Following a loaded Sunday, the NBA is back with an 11-game slate for Monday, October 27.
It’s a schedule chock-full of intriguing matchups, including Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking on Mavericks G/F Cooper Flagg in a battle of the reigning MVP vs. 2025’s top NBA Draft pick.
We get two games streaming live nationally on Peacock tonight, with Cavs vs. Pistons at 7 p.m. ET, and Nuggets vs. Timberwolves at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Below, we’ll break down six prime NBA DFS picks for PrizePicks on Monday, headlined by Nuggets C Nikola Jokic vs. Timberwolves.
NBA DFS Picks for PrizePicks: Monday, 10/27
Here are six of the top PrizePicks NBA DFS picks for Monday night’s games on October 27, with player projections coming from PrizePicks’ real-money NBA game.
Pistons F Ausar Thompson vs. Cavaliers Projection: 23.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Year three for Ausar Thompson is off to a tremendous start. He’s averaging career-high marks in points (17.0), rebounds (7.7) and assists (4.7) per game.
- Volume hasn’t been a problem for the former No. 5 overall pick. He’s attempted 16 shots in consecutive games, and his 8 free throw attempts on Sunday were a new personal record.
- Thompson's usage has jumped from 19.9% in 2024 to 22.3% through three games this year, per nbawowy.
- Thompson’s lowest PRA total, a still-impressive 25, came when he played just 24 minutes against the Rockets on Friday.
- The Cavaliers have slipped from seventh in defensive rating last season to 14th to start the 2025-26 campaign.
76ers PG Tyrese Maxey vs. Magic Projection: 28.5 Pts+Asts
- 2023-24’s Most Improved Player is elevating to new heights this season. Tyrese Maxey is averaging 34 points in two games, canning a scorching 61% of his threes.
- As F Paul George continues to sit out due to injury, superstar C Joel Embiid will also miss Monday’s game due to “left knee injury management” during a back-to-back.
- Maxey's usage rate jumps from 29.7% to 32.3% with George and Embiid off the floor since last year, per nbawowy.
- In 16 games without Embiid and George a season ago, Maxey averaged 28.1 points.
- Only two players — Rockets C Alperen Sengun (43.5) and F Kevin Durant (42.0) — have averaged more minutes per game than Maxey (41.5).
- Through three games, the Magic have allowed the 11th-most points to opposing PGs. They’re sixth-most giving when it comes to assists.
Nets F Michael Porter Jr. vs. Rockets Projection: 17.5 Points
- New team, new ceiling for Michael Porter Jr.? The longtime Nuggets standout is raining in threes in Brooklyn, averaging a career-high 8.7 3-point attempts per game thus far.
- Porter is getting up 3.7 more shots per game than a year ago, upping his scoring average to just under 20 points.
- In three games against Houston last season, Porter shot 53% from the field and 36% from deep.
- The Rockets’ defense has faced three-pointers 46.9% of the time, trailing just four teams.
Mavericks G/F Cooper Flagg vs. Thunder Projection: 26.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- The No. 1 overall pick is getting no shortage of looks. He’s attempted 13 or more shots in each of his first three NBA games.
- Flagg is already standing out in a big way. On Sunday, he joined Kobe Bryant as the second 18-year-old player in NBA history to score 20+ points with no turnovers.
- After posting 20 PRA in his debut, Flagg’s totals were 29 and 30 in games two and three, respectively.
- Flagg ranks third on the Mavericks in usage rate (22.6%) behind F/C Anthony Davis (28.7%) and G D’Angelo Russell (28.8%). That might maintain until G Kyrie Irving returns from injury.
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic vs. Timberwolves Projection: 26.5 Points
- Denver’s superstar big man scored 27+ points a whopping 45 times last year.
- Jokic has a triple-double in both games this season, but an ugly 8-for-23 showing against Golden State led to him trying just 8 shots in Saturday’s win over the Suns.
- Although Wolves C Rudy Gobert has a 26-20 win advantage head-to-head over Jokic, the Joker typically gets the last laugh. He averages 25.3 points in those 46 outings.
- Jokic has played more regular-season games against Minnesota (38) than any other team, averaging 23.3 points and shooting 54.6%.
Lakers F Rui Hachimura vs. Blazers Projection: 4.5 Rebounds
- With F LeBron James out and now PG Luka Doncic on the shelf for at least a week with minor ailments, F Rui Hachimura could be leaned on more.
- That was certainly the case on Sunday, as Hachimura played 40 minutes in a 127-120 win against the Kings.
- In just under 32 minutes per game last season, Hachimura averaged an even 5.0 rebounds.
- He recorded 21 across three contests against Portland in 2024.
- The Blazers allow the fourth-fewest rebounds to opposing PFs but as a team, they’re tied for the fourth-lowest contested rebound clip (12.7%).
Make NBA DFS Picks on PrizePicks
The NBA is back in full force, and Monday’s 11-game slate is just the tip of the iceberg. For making your NBA predictions in 2025, building Lineups on PrizePicks is the way to go.
Doing so is simple. Just pick two or more NBA players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, follow the action, and get paid if you're right.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued NBA coverage and analysis all season.
