Monday has holiday basketball with Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals beginning at :30 p.m. ET. Let’s break down the top NBA DFS picks and key lineup building blocks on FanDuel and DraftKings. These plays reflect the most up-to-date data — and for live updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Monday, May 26
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Thunder at Timberwolves
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 53.54 | FanDuel: 53.68
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 82.3% | FanDuel: 82.2%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,000 | FanDuel: $10,900
Oklahoma City came out incredibly flat in Minnesota, with the Timberwolves leading by 20 at the end of the first period, extending the cushion to 72-41 at the half. The Thunder did not win any individual quarter, and the 42-point loss did not have many positives for the team.
Tonight is a fresh start for OKC, which still has a 2-1 series lead, is favored by 3.5 points on the road and is the odds-on favorite to win the NBA Championship. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not look anything like an MVP on Saturday night, but his pride and being gobsmacked by an inferior team should have him back on track tonight.
It is hard to envision Gilgeous-Alexander with a second consecutive dud, and he, of course, projects to be the most popular player across the DFS sites while also having the highest median fantasy point projection.
It is unlikely that there will be any changes to the starting lineups for each team, but be sure to tune into Stokastic’s NBA Live Before Lock at 8 p.m. ET for all of the up-to-date analysis and breaking news.
The best projected SGA Captain lineup on DraftKings actually falls a little short of the top Anthony Edwards lineup. Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP slot on FanDuel is a fraction of a point better than the Edwards iteration. On the blue site, it is actually an Isaiah Hartenstein lineup that is a tick above the SGA-led roster.
Chet Holmgren is intriguing tonight if he returns to his Game 2 role that saw him take a whopping 17 field goal attempts, which were the second most for him in this postseason. His 19-shot effort was in the overtime game against Denver.
Jalen Williams is also another pivot away from Gilgeous-Alexander, with the do-everything wing having regained his offensive feel in this series.
Considering the starters for both teams were essentially done for the night in the third quarter, we should not infer too much from the understudies appearing for both teams. This would include Dillon Jones and Ousmane Dieng for the Thunder, and Rob Dillingham, Josh Minott, Leonard Miller and Luka Garza for the Timberwolves.
Rookie Ajay Mitchell appeared in the first half, which he had not done since a random 2.2-minute outing in Game 2 of the Memphis series — that was over a month ago. He had two minutes of mop-up action in the opener against Minnesota, but this does not look like anything substantive that can be trusted. Kenrich Williams did not enter the game until the end of the third quarter, so it looks like his surprise moment in Game 1 where he had two rotations is unlikely to be repeated either.
Isaiah Joe played in the first quarter of each game, and he even started the second half over Hartenstein. It looks like he could be an extreme punt tonight, though he is going to need to put the biscuit in the basket on his limited offensive opportunities to gain any fantasy traction.
Aaron Wiggins remains the safest of the secondary reserves, with Jaylin Williams still dicey, although it was good to see him on the court in the second quarter after being a DNP-CD in the first two games of this series.
Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso are usually the first two bench players to see action in the opening frame, and their defensive prowess gives them semi-secure playing time. They can do just enough on offense to keep them on the radar as viable differentiation plays.
Luguentz Dort is a wild card, with the defense-first wing not having scored double-digit points in the last four games. He typically gets a handful of 3-point attempts each game, so all it would take is a little luck for him to flirt with 20 fantasy points, which would have him pushing his rosters up the tournament leaderboards.
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: 50.49 | FanDuel: 47.78
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 77.1% | FanDuel: 64.4%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,200 | FanDuel: $9,600
The Ant Man was on a mission from the jump in Game 3, putting up 16 points in the first quarter, outscoring the entire Thunder team by 2. He carries the hopes and dreams of Minnesota and is a viable alternative to SGA. He knows if he cannot conjure up another victory tonight, the series will likely culminate when it returns to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
In a surprising twist, head coach Chris Finch had rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. start the second quarter. In the preceding six postseason games, he did not get to take off his warmups in four, and he only saw a couple minutes at the end of the other two in mop-up duty. He came in with energy and helped the Timberwolves maintain momentum and increase their lead.
In just over four minutes, he had 9 points on 3-for-5 (60%) shooting from the field and converting on all three of his free-throw attempts. Expect to see him in the first half again, though keep in mind half of his fantasy production came in the latter stage of the game when all of the starters were on the bench.
Nickeil-Alexander Walker remains the best of the Minnesota cheapies, though his salary is ticking up. Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo are going to need to up their offensive output because Edwards cannot carry the team by himself. This has been a lost season for DiVincenzo, but he is a veteran with playoff experience and could always get hot from the field. Reid hardly played in the third quarter, with Rudy Gobert on the court for all 12 minutes. It will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out tonight.
Mike Conley once again meandered through low-20s minutes with little fantasy goodness to show for it. Jaden McDaniels has more upside than his veteran counterpart, though they are pretty equal once salaries are added to the equation.
Julius Randle recovered from a Game 2 dud, dropping 24 points, giving him 20-plus in 10 of the 13 postseason games. Unfortunately, he has not been adding many ancillary stats, averaging just six rebounds, 3.4 assists and 0.8 combined blocks and steals over the last five games.
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 Jalen Williams under 4.5 assists, 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.
Williams does project for 4.7 assists tonight, though that does not get him to the five needed for this under to fail. He did hand out five helpers in each of the first two games of this series, which is why getting this line at +120 or better is necessary to make a positive expected ROI transaction.
