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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 25, 2021. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Tuesday, Rotoballers! We've got three Game 2's to focus on tonight as the game of chess as it pertains to adjustments truly begins in the playoffs. Both Los Angeles teams need to grab a win to avoid a dreaded 0-2 hole in the first round, while Brooklyn will try to help a spiraling Boston team to an early summer vacation. If Phoenix and Dallas go up 2-0 on the Lakers and Clippers, respectively, there's going to be an NBA fire tornado of hot takes, and I'll be here for it. Let's get some early-playoff madness in the mix!
As far as DFS is concerned, the best game on the slate is the Celtics-Nets matchup. It has the highest over/under amongst the three games (227 points), and both teams averaged 101 possessions per game this season. Unfortunately, this game is also the chalkiest on the slate because Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Jayson Tatum will all have high rostered rates no matter what happens. However, that amount of chalk will open some leverage opportunities to exploit in tournament contests.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/25/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Devin Booker - SG, PHO vs. LAL ($8,100)
Booker announced himself on the playoff stage in a big way for Game 1. With his teammate, Chris Paul, navigating a shoulder injury, Booker took the offensive workload upon himself. Needless to say, he passed the test with flying colors as the Suns took down the Lakers 99-90. In 45 minutes, the 24-year old dropped 34 minutes, eight assists, seven rebounds, a steal, and three triples on the men in purple and gold. If the Suns want the elusive 2-0 series lead, I expect Booker will need to produce similar results as he did in his playoff debut.
Terance Mann - SG, LAC vs. DAL ($3,400)
Despite encouraging performances down the home stretch of the regular season, Mann basically picked up a DNP in Game 1 of the Clippers series versus Dallas. After a surprising loss, there should be adjustments, and I'm hoping Mann is part of them. In the final eight games of the season, the sophomore guard played at least 20 minutes in four contests. When he got those minutes, Mann averaged 17 points and 3.3 rebounds. I am far from an NBA expert, but I would give Mann more valuable game time than the 33 minutes doled out to Marcus Morris on Sunday.
Other options: Kyrie Irving, PG ($8,800), Jalen Brunson, PG/SG ($4,300), Alex Caruso, PG/SG ($4,000)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
LeBron James - PG/SF, LAL at PHO ($10,100)
As a basketball fan and a sports fan in general, unnecessarily writing off James after a game one loss is a mistake we all love to make. It's fun to try and be the one who correctly predicts the beginning of the end for one of the all-time greats. I'm not sure why that is, but it's something we all do.
Regardless, I'm going to zig while many others zag and predict LeBron will come out swinging in Game 2. Previous results show he doesn't go down in Round 1's, and he definitely doesn't go down without a fight. He's suffered two Round 1 Game 1 losses in his career, and these were his averages for the rest of the series (which he and his team ended up winning).
James isn't out until the buzzer sounds in his fourth defeat. He's the best player of the last decade for a reason, and I don't want to be the one scratching his head midway through the third quarter tonight, wondering why I bet against him.
Dorian Finney-Smith - SF/PF, DAL at LAC ($4,700)
On Sunday, DFS was great for... well, DFS as he took advantage of the defensive attention Luka Doncic garnered. Over 37 minutes, the forward tallied 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal, and four three-pointers in Staples Center. The good news is the Clippers will have to give Doncic even more attention tonight, as their initial game plan did not work in a 113-103 series-opening loss. The Slovenian unlocks so many chances for his teammates, and Finney-Smith was more than happy to utilize those opportunities. The 30.25 DraftKings points he scored are probably his ceiling (at least for this series), but that will do just fine for our lineups with his $4,700 price tag.
Other options: Kevin Durant, SF/PF ($9,300), Tim Hardaway Jr., SG/SF ($5,400)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Deandre Ayton - C, PHO vs. LAL ($6,100)
Like his teammate, Devin Booker, Ayton made his playoff debut and received an A+ for his first go-around in the postseason. The third-year big man came to play and dominated the Lakers to help his team to the Game 1 victory. In 37 minutes, Ayton recorded 21 points, 16 rebounds, and one block while shooting 10-for-11 from the floor. Even with a limited Chris Paul, the Lakers couldn't take care of Ayton. Now, with CP3 on a couple of day's rest, the Lakers may have to think about him a bit more in Game 2. This would open things up even more for Ayton, and his 44 DraftKings points from Sunday should be within reach, again, on Tuesday.
Robert Williams III - C, BOS at BKN ($4,600)
I suppose Robert Williams will have to post a triple-double with points, rebounds, and blocks to get some respect with his DraftKings pricing. Despite a Game 1 loss, the Celtics center was a bright spot for the men in green (or white, I don't remember what unis they wore) and was rather dominant in the frontcourt against the superstar-driven Nets. In a paltry 23 minutes, Williams erupted for 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, with nine rebounds, nine BLOCKS, an assist, and a steal. There's a reason this man was ninth in PER among qualified players this season, and it was on full display this weekend. I think the Nets will be pretty happy with Williams grabbing all these stats as they focus on bottling up Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, and Marcus Smart.
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