NBA PrizePicks Predictions for October 28th: DeRozan, Sengun, Kessler Make Top Plays
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into some of the top picks for the upcoming NBA slate on PrizePicks. Most predictions are heavily based on projections, but you can find an extra edge if you happen to know ball too.
PrizePicks – one of the most popular pick’em DFS sites – provides player projections for NBA matchups each day. The ball is then in our court to decide whether a player will ultimately exceed or fall short of those projections in the games. With a huge roster of players available from which to choose, we just need to make a minimum of two picks to build an entry. And if you haven’t signed up yet, you can grab a special offer with our PrizePicks promo code “GRINDERS” to get $50 on a $5 entry!
We’ll break down the board by looking at factors like usage rates, projected pace, lines in the sports betting market, and of course, our RotoGrinders projections to forecast how players might fare in categories like points, rebounds, and assists. For even more alternatives when making your PrizePicks picks, be sure to check out our fantasy pick’em tool.
Happy Monday! I hope with all my heart that your weekend DFSing was fun and profitable. We’re back with our first Monday of the NBA regular season with a whopping 11 games on the board. That gives us plenty of options when it comes to picking some winners over at PrizePicks, so let’s take a gander at the board and win some money, shall we?
PrizePicks Top NBA Plays for October 28
- DeMar DeRozan More/Less Than 21.5 Points
- Alperen Sengun More/Less Than 20.5 Points + Assists
- Walker Kessler More/Less Than 6.5 Points
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Kings vs. Trail Blazers PrizePicks Predictions
DeMar DeRozan More/Less Than 21.5 Points
The Kings are off to an 0-2 start, losing to the T-Wolves and Lakers to tip off the new campaign. Expectations are high in Sactown after the team essentially replaced Harrison Barnes with former All-Star DeMar DeRozan over the summer.
It’s only been 2 games, but DeRozan’s wasting no time establishing himself with his new team. He’s averaging 24.5 points in a silly 40 minutes per game thus far, ranking third on the team in usage (23.9%). I wouldn’t be at all surprised if DeMar wound up leading the Kings in usage by the team the season is over with, though he certainly won’t be averaging 40 minutes. Still, something in the neighborhood of 34-35 seems reasonable, and there’s clearly upside for more if the Kings find themselves in a competitive game against Portland.
The Blazers picked up a win last night over the Pelicans, but this is quite clearly one of the NBA’s worst teams, particularly defensively. Portland finished last season 23rd in defensive rating, and they could easily wind up worse than that this season as they continue their rebuild. Given his solid usage, high minutes upside, and general efficiency, this sets up as a favorable spot for DeRozan to do some damage.
- PLAY: DeRozan MORE Than 21.5 Points
Rockets vs. Spurs PrizePicks Predictions
Alperen Sengun More/Less Than 20.5 Points + Assists
The Rockets lost their second game of the season in San Antonio on Saturday night, and tonight, the two rivals will square off again in the Alamo City. Houston’s offense has looked ragged to begin the season, which probably isn’t a shocking development considering how mediocre they were on that end of the floor a season ago with largely the same roster.
The face of the Rockets’ franchise these days is Alperen Sengun, who’s only shooting about 39% from the field through 3 games. The big man has converted on nearly 53% of his attempts from the floor in his career, so it’s likely just a matter of time until he gets it going. Sengun was weirdly uninvolved in the first game against the Spurs, finishing with a measly 6 points on 2-for-8 shooting in a season-low 22 minutes. Sengun certainly doesn’t have a height advantage against Victor Wembanyama, but he used his strength to bully Wemby in their previous meeting at the end of last season. In that one, Sengun went off for 45 points just a few games before suffering a season-ending injury.
Sengun’s usage is hovering in the 24% range so far after he was at nearly 28% last season. I expect him to come out aggressively in an attempt to assert himself after such a poor showing the other night. This is a player who averaged about 21 points and 5 assists per game last season, which makes this total of 20.5 combined points and assists tonight look awfully attackable.
- PLAY: Sengun MORE Than 20.5 Points + Assists
Jazz vs. Mavericks PrizePicks Predictions
Walker Kessler More/Less Than 6.5 Points
The Jazz are off to an 0-2 start, which isn’t a huge surprise given the state of the roster. Utah does have some intriguing young players, including 3rd-year center Walker Kessler. Kessler was one of the prizes the Jazz got back from Minnesota in the Rudy Gobert trade, and he’s already established himself as a stellar rim protector.
Kessler doesn’t generate much usage, but he does appear primed to play a bigger role than he did last season. The Auburn product played 30 minutes in the season-opening loss to Memphis as the starter with John Collins playing 18 minutes as his backup. Collins ate into Kessler’s playing time quite a bit last season, so it’s nice to see Kessler beginning the year as the starting center. He was held to just 20 minutes in the last game against Golden State, but that was an ugly 39-point loss for Utah.
The Jazz are bad enough to run the risk of getting blown out again tonight in Dallas, where they’re listed as 11-point underdogs. The Mavs aren’t necessarily an elite defensive team, especially when it comes to protecting the paint. Even as a low-usage center who won’t create offense for himself, Kessler should find his way to enough easy buckets in this one to nudge his way past 6.5 points. We saw him put 16 points on the board on 7 attempts from the field in the season opener.
- PLAY: Kessler MORE Than 6.5 Points
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