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We're teed up for a pair of critical Game 6 battles Thursday, and in each case, the team facing elimination is at home. That, combined with the urgency inherent in such a high-stakes environment, should help make for some highly competitive matchups.
The other good piece of news from a DFS perspective is that the player pool should essentially be full except for Kyle Lowry (hamstring), even though multiple Heat players and Joel Embiid continue to sport questionable designations. Therefore, it should be possible to build some relatively balanced lineups despite the small slate.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/12/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineup lock, which is at 7:00 pm ET tonight. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Luka Doncic - PG/SG, DAL vs. PHX ($11,500 DK; $11,700 FD)
The Mavericks are down to their proverbial last out in the series, and Doncic has been the one constant for Dallas from a fantasy standpoint throughout. The star guard has scored over 50 fantasy points in each game, even eclipsing 70 back in Game 1. Doncic has averaged over 58 DK points at home since the start of the regular season and is now clocking 57.5 across total games versus Phoenix, putting him firmly in play again Thursday.
Devin Booker - PG/SG, PHX at DAL ($8,800 DK; $9,300 FD)
Booker has found the hot hand over the last four games, shooting 51.4 percent, including 55.6 percent from three-point range, while putting up 27.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over that span. The talented sharpshooter boasts a 42.3 percent success rate from behind the arc in eight games overall against Dallas since the start of the regular season, and with Phoenix looking to close things out Thursday, he should be in position to eclipse 40 fantasy points for the fifth time in the series.
Jalen Brunson - PG/SG, DAL vs. PHX ($6,300 DK; $6,200 FD)
Brunson, like Doncic, should be especially aggressive Thursday with Dallas' back against the wall. The breakout star has picked up the pace over the last three games, averaging 22.3 points (on 47.3 percent shooting), 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists during that span while putting up a solid 18.3 shot attempts per contest. The Suns are conceding over 30 fantasy points per game to Brunson in eight games since the start of the regular season, making him an appealing play at his very reasonable salaries.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tyrese Maxey, PHI vs. MIA ($6,400 DK; $6,500 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jimmy Butler - SF/PF, MIA at PHI ($9,800 DK; $10,500 FD)
Butler, like Doncic, has been about as safe a high-salary selection as there's been in the second round. The veteran wing has dominated the 76ers whether Embiid has been on the floor or not, posting over 50 fantasy points in three of the last four games and 45.3 DK/43.8 FD points in Game 5. Butler scored over 50 fantasy points on each site in both of the previous games in Philadelphia during the series as well, so he remains a highly viable option at his salaries in a potential close-out Game 6.
Tobias Harris - SF/PF, PHI vs. MIA ($6,800 DK; $7,000 FD)
Harris has seen a downturn in the last two games, but with Philadelphia's season on the line Thursday, he could certainly be heavily involved. The veteran big man has averaged a relatively 12.0 attempts per game over the last pair of contests, but he put up 16.0 per contest in the first three while eclipsing 20 points twice. Miami has been a tough defense against frontcourt players, but Harris has averaged over 30 fantasy points per game versus the Heat in nine games since the start of the regular season while shooting 50.0 percent.
Dorian Finney-Smith, DAL at PHX ($5,500 DK; $5,200 FD)
Finney-Smith has scored over 24 fantasy points on each site in three of the first five games of the series, yet has turned in a pair of sub-15-fantasy-point clunkers in the other two. That makes him much better suited for tournaments Thursday, as he does carry some nice upside at his salary with his ability to fill up the stat sheet and get hot from distance. In fact, Finney-Smith is now shooting an outstanding 46.0 percent from three-point range in eight games against the Suns since the start of the regular season, and he could dial up his aggressiveness Thursday with the Mavs facing elimination.
ALSO CONSIDER: Max Strus, MIA at PHI ($5,100 DK; $4,600 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Joel Embiid - PHI vs. MIA ($9,700 DK; $9,800 FD)
Embiid hasn't quite looked like himself in his first three games since returning from an orbital fracture and concussion, as he continues to deal with a bad thumb that won't fully heal until the offseason. However, the 76ers are on the brink of elimination, so there's little doubt the big man will leave it all on the floor Thursday. Embiid did post back-to-back double-doubles in his first two games of the series and he's averaging over 40 fantasy points per game against the Heat in six games since the start of the regular season. While he naturally won't come cheap, the combination of the circumstances at play for Philly and the scarcity of quality options at center on a small slate certainly keep Embiid in play.
Deandre Ayton, PHX at DAL ($7,000 DK; $6,900 FD)
Ayton has averaged a solid 16.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over the first five games of the series, and that includes an 18-minute clunker in Game 3 when he ran into foul trouble. Otherwise, the big man has been a steady performer, putting up double-digit shot attempts in five of the six games and recording a pair of double-doubles in the last three contests. With reasonable mid-tier salaries in tow, feel comfortable deploying Ayton in either cash games or tournaments if you need to save a few hundred dollars.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bam Adebayo, MIA at PHI ($7,400 DK; $7,800 FD)
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