NBA Underdog Fantasy Player Predictions for Tuesday (12/17)

Hartenstein of the Thunder

I’m here to give you a (free!) peek behind the curtain regarding some of the awesome things our NBA DFS projections team is cooking up by giving you my top picks for today’s NBA slate on Underdog Fantasy. Every single pick you will find below is going to be based on what our projections say is a meaningful edge, and I will then use my basketball and analytical background to try to pinpoint the very best of the best. Please keep in mind that the NBA news cycle can get crazy, so what is listed below may become a better/worse play depending on how that news breaks. You can always stay up to date on exactly what a team’s rotation and depth chart will look like on a given day by heading to our NBA starting lineups page.

We have 1 game on the schedule as the NBA is set to tip off on 12/17 for the NBA Cup Championship. Below, I’ll detail how I’m approaching things on Underdog this Tuesday evening.

First… Sign Up to Make NBA Underdog Fantasy Picks

If you want to play along but haven’t signed up yet, grab a special offer with the RotoGrinders Underdog promo code “GRINDERS” to unlock up to $1000 Bonus Cash courtesy of a generous deposit match. Underdog Fantasy – one of the most popular DFS pick’em 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.

I’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 NBA players might fare in categories like points, rebounds, and assists. For even more insight when making your Underdog picks today, be sure to check out our fantasy pick’em tool.

Underdog Fantasy Top NBA Picks for 12/17

Now that you’re signed up, here are some of our top NBA picks on Underdog for 12/17 at a glance:

Bucks vs. Thunder NBA Underdog Fantasy Predictions

Here are the Bucks vs. Thunder NBA Underdog Fantasy predictions for tonight:

Isaiah Hartenstein Higher Than 33.45 Fantasy Points (Scorcher)

Our projections team likes taking higher than 33.45 fantasy points for Hartenstein this evening, as the pick has a win probability of 61.61% and one of the highest edges in this game (3.87%). As a versatile player for his size and the likelihood that he plays more minutes than normal in the NBA Cup Championship, his contributions in various statistical categories make this a high-value projection to target.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Lower Than 5.5 Assists

Taking Giannis not to surpass 5.5 assists has a 57.96% win probability with a slight edge of 0.22% (still one of the best edges of the night). Even though the Thunder have great rim protection, I expect Giannis to force the issue in such a highly-magnified game instead of looking to kick out to shooters.

Cason Wallace Higher Than 3.5 Rebounds

Wallace may not be one of the most heralded Thunder players, but he should run into enough minutes in such an important game to be able to clear 3.5 rebounds. Our projections team has this with a win probability of 58.09% and an edge of 0.35%.

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our PrizePicks promo code and Sleeper promo code.

Image Credit: Getty Images

About the Author

meansy53
Andy Means (meansy53)

Andy Means (aka meansy53) was a walk-on with the esteemed Duke University basketball team for 3 years before graduating in 2004. He also has a Master’s in Accounting from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and has been playing DFS since 2014. He has qualified for multiple Live Finals and displays his extensive basketball knowledge as a host of our top show – NBA Crunch Time. In the summer of 2022, Andy took over the role of Premium Content Director for the RotoGrinders Network, overseeing the vast array of content that is created on RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Andy on Twitter – @ameansy
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