RADIO
Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Thunder Dan's NBA DFS expert picks to build winning DFS lineups on June 16, 2025.
The 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder has been every bit as good as advertised. As we head into tonight’s pivotal Game 5, the series is tied 2–2.
Both teams bring some momentum into Game 5 tonight. The Pacers have to be thrilled with it being a tied series at this point and have great bench energy, led by T.J. McConnell. The Thunder will be buoyed by their resilience and boosted by a raucous home crowd. With a win tonight, one squad is within arm’s reach of the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This is setting up to be an electric showdown!
It's always essential to have a game plan and zero in on the best players and spots before making those adjustments. This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/16/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 8:30 p.m. EDT on DraftKings.
Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 6 free months of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW
Today's NBA DFS MVP/Captain Picks
These players make the most sense in the prime spot of your lineup. On FanDuel, that spot is called the MVP position, while on DraftKings, it's called the Captain. On both sites, whichever player is in this spot costs 1.5 times their normal salary but also produces 1.5 times their normal fantasy points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC ($21K DK, $25.5K FD)
There's a very good chance that SGA is the top fantasy scorer tonight. But you're paying a premium here to slot him into your MVP or captain slot. SGA costs 6k more than the next most expensive player on FanDuel (Haliburton) and 4.5K more on DraftKings.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the most 30-PT games in a single playoff run by a PG ever. pic.twitter.com/GOci5jHG6p
— Real Sports (@realapp_) June 14, 2025
SGA has not hit his ceiling in the last two games, but we saw him lead the way with 55 DK points in Game 1 and 61.8 DK points in Game 2. The offense flows through him as he's attempted 20 or more field goals in every game this series, while also getting to the foul line an average of nine times per game.
Chet Holmgren, OKC ($13.2K DK, $13.5K FD)
This is going to be where I get different from the field. Most DFS players tonight are going to have SGA, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Williams, or Pascal Siakam at captain or MVP. But I think Chet Holmgren can outscore all of them except SGA. But he doesn't need to outscore SGA to still be the most valuable player to use at the top spot; he just has to put up the best point-per-dollar value since nearly 100% of lineups will have SGA in either the MVP/Captain spot or a utility spot.
Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso are a once in a generation defensive duo. pic.twitter.com/nTHAC1XeUs
— Pranav Sriraman (@PranavSriraman) June 14, 2025
With the savings in salary that we have from using Chet in the multiplier spot, we can cram in SGA and two of the other three top studs into builds. My favorite build is going to be fading Haliburton, who has only had one ceiling game this series (in Game 3) and has yet to make value on his price tag in any of the other games.
Meanwhile, Chet has played his best basketball in the last two games, logging 38 and 39 DK points in Games 3 and 4. He's an even better play on FanDuel, where blocks are worth three points.
Others To Consider: Pascal Siakam (IND), Jalen Williams (OKC)
Today's NBA DFS Utility
These players are ones you may want to add to your Utility spots.
Pascal Siakam, IND ($10K DK, $11.6K FD)
Siakam continues to be the most consistent Pacer night in and night out in terms of fantasy production. The Pacers lost Game 4, but Siakam was brilliant, posting 54 FD points as he added six defensive stats to a solid 20-8-5 line.
Pascal Siakam doing a bit of everything 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mcvi9wC44N
— NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2025
While OKC has the guards to clamp down and frustrate Haliburton at times, they really don't have anyone who can match Siakam's athleticism at the four. He's too quick for Chet Holmgren or Isiah Hartenstein and too big for any of the Thunder wings. Siakam should continue to be aggressive on offense while contributing across the board. He has a fantastic floor and has flashed a solid ceiling this postseason, too.
Alex Caruso, OKC ($6.8K DK, $5.4K FD)
Caruso should be chalky tonight, but I don't see any way around using him; he's just been so important to OKC in the postseason, and his production on the stat sheet backs it up.
Most PPG off the bench in a Finals over the last 15 years:
18.0 — Jason Terry
14.8 — Alex CarusoRick Carlisle coached both. pic.twitter.com/VTzyDtjLZf
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 16, 2025
We all know of his incredible defensive contributions (he had five steals last game) and his ability to guard anyone on the floor, but he's stepped up on offense, too, knocking down open threes and getting sneaky buckets on the interior when the defense breaks down. He's played 27 or more minutes in every game this series, so there's no reason to think he won't be out there in crunch time for OKC in what is a must-win game for both teams.
Others To Consider: Jalen Williams (OKC), Chet Holmgren (OKC), Andrew Nembhard (IND)
Want more NBA DFS tools and exclusive content? Check out our premium daily content from proven winner Jamie Calandro! Grab an NBA season pass and get access to our daily projections, optimizer, Jamie's personal picks, props, advice, and VIP chat rooms. Use promo code ZTsports at checkout to save 10 percent.
Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
T.J. McConnell, IND ($4.2K DK, $2.4K FD)
McConnell can be a bit boom or bust in terms of DFS value, but there's no questioning his impact on this series. In the Pacers' wins, McConnell has played some inspired basketball off the bench. His Game 3 performance, where he had five assists and five steals in just 15 minutes, was incredible and proved that no one plays harder or with more heart than McConnell.
TJ MCCONNELL ALL HUSTLE 😤 pic.twitter.com/RRazUMNF74
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 12, 2025
The reality is that he's capped around 17 to 18 minutes even when he's making an impact, as the Pacers simply don't put him and Haliburton out there for too long together. I prefer to use him on FanDuel, where his price is more palatable and his upside is larger, with three points being awarded per steal.
Obi Toppin, IND ($6K DK, $3.8K FD)
Toppin is a free square on FanDuel with that silly price, but at least DraftKings has moved his price up to where you have to think twice about it.
Obi Toppin is the X Factor and he's been fantastic on both ends pic.twitter.com/aheE4utdxK
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) June 14, 2025
Are you done thinking? Okay, lock him in anyway! Even at 6k, Toppin made 5x value last game as he finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds. He continues to play heavy minutes as the Pacers prefer to play smaller and give their second-unit guys more run.
Toppin gives them more athleticism out there and more of an offensive threat from everywhere on the floor than Myles Turner. I would expect this minutes trend to continue and I won't be surprised if Toppin is among the top three scorers on Indiana again tonight in Game 5.
Others to Consider: Bennedict Mathurin (IND), Cason Wallace (OKC)
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!
