Saturday welcomes the weekend with Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals locking at 8:30 p.m. ET. Let’s break down the top NBA DFS picks and key lineup building blocks on FanDuel and DraftKings. These selections reflect the most up-to-date data — and for live updates, be sure to visit our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Saturday, May 24
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 55.26 | FanDuel: 55.29
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 81.1% | FanDuel: 84.6%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $10,800
Now is the time for the Timberwolves to make a stand, with the series resuming in Minnesota for the next two games. The T-wolves are only 3.5-point underdogs and they have the ability to step up in front of their fans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed out in Game 2, with the recently named MVP tying a postseason personal best with 38 points. He also added three rebounds, eight assists and a trio of steals, leading the Thunder to a decisive 35-21 third quarter, which put the game away. Oklahoma City gave up a little ground to start the final frame when starters Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander were on the bench, but the team was able to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the quarter, so the outcome was never really in doubt.
Jalen Williams put up 26 points, which are the second most for his playoff career and the second time in the last three games he has put up 24-plus points. That had been the shortfall in his postseason portfolio and his inconsistent scoring in the Denver series dampened his DFS prospects. Even with staunch defense from Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander Walker and Jalen McDaniels patrolling the perimeter, Williams showed he could get his.
Holmgren also had a good game, putting up 22 points in 32 minutes, even though he made only one of his six 3-point attempts. He got to the line six times, converting on five, though his overall fantasy performance was a disappointment as he did not have any “stocks” (combined steals and blocks). This was only the third time that occurred through 13 playoff tilts, with the former Gonzaga star averaging nearly four in the other 10 games. Expect him to be making his backers happy tonight with his defensive efforts.
Be sure to tune into Stokastic’s NBA Live Before Lock at 7:30 p.m. ET for all of the up-to-date analysis and breaking news.
Things are more tenuous for the Thunder after this tremendous trio. That makes building lineups fun, since there are plenty of decision points to consider, particularly with the different salaries on the two main NBA DFS sites.
FanDuel has Isaiah Hartenstein at $5,600, which has the paint protector popping with a 43.3% projected popularity, while on DraftKings he is at $7,200 and expected to be on only one-in-five lineups. Blocks are tougher to come by in the playoffs, but that salary on FanDuel is pretty egregious, if Hartenstein plays around 24 minutes.
Aaron Wiggins is the discount dandy on DraftKings, with his $1,400 salary making him stand out among the OKC reserves who will see action. Typically Wiggins starts the second and fourth quarters, but at this low salary, even if those are his only two stints, he should be able to provide a profit. He also has the same salary on FanDuel, though with Alex Caruso ($4,400), Cason Wallace ($4,000) and Dort ($3,000) all undervalued, the former Maryland Terrapin doesn’t stand out.
Isaiah Joe saw his minutes fall from 13.5 to only a three minute stint in the first quarter on Thursday. That makes him a lottery ticket, but one who should at least get on the court, unlikely Kenrich Williams who has played sporadically throughout the postseason and Jaylin Williams who has yet to see the court against Minnesota.
Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for a sample Showdown slate:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Anthony Edwards: Timberwolves vs. Thunder
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 49.33 | FanDuel: 46.57
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 71.2% | FanDuel: 64.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,000 | FanDuel: $9,400
Anthony Edwards racked up 32 points, but it was not enough as his usual sidekick Julius Randle notched only six points, going 2-of-11 (18%) from the field.
Looking at the optimal lineups, based on the early run of median fantasy point projections, the best Edwards as the Captain lineup is less than a fantasy point below the overall optimal lineup on DraftKings and basically tied with the top SGA lineup. FanDuel is different, with Edwards as the MVP being the highest projected optimal, three points ahead of the SGA led roster. This is all very bunched together, but it is a good demonstration that there are multiple potential paths to topping tournaments tonight.
It was a bizzarro-world offensive performance for the Timberwolves, with defense-first wings McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker putting up 22 and 17 points, as Minnesota continued to struggle against the otherworldly defense of Oklahoma City. If Randle and Naz Reid are not able to step up at home, this series is all but over. Reid did recover from his 1-for-11 (9%) Game 1, going 3-for-8 (38%), but he missed all five troikas and he needs to double up on his 10 points if his team is going to have a chance of sending the series back to Oklahoma.
Alexander-Walker is just $2,200 on the main DFS sites and he is the best overall value play, with coach Chris Finch using him to guard his cousin. Of course stopping the recently crowned MVP is not going to happen without a strong team effort, but getting minutes is the first key to NBA DFS relevance.
Donte DiVincenzo continues to disappoint, which makes him a tough click. In turn, that has his popularity lower, leading to him being underrepresented in tournaments. Rudy Gobert has played 21 and 30 minutes thus far, but he has attempted only eight shots. Mike Conley has been looking every bit of his 37-year-old self and he has a grand total of 10 points through the first two matchups. Any of these guys could put it together, but it feels better going with NAW and then picking among the OKC discount dandies in main lineups, building around SGA and Edwards.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
If you’re serious about winning in NBA DFS, you know the edge comes from having the right tools. The same principle applies to sports betting — and that’s where Portfolio EV steps in.
Take Isaiah Hartenstein under 18.5 points+rebounds+assists (PRA), for example. It’s a +EV bet, meaning it has positive expected value when compared to the best odds available across the market. But the real strength of Portfolio EV isn’t about finding just one good bet — it’s about consistently finding dozens. With the Mass Entry tool, you can scale up, place a high volume of +EV bets, and let the math do the heavy lifting.
Just like you wouldn’t count on one DFS lineup to ship a GPP, you don’t count on one bet to carry your night.
Portfolio EV is built for long-term profitability. It helps you spot market inefficiencies, compare lines across books and generate a steady stream of +EV bets. It doesn’t chase heaters, but rather trusts the numbers, follows a process and builds sustainable profit over time.
Currently, Hartenstein projects for 19.2 PRA, but that of course does not take into account the range of actual outcomes. In Game 1, he played 19.7 minutes, with 12 points and five rebounds. Game 2 saw him increase his run to 26.6 minutes, with six points, eight rebounds and two assists. He had four fouls in each game and with his minutes mostly tied to Gobert’s, there are many ways for him to continue to fall shy of the 18.5 PRA target tonight.
