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Welcome to our daily NBA DFS picks and recommendations for the playoffs! The intensity and stakes are high as we navigate through the postseason, and I'm here to provide the insights and recommendations you need to gain a competitive edge and maximize your winnings. Each day, I'll share my top picks and analyze critical factors impacting player performance and game outcomes, such as injuries, player matchups, and team strategies. It's important to note that value plays tend to shrink in the playoffs, so we'll focus on finding high-value, consistent players with solid matchups. Get ready for the excitement and intensity of NBA playoff DFS, grab your coffee, and let's dominate the competition together.
Single-game slates are a whole different animal than the ones we typically work with. The difference is the way you set your lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings. On FanDuel, you play five players in a lineup, and you get multiplier bonuses for MVP (2x), STAR (1.5x), and PRO (1.2x) spots. The pricing stays uniform, and positions don't come into play. On DraftKings, you play six players in a lineup, and only one of them gets a multiplier bonus, the Captain (1.5x). The significant change with DraftKings is that they make you pony up 1.5x salary to select your Captain, which also plays into lineup construction. There's a strong chance that you will share lineups with other people tonight if you're just blindly using optimizers, which makes identifying the correct contrarian plays all the more critical on slates like these.
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 6/4/23. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
DraftKings and FanDuel Captains/MVP - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic - ($22,200 DK Captain, $17,500 FD)
The Joker continued his insane run in Game 1 of the Finals, posting his NBA-record ninth triple-double of the playoffs en route to 68.5 DK points. He's averaging 68 DK points per game in the playoffs and has posted at least 70 DK points in eight of his last 11 games. As has been the case for most of the season, no one on this slate comes close to his median output and potential ceiling tonight. His 31% usage rate during the playoffs leads the team, and while Murray's 29% usage rate is pretty close, the point guard's uptick in production has opened up the floor for Jokic to do whatever he wants on the floor. Don't get too cute; play Jokic in the Captain/MVP spot and try to differentiate elsewhere.
Bam Adebayo - ($13,200 DK Captain, $14,000 FD)
I went with the anti-Butler approach in Game 1, and it worked out as Adebayo had one of his best games of playoffs (50.75 DK points) while Butler (36.25 DK points) fell flat. Adebayo took a playoff-high 25 shots and posted a 26/13/5 line, and while it's unrealistic to expect that kind of shot volume again, we know the Heat need significant contributions from him if they're going to have a shot in this series. We're going with the same approach tonight as Bam remains much cheaper than Butler, and I trust his playing style more in this series against the tall Nuggets frontcourt.
Jamal Murray - ($16,800 DK Captain, $15,000 FD)
As mentioned in the Jokic blurb, Murray has stepped up his game in the playoffs as he's taking on more usage and translating that into a significant increase in fantasy production. He has been solid all playoffs, but he took his game to another level late in the Western Conference Finals with games of 68 and 60.75 DK points. He has played at least 42 minutes in his last four contests, and if we can get another good shooting night out of him, he'll be a sneaky Captain/MVP pick and someone you should mix into the STAR/PRO spots on FanDuel.
Others to consider (FanDuel): STAR/PRO slots only - Michael Porter Jr., Jimmy Butler
Others to consider (DraftKings): Michael Porter Jr., Jimmy Butler, Aaron Gordon
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DraftKings and FanDuel Utility Plays - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Michael Porter Jr. - ($7,000 DK, $10,500 FD)
MPJ didn't shoot the ball well in Game 1, but he still put up a valuable 38.25 DK points with a 14/13 double-double, one assist, and two blocks. He has notched at least ten boards in four of his last five games, and his ability to contribute in non-scoring stats makes him a great DFS asset. He's shooting just 33% from the field over his last three games, which is well off the 48% FG% he produced during the regular season. If he can get his shot to fall, he'll have a strong chance at being in the optimal lineup tonight.
Gabe Vincent - ($5,400 DK) DraftKings only
Vincent projects as one of the top values on the slate on DraftKings, and he'll look even better if we get an update that Caleb Martin is out tonight. Vincent's minutes and production have been erratic in the playoffs as Spoelstra loves to mix up rotations based on matchups and who "has the hot hand," but he played 38 minutes and scored 33 DK points in Game 1. He was efficient and played well enough to stick in the starting lineup over Kyle Lowry and continue seeing big minutes. He's averaging 27 DK points per game during the playoffs, and he just dropped a monster 42 DK-point game against the Celtics five games ago.
Haywood Highsmith - ($4,800 DK, $7,000 FD)
It doesn't feel like Highsmith's outburst in Game 1 was a fluke we won't see again in this series. He played 23 minutes and scored 27 DK points, but more impressively, he shot 7-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from deep. The Heat notched a 41% FG% and 33.3% 3PT% as a team, so they need someone to step up with efficient scoring in the second unit. I'm projecting Highsmith for about 18 minutes tonight, and as long as we get something close to what we saw last game from a production standpoint, he will be a player we need in lineups at his cheap salary.
Others to consider (FanDuel): Kevin Love (if Zeller is active), Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry
Others to consider (DraftKings): Kevin Love (if Zeller is active), Aaron Gordon, Jeff Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
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