NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks: Anthony Davis, LeBron James Top Plays (May 8)

Monday’s NBA slate brings a pair of Game 4’s with both home teams holding 2-1 edges. Contests lock at 7:30 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and more.

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NBA DFS Picks Today: Monday, May 8

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Core Play of the Day — Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 50.45 | FanDuel: 49.53
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 23.1% | FanDuel: 44.8%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,900 | FanDuel: $11,700

Anthony Davis once again was everywhere on the defensive end, racking up four blocks and three steals. He also added 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and was 11 of 12 from the charity stripe. In this series, he already has 11 blocked shots and in nine playoff games, he is averaging 4.1 per tilt.

In an odd twist, LeBron James did not even attempt a shot in the first quarter of Game 3, though he made several brilliant passes setting up his teammates for better looks. His final stat line was more typical, with 25 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a block. Los Angeles grabbed the lead midway through the second quarter, and they did not look back. With an 86-68 lead at the end of the third quarter, the Lakers dynamic duo played just three combined minutes in the final frame. Lopsided games are the biggest risk for postseason fantasy gamers as the superstars can get pulled if their teams are up or down big.

D’Angelo Russell was on fire in the first quarter, sinking three of four from behind the arc and notching 13 points in the period. While we cannot count on that accuracy or volume, it was good to see his teammates feeding him during this heat check. Jarred Vanderbilt played himself off the court, missing all five of his field goal attempts, including a trio of triples. Rui Hachimura got the next look, but he was not very exciting either.

The biggest surprise was Lonnie Walker IV, who was a DNP-CD in the first game, played 12 minutes in the second and that increased to 24 minutes on Saturday night. Six minutes did come in the fourth quarter, but for how effective he was in the last two games, it would seem that coach Darvin Ham may try to get him on the court for 15ish minutes on Monday.

Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder continued to see their standard roles and both lost some time with the blowout. They are good fantasy point per dollar options on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Troy Brown Jr. and Malik Beasley did not get in until the very end of the game — along with Tristan Thompson — so it looks like they are officially out of the rotation.

Jimmy Butler: Miami Heat-New York Knicks

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 46.71 | FanDuel: 47.63
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 33.1% | FanDuel: 34.1%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,500 | FanDuel: $10,100

Jimmy Butler came back with a strong outing after missing Game 2 due to an ankle injury. Though he is still listed as questionable, he is expected to play on Monday. The six-time All-Star played only three minutes in the fourth quarter and Miami had a lead that was as large as 22 points, so the heart and soul of the Heat did not need to push himself. For those worried about his ankle, it should be noted that he played the first and third quarters in their entirety and did not look any worse for the wear.

Bam Adebayo continued his steady play with yet another mid-30s fantasy point game. Outside of his triple-double in Milwaukee, when Miami closed out the first round series, this seems to be the baseline that gamers should expect. Fellow starters Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Kevin Love will continue to see their standard minutes, so there were no particularly interesting rotation tweaks through the first three quarters of play.

Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry are the key reserves, though it is hard to project either for much more than 20 minutes, even with Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo out due to injuries. They do have upside if Vincent or Strus are not effective, but that, of course, is all up to the whims of coach Erik Spoelstra.

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Stephen Curry: Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Lakers

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 50.07 | FanDuel: 47.05
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 27.3% | FanDuel: 35.3%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,600 | FanDuel: $9,800

For the second straight game, Stephen Curry played less than 33 minutes, though this time it was the Warriors turn to put the brakes on in the fourth quarter with the game well out of hand. Gamers can chalk that one up to lopsided outcomes and go right back to Curry, with Golden State now trailing in the series.

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Draymond Green had horrible game and he played just 23 minutes after collecting five fouls. JaMychal Green got the spot start after his solid Game 2, but he played only 11 minutes. Kevon Looney played just 16 minutes, but that may have been the residual of him being sick as well as the Lakers putting away the game early. Looney still looks like a strong tournament option, particularly if the game log watchers start to shy away.

Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson actually had decent games, despite the loss and they are still trustworthy players. The same can be said for reserves Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo. Gary Payton II played two 25 second stints at the end of the first and second quarters. That is alarming as it looks like he may be out of the rotation for now, though, of course, Steve Kerr is known to shake things up as well.

Julius Randle: New York Knicks-Miami Heat

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 37.49 | FanDuel: 36.02
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 40.5% | FanDuel: 21.8%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $8,000 | FanDuel: $8,400

Game 3 was a disappointment for the Julius Randle backers, though he did play 38 minutes and take 15 field goal attempts. Better days are ahead – if he had even a couple more shots fall or ended up with a steal or a couple more assists, he would have been right in the mix for 40 fantasy points.

Jalen Brunson continued plugging away, but he too was off the mark making just 7 of 20 (35.0%) shots and missing all five from downtown. The Knicks as a team were 31 for 91 (34.1%) and 8 of 40 (20.0%) from 3-point range – that simply is not going to cut it and now their season is on the brink. Expect Brunson and Randle to play 40 minutes if this game is even remotely winnable, with the hope they can find the equalizer before heading back to New York for Game 5.

Immanuel Quickley (ankle) is doubtful to play, so it will be interesting to see what coach Tom Thibodeau decides to do. Best guess is that Brunson plays a boatload and Quentin Grimes or Miles McBride cover for him when he is off the floor. Heck, we should not forget that Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier are on the roster. Rose played three minutes in Game 3 of the Cleveland series, while Fournier last saw game action a month ago in the waning days of the regular season.

Mitchell Robinson played just 14 minutes as he was once again in foul trouble and it seems that Obi Toppin and Isaiah Hartenstein are better fantasy options, even coming off the bench.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

Embiid (right knee) and Smart (left ankle) are once again questionable, but both are expected to play. Paul remains out for the Suns, which is a shame … but also a springtime tradition at this point in his career.

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Author

Eric MacPherson

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].