Wednesday has a potential elimination situation with Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals beginning 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 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: Wednesday, May 28
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Anthony Edwards: Timberwolves at Thunder
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 49.73 | FanDuel: 46.92
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 69.8% | FanDuel: 55.5%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,400 | FanDuel: $9,600
Sadly, the Timberwolves were not able to get a late lead on Monday night, losing 128-126 to the Thunder in Minnesota. The series is back in Oklahoma City, where the T-Wolves are 8.5-point underdogs.
Anthony Edwards took only 13 field goal attempts, tying his series low from Game 1. He had just 16 points, four rebounds, six assists with no blocks or steals. Still, we have to go back to him tonight as the Ant Man having a strong performance is going to be the only path to getting the series back to Minnesota for another elimination game.
The bench did everything they could, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker scoring a team-high 23 points on 9-for-15 (60%) shooting, including 5-for-8 (63%) from 3-point range. Fellow defensive maven Jaden McDaniels led the starters with 22 minutes, collecting four steals and a block.
Donte DiVincenzo finally had a moment, with 21 points, three rebounds, five assists and a steal. In the preceding three games in the series, he totaled 23 points, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block in 40 additional minutes. That makes it seem like he just had his best game and will likely slide back into the shadows tonight.
Julius Randle disappeared again, going 1-for-7 (14%) from the field, missing all three of his troikas and playing only 28 minutes. He had 5 points, which when combined with Edwards’ 16, still is behind NAW and McDaniels and tied with DiVincenzo. Things were so bad that Rudy Gobert actually played the final seven minutes while Randle was on the bench. That is now two duds in the last three games, and it appears that OKC has Randle’s number.
Rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. was the direct backup for Edwards, overlapping for about 30 seconds midway through the second quarter. He likely will see something similar in the first half again when Edwards gets a rest, but there is a chance that Edwards will not leave the court if the game is close in the second half.
Alexander-Walker should see 25 minutes, with another couple for upside if he can add some offense again, while DiVincenzo has the widest variation in outcomes and the most fragile floor. Naz Reid played only 23 minutes backing up Randle and Gobert, though his long-range offense could also help him regain some minutes. The team just doesn’t want to play Mike Conley more than 20-ish minutes, but the 37-year-old hasn’t really done anything to warrant more.
Coach Chris Finch will probably try some mixing and matching; however, it will be an uphill battle all night against the ferocious Thunder defense.
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Thunder vs. Timberwolves
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 56.55 | FanDuel: 56.61
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 86.2% | FanDuel: 87.5%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,400 | FanDuel: $11,000
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander refused to let his team lose, putting up 40 points while playing 40 minutes. This, along with seven fewer turnovers than the Timberwolves, allowed the Thunder to withstand surprising games from McDaniels, Alexander-Walker and DiVincenzo.
Jalen Williams was unstoppable and put up 34 points, sinking 6-for-9 (67%) from behind the arc and adding a trio of takeaways. That gave him 60 points in the last two competitive games, with the do-everything forward seeing just 25 minutes in Saturday’s blowout loss.
Chet Holmgren was also stellar with 21 points, seven rebounds, one assist and four “stocks” (combined steals and blocks). He now has multiple stocks in 11 of the 15 games, making him a fun play on FanDuel, where those stats are each worth 3 fantasy points.
Isaiah Hartenstein had three offensive rebounds in the first three minutes, but he played 16 in total on Monday, exiting the game for good with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter. The lack of offense hurt him, plus given Holmgren was playing so well, it was redundant to have him on the floor, even with Gobert playing ahead of Randle.
Cason Wallace and reserve Alex Caruso have been phenomenal on defense, and they were a big reason why Edwards had such a mediocre game. They have the safest minutes; even though they do not need to contribute much on offense, being on the court is half the battle. Caruso could lose minutes in a blowout situation since the team wants him healthy and unscathed for the NBA Finals. The 33 minutes were an outlier, as were the 10 in the Game 3 drubbing, so 20 to 22 is realistic more times than not.
Luguentz Dort rounds out the first five, though the defense-first wing has not had many DFS relevant moments. This is not his fault since he is always going to be on the court with at least three and often times four better offensive options.
Check out Stokastic’s NBA Live Before Lock at 8:00 p.m. ET for all of the up-to-date analysis and breaking news and a read on how Oklahoma City may handle its reserves after shaking things up in the last game.
Aaron Wiggins was a DNP-CD, and Kenrich Williams seems to have the more secure minutes. The 30-year-old veteran is a strong defender and more malleable than Wiggins, as he can guard more positions. This is such a deep roster that solid contributors like Wiggins, Williams, Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe get squeezed out of the rotation in the playoffs.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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As covered in the DFS section, minutes are the uncertainty for Hartenstein, but there is still a path towards more than 15.5 PRA with efficiency. In the first four games, he had 17 PRA in 20 minutes, 16 in 27 minutes, 12 in 19 minutes and 10 in 16 minutes.
