DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/12/23): Today's Top NBA DFS Lineups

May 12, 2023

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on May 12, 2023. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

Both the Heat and the Lakers failed to close out their respective series on Wednesday, so we'll do it again tonight, albeit with a change of venue. We are back in Miami and L.A. with both home teams having a chance to close out their series and advance to the conference finals.

Let's enjoy more than the showdowns while we still can! Fret not. Even when the multi-game slates are over until October, we here at RotoBaller will still be attacking those showdown slates with the same fervor for the duration of the playoffs. We won't leave you hanging!

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings and FanDuel slate beginning at 7:30 pm ET on 5/12/23. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers!

DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Jalen Brunson - PG, NYK at MIA ($9,000 DK, $9,500 FD)

Brunson is the main reason that the Knicks are still alive in this series. He hasn't been under 40 fantasy points in any of the five games and hasn't scored under 25 actual points in any of the games either. Brunson even played every single minute of the win-or-go-home (and stay home) Game 5 in this series. Expect the Knicks to ride him again. Stephen Curry is much the same, but Brunson has far and away outscored Curry in their respective series. Curry still has the higher floor if you have the money to chase it.

Jalen Brunson came up BIG in the must-win Game 5.

38 PTS
9 REB
7 AST

Knicks force a Game 6 👀#NBAPlayoffs presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/rgeRNtixbE

— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2023

Kyle Lowry - PG, MIA vs. NYK ($5,200 DK, $5,700 FD)

Lowry was all over the place against the Bucks, but the veteran has been a steadying force against the Knicks. He has played at least 25 minutes in every game of this series, turning in at least 23 fantasy points in every game. Lowry has done whatever is needed for the Heat. That keeps him from having a huge game, but something can be said for a sure 5x value with the potential for a lot more. Lowry is a GPP gold mine right now.

Dennis Schroder - PG/SG, LAL vs. GS ($4,200 DK, $4,600 FD)

Schroder has been very good from the field in three of the four games of this series. He doesn't take a lot of shots, but he is efficient and effective when he does. Add in a handful of assists and a sprinkling of steals and rebounds, and those points start to add up quickly. This is especially true when Schroder is seeing around 30 minutes per game as he did in Games 4 and 5.

Others to consider: Stephen Curry ($10,200 DK, $10,400 FD); Quentin Grimes ($5,100 DK, $5,000 FD)

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Our NBA Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and access to our Premium Slack Chatrooms where members can chat with our NBA analysts. Check out this big win from RotoBaller premium member Bsuperak on FanDuel using our Premium tools - join in on the winning!

DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Jimmy Butler - SF/PF, MIA vs. NYK ($9,700 DK, $10,800 FD)

Butler has carried the Heat in the four games that he has been able to play in this series. It's no coincidence that the Heat are 3-1 with Butler playing against the Knicks. His ankle is still bugging him some, but you wouldn't know it by his fantasy outputs. Butler has cleared 50 fantasy points in three of the four games in which he has played. The only one that he missed the mark in was a big Heat win when Butler "only" played 36 minutes. Win or lose, Butler is going to be a factor once again.

RJ Barrett - SF/SG, NYK at MIA ($6,500 DK, $6,700)

Barrett is a guy that I usually avoid in DFS because he does little aside from scoring. However, Barrett has scored at least 24 points in four of the five games against Miami. With the high prices on some of the stars, I am going to have at least one lineup where I fade the high-priced guys and play mostly in the mid-range. Barrett is essential in those builds. Due to Barrett's strong play, I'm likely going to be over the field on him tonight.

Max Strus - SF/SG, MIA vs. NYK ($4,900 DK, $5,300 FD)

Strus has been a great value play in this series. He is playing a valuable role for the Heat, scoring more than 14 points in four straight games after a pedestrian Game 1. The risk with Strus is that he is mostly a scorer, but unless Andrew Wiggins is out, we don't have any smash-value plays. Strus has more upside than the rest.

Others to consider: Julius Randle ($8,400 DK, $7,600 FD); Draymond Green ($6,700 DK, $7,000 FD)

DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Bam Adebayo - MIA vs. NYK ($7,600 DK, $8,000 FD)

Bam has embarrassed Mitchell Robinson in this series. Despite Butler and Lowry having strong series as well, Bam has been able to score at least 15 points in every game and haul down at least eight boards. He doesn't have the upside of Anthony Davis, but now Davis is questionable for his head as well as his foot. If you're going for the big score and don't care about the floor, Davis is your guy. If you're playing cash or looking to at least double your money in a GPP, go for Bam.

Others to consider: Anthony Davis ($10,300 DK, $11,200 FD); Kevon Looney ($4,700 DK, $4,800 FD)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis