Looking for winning NBA DraftKings lineups for today's slate? Our expert DFS picks and projections cover tonight's marquee matchups featuring the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets' new-look roster with Kevin Durant, plus the Golden State Warriors traveling to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
With key injuries impacting both games including LeBron James (OUT) and Jalen Williams (OUT), there's massive value and pivot opportunities across all salary ranges. Whether you're building cash game lineups or seeking tournament differentiation, our comprehensive breakdown includes elite plays like MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,300), value picks under $5,000, and sleeper candidates positioned to smash their DraftKings salaries.
Get our top NBA DFS picks, optimal lineup construction strategy, and player projections to dominate your contests tonight. Try our DraftKings NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
Slate Overview
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
HOU at OKC: Thunder won 2024-25 season series 3-2
GSW at LAL: Lakers won 2024-25 season series 3-1
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Injuries to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
HOU - Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle): OUT
OKC - Isaiah Joe (knee), Jalen Williams (wrist): OUT
GSW - De'Anthony Melton (knee), Moses Moody (calf): OUT
LAL - Maxi Kleber (abdomen): Questionable; LeBron James (pinched nerve): OUT
Elite Players
Guards
Stephen Curry, Warriors 
($9,300) at Lakers
Curry averaged 31.3 points, including 5.0 made three-pointers across four meetings with the Lakers last season. He also got to the foul line an average of 6.3 times per meeting, which should continue to be a factor in him maintaining strong scoring production.
Austin Reaves, Lakers 
($7,300) vs. Warriors
Reaves has the opportunity to step up offensively due to the absence of LeBron James. He averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals across four meetings with the Warriors last season, and he should be up for a bit of an extra advantage as the Warriors are lacking some depth at the wing due to injuries.
Forwards/Centers
Kevin Durant, Rockets 
($9,700) at Thunder
Durant is set to debut for his new squad and will certainly be their top scoring option on the offensive end. The Rockets also have a good amount of size and depth in the frontcourt, meaning Durant will not have to spend as much energy focusing on the glass and defending the paint as he did in the past couple of seasons, and he can instead focus on scoring and facilitating to a higher degree.
Chet Holmgren, Thunder 
($7,600) vs. Rockets
Holmgren averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks last season, despite battling his way back from a broken hip early in the campaign. He comes into the new season with plenty of time to build up his conditioning and focus on his game rather than rehab and simply keeping up. He faces a tough matchup against the Rockets' frontcourt, but he averaged 20.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks across their three meetings in 2024-25.
Alperen Sengun, Rockets ($9,200) at Thunder
Sengun is a certified stat-sheet stuffer, averaging 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season. He is up for a challenge against the defending champs, but he faces an extra advantage in the frontcourt due to the absence of Jalen Williams. Sengun should also benefit from extra room to operate as a result of Kevin Durant's gravity on the offensive end.
Expected Chalk
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($10,300) vs. Rockets
The league's defending champion and MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander can be expected to keep up his impressive production, especially against a Rockets squad that may need some time to settle into a new rotation. He also averaged a whopping 33.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals through five meetings with the Rockets last season. Additionally, he must look to carry a larger portion of the offense in the absence of his team's second-highest scorer, Jalen Williams.
Mid-Range Money
Rui Hachimura, Lakers ($5,600) vs. Warriors
Hachimura faces a great opportunity to get his season off to a productive start, as he is in position to pick up the slack in the absence of LeBron James. Hachimura averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season, including 17.7 points 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists through three encounters with the Warriors.
Al Horford, Warriors ($5,500) at Lakers
Horford is set for his debut with his new squad and has the benefit of taking on a Lakers team that is shorthanded in the frontcourt. He averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game with the Celtics last season, and he should be able to reach similar numbers with the Warriors, as his offensive versatility should fit well with their system.
Value Picks
Marcus Smart, Lakers ($4,300) vs. Warriors
Smart is set for his Lakers debut and will provide the team with a new defensive grit in the backcourt. He is likely to earn himself notable minutes with his unique skillset and should be able to rack up numbers across the stat sheet while benefiting from playing alongside the offensive talents of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Luguentz Dort, Thunder ($4,400) vs. Rockets
Dort will be a key part of his team's game plan, as he will be tasked with working to slow down Kevin Durant. He does a great job of chipping in across the stat sheet while focussing on his primary role as a defender, and he can heat up from long range, exemplified by his 41.2 percent shooting from deep last season.
Steven Adams, Rockets ($4,200) at Thunder
Adams is expected to start at center in the season-opener, and his ability to shine in his role will be a great asset for his squad. He should have no trouble racking up the boards by bullying the opposing frontcourt in the paint, and he is bound to pick up a few easy buckets while the defense is engrossed by his teammates.
