Tuesday’s NBA slate kicks off at least eight consecutive days of Western and Eastern Conference Finals. Contests lock at 8:30 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 Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and more.
NBA DFS Picks Today: Tuesday, May 16
Core Play of the Day — Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 68.13 | FanDuel: 63.99
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 86.1% | FanDuel: 67.6%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,000 | FanDuel: $12,600
Denver wrapped up the Western Conference Semifinals on Thursday, taking down the Suns, 125-100 in Phoenix. Jamal Murray was questionable prior to that game with an illness. He was effective, with 26 points in his 35 minutes, and the expectation is that he will be a full go tonight.
The Nuggets, of course, are carried by two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, but at least this season he has help. Murray has completely recovered from his knee surgery and Michael Porter Jr. has another season under his belt, plus veterans Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell Pope are doing all the little things as unsung heroes.
Jokic was sublime in the last series, leading the Nuggets to a 4-2 victory while averaging 38.5 minutes and 23.0 field goal attempts with a stellar 59.4% conversion rate. This worked out to 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 10.3 assists, and 2.0 combined blocks and steals — as well as a trio of triple-doubles. The main questions regarding Jokic will be if he is employed in the multiplier slot and which of the Los Angeles superstars he is paired with in the single-game contests.
Murray has been outstanding this postseason, and in each round he has a pair of games with 32 or more points. While his assists are well behind Jokic, he has been the second-best facilitator, averaging 6.5 dimes across 11 postseason soirées, with 25.9 points per game.
Bruce Brown Jr. is one of the better value plays, and this will likely hold true throughout this series. His ability to play multiple positions as well as provide a little scoring, rebounding, defense or act as a secondary facilitator provide multiple paths to mid-20s minutes.
Jeff Green and rookie Christian Braun are the other reserves who are likely to at least get a rotation, though anything more than a dozen or so minutes is likely to occur only in a lopsided affair.
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Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 51.91 | FanDuel: 52.22
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 43.3% | FanDuel: 51.9%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $11,400
Once again we will be flipping a coin to decide who between Anthony Davis and LeBron James will be the best option to pair with Jokic. Lineups that have all three are possible, but they also look very similar. The most unique build will be to have both of the Lakers superstars in a lineup without Jokic. While that is not something that is comfortable to submit, if Denver’s secondary options carry the day, it could be a path to large-field tournament success.
Davis and James are the only players who have a median projection within 20 fantasy points of Jokic. The Lakers last played on Friday, so this will be as fresh as this duo will be for this series.
It will be interesting to see if Dennis Schroder stays in the starting lineup or if Jarred Vanderbilt returns to that role so the Lakers have someone other than Davis and LeBron banging in the paint for rebounds against Jokic. Rui Hachimura will be a longshot for the starting lineup but not out of the question either. This trio, along with starters D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves and reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV, are the only players who are assured of seeing minutes.
There will likely be a blowout or two in this series, and it would make sense for coach Darvin Ham to wave the white flag early and save his superstars a few minutes and regroup for the next tilt. Of course, we will not know when that is going to happen, but it would not be a surprise for this game to be out of hand in the final frame tonight, with the Nuggets 6.5-point favorites in the thin Denver air.
Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
For tonight’s action, looking to Bruce Brown Jr. in the wagering market does have merit, with his 1.5 assist prop. He has surpassed this milestone in six of his 11 postseason appearances, and the pace of tonight’s game is in his favor.
NBA Bet Pro currently has Brown projected for 24.2 minutes and 2.9 assists, giving this wager a 65.1% expected success rate. Even with the stiff penalty of -170 at BetMGM, this play projects out to a decent 3.2% expected ROI. This is a bet that may be worth incorporating into a straight or same-game parlay to increase the payout upside.
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tonight we have a new series debuting as the Western Conference Finals get underway.
When you start to build your DFS lineups, be sure to let us do the heavy lifting for you by tuning into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock show at 7:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, brought to you by BetMGM — new customers sign up by going through this link and receive 30 days of Stokastic+ Premium AND bonus bet credits if your first wager loses – up to $1,000.
