-pointers against the Hawks.
- DraftKings: $7,600
- FanDuel: $7,600
Pascal Siakam has a mid-tier price tag despite the fact he has averaged 27.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 4.5 APG in the past two outings. He has five or more boards in all five starts with four or more assists in four of his five contests. He has hit at least two triples in each of the past three games, too, including six three-pointers in Wednesday’s overtime thriller against the defending champion Celtics.
- DraftKings: $5,800
- FanDuel: $6,300
With Charlotte’s Mark Williams (foot) still battling a strained left foot, Nick Richards is expected to get another start. He blew up for 24 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots against Toronto last time out Wednesday, and he has three consecutive double-doubles. In that span, he is averaging 16.0 PPG with 13.0 RPG, 2.7 blocks per game (BPG) and 2.3 APG. That’s not bad production at this price, right?
NBA DFS Value Plays
- DraftKings: $4,600
- FanDuel: $4,400
Jose Alvarado is likely to get another start Friday, as C.J. McCollum (leg) is out and Herbert Jones (shoulder) is not expected to be ready. In Wednesday’s game at Golden State, Alvarado was good for 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and a steal with four three-pointers in 35 minutes. He hit 6-of-13 from the field and turned it over just one time.
- DraftKings: $4,400
- FanDuel: $4,400
Moritz Wagner is expected to see a bump in playing time due to the fact Paolo Banchero (torn right oblique) is expected to be sidelined for at least a month. The 27-year-old Wagner has managed 11.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in October. He has also hit exactly one three-pointer in all five of his games to date.
- DraftKings: $4,500
- FanDuel: $4,200
Jonathan Mogbo made his first career start Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, while Scottie Barnes (eye) was sidelined due to an orbital fracture. Mogbo was good for 11 pints with four boards, two dimes, two blocked shots and a steal in 25 minutes. At this price, he is a total value on either site.
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