NBA starting lineups are some of the most insightful tools for fantasy basketball and NBA betting.
Whether you're making NBA DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel, betting on NBA odds, or wagering on player props, knowing today's NBA starting lineups is pivotal. The info will tell you who’s likely to get the most playing time, what matchups are going to be worth keeping tabs on, who’s injured, and more, so you can make more accurate predictions.
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How to Use NBA Starting Lineups in Sports Betting
When studying NBA starting lineup predictions, you can also gain some knowledge to apply to sports betting. For example, if you are looking for the Boston Celtics lineup for an upcoming game, the status of Kristaps Porzingis will impact betting spreads, betting totals, and DFS lineups, thus impacting how you approach your bets and picks.
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Why the NBA Starting Lineup Is Important for DFS Play
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) scoring rules vary by platform and contest type, but there are some basic scoring criteria to be aware of. NBA players earn points based on their performance metrics, such as points scored, assists, blocks, steals, rebounds, and more (which you can find on our NBA lineup optimizer). They can also lose points based on turnovers.
Some platforms even offer points for hitting advanced metrics, such as double-doubles or hitting a specific number of 3-pointers. Make sure you are aware of exactly how scoring works when choosing the best lineup for your contest.
While NBA starters are an obvious choice on most occasions, diving into teams' benches to find a backup PG or SF can be the difference between winning and losing. Another thing to keep in mind is the average number of minutes played by each of the players you select, as there is a direct correlation to the number of points, assists, rebounds, etc. that they accrue (or don't).
Using NBA Starting Lineups in Fantasy Basketball
Using the Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE) and Dallas Mavericks (DAL) as examples, both playoff teams in the 2023-24 season, let's look at a few ways that you could think about picking players for your DFS lineup.
- Choosing a Point Guard (PG): One of the first players you need to consider, usually at the top of the selection page, is the PG. For CLE, Darius Garland plays the PG position and is both an excellent distributor of the ball and a shooter.
- Choosing a Small Forward (SF): For most basketball teams, players at the SF position often are athletic enough to see the most minutes in each lineup. For CLE, Max Strus primarily plays that role, but it is shooting that is his specialty, as he just so happens to be one of the best shooters on the team.
- Predicting Minutes: Looking at historical data around minutes played in situational spots and against certain NBA teams, try to predict the minutes each of the players in your lineup will play. Both CLE and DAL have rather shallow benches, meaning their starters will likely see more minutes than those on other teams.
- Team Chemistry: For most teams, the chemistry starts with the PG. As the PG is often an extension of the head coach, the team will ebb and flow with how well the PG scores, distributes, and initiates the offense.
- Pace of Play: Pace of play can dictate how many points players can score relative to their baseline. Games that are expected to be played at a fast pace will mean there are more possessions for players to accrue statistics.
- Recent Trends: Whether it's minutes played or how well the SF, PG, and power forward have been performing, following recent trends to build your DFS roster is always a good idea. Teams like CLE or ORL are known for going on their runs (and stalls) throughout the regular season, so studying trends is a way to predict when each will come.
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NBA Starting Lineup Picks Overview
Here's an overview of how to make your picks:
- Stacking: The term stacking in DFS lineups refers to stacking players from the same game or team, especially when you anticipate a high-scoring game. While it isn't as important in NBA DFS as in other sports (specifically MLB), finding small edges is never a bad thing.
- Find Value: Dig deep into information indicating a player might receive more minutes than usual, a recent injury you found via a beat reporter that might go unnoticed by others, or other factors that DFS sites might not have accounted for. When looking at teams with a lot of young, relatively unknown talent, there could be value flying under the radar due to the lack of name recognition.
- Monitor Beat Reporters on Social Media: With ORL, DAL, CLE, and every other team having multiple local beat writers, there are always nuggets of information to be found online just before tip-off. Try to monitor their accounts for late-breaking information that might not be accounted for by DFS apps like PrizePicks.
Why Should I Play Basketball DFS Contests?
Need some convincing? Here are some reasons why DFS basketball contests remain so popular:
- Excitement: Whether you are watching a game on TV or attending it in person, NBA DFS contests are a great way to make games even more exciting.
- Emerging Stars: The league always has several young players who are no doubt the NBA's future, such as Evan Mobley (CLE) and Franz Wagner (ORL). Still relatively unproven, you can often find value with these players when building your DFS lineups, and then you can watch them perform on the biggest basketball stage in the world.
- Rivalries: Whether it is the Lakers vs. the Celtics, two of the top players in the league fighting for the throne, or someone like Klay Thompson facing the Warriors in a revenge game, there is seemingly always something going on in the league that makes it must-see TV. So having a little sweat going on at the same time is what makes NBA DFS so great.
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NBA Starting Lineups FAQ
Want to learn more about NBA DFS lineups and ways to play them? Read the following FAQs:
When are game-day NBA lineups released?
Game-day NBA starters are announced typically 30 minutes before tip-off, though you can make some assumptions based on recently played games. Injuries also come into play. For example, if CLE center Jarrett Allen is battling an injury, his availability will be uncertain until just before the game's tip-off.
What are the stats to watch when looking up NBA starting lineups?
Some key stats to watch when researching NBA DFS starting lineups are minutes, usage rate, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.
How do NBA starting lineup stacks work?
Stacks in basketball-focused DFS lineups work by selecting multiple players from the same team or game to maximize the potential points in a projected high-scoring matchup.
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