NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: May 15

The OKC-Dallas series has been my favorite of all the Conference Semis, and we have the most important game of that series tonight. Those two teams are tied at 2-2, and Game 5 will go a long way toward deciding a winner. The Boston-Cleveland series would be shocking to see the Celtics lose this closeout game at home. With that in mind, let’s look at our favorite NBA DFS picks for those two matchups!

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Core Plays

Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $9,700 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel

Tatum doesn’t get talked about like most superstars in the NBA, but he’s the best player on the best team in the league. What’s made him so good is his consistency, scoring at least 39 DraftKings points in 11 straight games. He’s also dropped 61 and 62 DK points in the last two games of this series and should be hungry to close this game out and get his team into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Evan Mobley (PF/C – CLE): $7,500 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel

With Jarrett Allen sidelined, Mobley has taken over this frontcourt. The big man has averaged nearly 40 DraftKings points per game when Allen has been out this year, scoring at least 36 fantasy points in six of his last eight outings. That’s no surprise since he’s seeing a boost in minutes, rebounds, and shot attempts, but all of those should be sky-high since Cleveland is staring at elimination.

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Cash Game Considerations

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,100 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel

You simply can’t fade Doncic on a two-game slate. The superstar had a subpar outing in Game 4, but he still recorded a triple-double. That shows how absurd this guy is, averaging nearly 70 DK points per game since the All-Star break. He’s also established a 50-point floor and could go wild in this swing Game 5. We expect another triple-double from Luka, but instead of 18 points, we anticipate 30-40 points from the Slovenian.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC): $10,100 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel

SGA finished second in MVP voting for a reason. This young superstar has been carrying his team in this series, scoring at least 59 DraftKings points in four straight fixtures. We saw this stud do that for months at a time during the regular season, posting a 53-point average. Scoring 60 fantasy points should be his floor in this swing game at home because SGA could be looking at 40 minutes and 30 shots. We also love that he faces a Dallas team that owns a 21st OPRK against opposing guards.

Darius Garland (PG – CLE): $6,900 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel

Garland has been playing passively when Donovan Mitchell is out there, but he’s a monster whenever the All-Star is out. In fact, DG averaged over 40 DK points per game when Mitchell was out during the regular season. That’s what we saw in Game 4, dropping 49 DraftKings points in his best postseason game. This guy should be guaranteed 40 minutes and 20-25 shots in this elimination game, making him the safest play below $7K.

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GPP Targets

Daniel Gafford (C – DAL): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel

Gafford’s minutes always make him a volatile option, but that’s why he’s in the GPP section. The one thing we know is that Gafford will always go off if he’s given the opportunity. He’s played over 25 minutes in nearly 40 games this season and is averaging 38 DK points per game in that role. He’s also had some upside games in a 20-minute role, and we feel that should be his floor since Maxi Kleber is still sidelined. Not to mention, he has at least 42 DK points in two of his last five meetings with OKC.

Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel

Horford hasn’t had many big games this postseason, but he’s tough to avoid as a starter. He’s been inserted into the starting lineup since Porzingis got injured, averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game as a starter this season. We haven’t quite seen that production in this series, but he’s playing 31 minutes a night. If this former All-Star plays over 30 minutes, it’s hard to overlook him at just $5K on both sites since he’s been a $7K player with that role in the past.

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Value Plays

Jrue Holiday (PG/SG – BOS): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel

Holiday has stepped up in the absence of Porzingis. Many people forget how special this guy can be, averaging nearly 40 DK points per game in the past. That’s close to what we’ve seen in this series, with Holiday scoring 39 and 41 DK points in his two most recent outings. All you need is 30 fantasy points for Holiday to be of immense value, and this bump should continue since he’s doing more with KP out.

Luguentz Dort (SF – OKC): $4,800 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel

Dort is the fifth-best starter on OKC, but he’s just as valuable as anyone because of his defense. This defensive stud is locked into 40 minutes because he’s being asked to cover Doncic. He’s driven Luka crazy in this series, and he’s always been productive when given a full workload. In fact, Dort is averaging over 25 DK points per game when he plays at least 30 minutes this season. Getting 30 minutes looks like a lock right now, and it looks even better since he scored 31 fantasy points in Game 4!

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Advantageous Pricing

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC): $10,100 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
• Chet Holmgren (C – OKC): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
• PJ Washington (PF/C – DAL): $6,300 DraftKings, $7,100 FanDuel
• Caris LeVert (SG – CLE): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel