A new week of NBA action rolls on with Thursday’s slate containing four matchups compared to Wednesday’s 10. With that said, there’s still plenty of potential excitement in store.
Each Oct. 30 game features a must-watch star. Some even have faces of the league going head-to-head, such as Warriors-Bucks (8:00 p.m. ET on NBA TV). From Hornets PG LaMelo Ball to Spurs C/F Victor Wembanyama and everything in between, hoops fans may be in for a treat.
Below, we’ll break down six prime Thursday NBA DFS picks for PrizePicks, headlined by Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
NBA DFS Picks for PrizePicks: Thursday, 10/30
Here are six of the top PrizePicks NBA DFS picks for Thursday night’s games, with player projections coming from PrizePicks’ real-money NBA game.
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Warriors Projection: 43.5 Pts+Rebs
- The Greek Freak might just be the way-too-early MVP frontrunner. He’s averaging 36.3 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game — all career-highs.
- Antetokounmpo leads all players with 100+ minutes played in usage rate at 35.6%, per NBA.
- The Warriors lack a dominant per-game rebounder in their lineup. F Draymond Green (5.8) has three starts at C, whereas PF/C Quinten Post (3.6) notched just 3.5 in 16.3 minutes a night as a rookie.
- Golden State ranks sixth-worst in team rebounds per game at 41. They also average the fourth-fewest contested rebounds (12.8).
Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Wizards Projection: 40.5 Pts+Asts
- The reigning MVP’s volume is at an all-time high. He’s attempting a career-high 24.4 shots a night and averages a career-best 6.2 assists.
- Gilgeous-Alexander trails Antetokounmpo in usage rate by a mere 0.6%.
- Washington’s defense against PGs is suspect. Through four games, they allow the fifth-most assists (10.07) and sixth-most points (29.52) to the position, via FantasyPros.
- In two games against the Wizards last year, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 45.5 combined points, rebounds and assists while canning 40% of his 3-pointers.
Wizards C Alex Sarr vs. Thunder Projection: 14.5 Points
- Alex Sarr is avoiding the sophomore slump thus far. He’s upped his scoring average 6.5 points year-over-year while improving his field goal clip by more than 15%.
- In Tuesday’s 139-134 OT loss to the 76ers, Sarr became the youngest Wizards player to record a 30/10 game (30 points, 10 rebounds).
- Sarr has increased his scoring output in each game this year, going from 10 points in the opener to 14, then 23 and 31.
- While the Thunder boast the league’s best defensive rating, their bigs aren’t exactly thriving there. Per databallr, F/C Chet Holmgren and C Isaiah Hartenstein’s opposing field goal differentials rank in the 38th and 42nd percentiles, respectively.
Hornets PG LaMelo Ball vs. Magic Projection: 33.5 Pts+Asts
- Ball is shooting a career-best 44.7% from the field while also posting personal records for points (26.3), rebounds (8.3) and assists (9.5) per game.
- Out of 160 players with 100+ minutes played, Ball is sixth with a 44.7% assist rate. He’s taken 34.7% of the Hornets’ 3-pointers — another top-six ranking.
- No defense allows more points per game (33.38) to PGs than the Magic. Only six surrender more assists than their 9.8.
- Both Thursday foes are top-10 clubs in terms of pace, which may lead to additional scoring opportunities.
- With Orlando ending a back-to-back and Charlotte being at home, this could present a solid matchup for Ball & company.
Heat C Kel’el Ware vs. Spurs Projection: 19 Pts+Rebs
- In Tuesday’s 144-117 blowout win over the Hornets, Kel'el Ware’s playing time peaked at nearly 27 minutes. He averages 19.1 points and 12.7 rebounds per 36 minutes in 2025.
- Miami is not only the NBA’s top scoring team (131.5 PPG), but they’re also ninth in rebounding and fourth in contested rebounding.
- Ware has logged at least 8 rebounds in each of his last three games.
- Wembanyama is typically a brutal matchup, but could Ware be the exception? He had his best career game on Jan. 19 vs. the Spurs, recording 25 points and 8 rebounds.
- That momentum carried into this preseason, when Ware went off for 29 and 12 against San Antonio on 12-of-19 shooting.
Make NBA DFS Picks on PrizePicks
With four marquee games on the docket for Thursday, there are ample avenues for hoop fanatics to join the fun. Use PrizePicks to make your NBA DFS picks of at least two players and follow the action.
Just pick your players, predict More or Less for their projected stats, and win real-money rewards if your picks hit.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued NBA coverage and analysis this season.
