NBA

FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Suns at Clippers (6/30/21)

The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy NBA is very reliant on opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries and COVID-19 situations. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news and we also have player news updates.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's take a look at who you should target for tonight's matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, which tips off at 9:00 PM Eastern.

All injury updates are via the NBA's official injury report or numberFire's player news.

Read this piece by Brandon Gdula for some excellent in-depth analysis on how to attack a single-game slate in NBA DFS.

MVP Considerations

Paul George ($16,000) - At this point, just lock Paul George into your MVP slot and move on. Since Kawhi Leonard went down, PG13 has recorded at least 52.2 FanDuel points in all but one of the seven contests, and that includes two outputs of 67.7 and 68.6. numberFire's algorithm has George outscoring the next-closest player tonight by 9.0 fantasy points.

Devin Booker ($14,500) - The STAR slot might come down to Booker and Chris Paul for many people, and I'd rather chase the upside with Booker. The 24-year-old has eclipsed 40 FanDuel points in 6 of his last 11 efforts, and that includes performances of 47.9, 53.2, 64.7, and 70.1 -- two of which came in series-clinching games.

Reggie Jackson ($12,500) - It is feasible to roster three of the "big four" -- George, Booker, Paul, and Deandre Ayton -- tonight, but we might be able to build a stronger lineup by going with Jackson in the PRO slot. Jackson is averaging 22.3 real-life points and 36.3 FanDuel points over the seven games without Leonard in the lineup, and that includes at least 32.9 of the fantasy variety in all but one of those contests.

Other Players to Consider: Chris Paul ($14,000), Deandre Ayton ($14,000)

Utility Considerations

Jae Crowder ($8,000) - It feels like Crowder is overdue to have a big game. After surpassing 21 fantasy points in 9 of 10 games prior to Game 2, the veteran has failed to reach 17 in any of the last four. With a projection of 22.3 FanDuel points, our models have Crowder as the best value play among all those with a salary that's less than five figures, and it's not particularly close.

DeMarcus Cousins ($8,000) - If Ivica Zubac is forced to miss tonight's game again, we could see Cousins take on an even larger role than he did in Game 5 when he racked up 15 real-life points and 24.9 FanDuel points. In the two games this series that he's seen double-digit minutes, Cousins has totaled 18.3 and 24.9 fantasy points. Given the spark he provided on the offensive end for Los Angeles on Monday, some more playing time could be in order tonight.

Other Utility Options: Mikal Bridges ($10,000), Terance Mann ($9,500), Cam Johnson ($7,500)