The NBA Finals has relocated to Indianapolis with the Pacers currently installed as 5.5-point home dogs to the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder. 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, June 11
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Tyrese Haliburton: Pacers vs. Thunder
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 41.82 | FanDuel: 41.34
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 40.1% | FanDuel: 49.8%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $11,000 | FanDuel: $13,000
Tyrese Haliburton simply has to get up more field goal attempts in the first half. Yes, he is facing one of the greatest collections of defensive talent every assembled, but four attempts in the first quarter and one in the second of Game 2 is not enough.
This is nothing new, and it is actually one more attempt than what he had in the first half of Game 1, which was basically saved by one of the most unlikely confluence of events, impacting both teams with wild extremes on turnovers, scoring off turnovers, rebound margin, etc. Continuing the trend, Haliburton had four shots in the first half of Game 5 against the Knicks and six in Game 3. To be clear, just hoisting up shots is not going to be enough, but as the old saying goes, you miss all of the shots you don’t take.
Haliburton’s salary has dipped by $200 on both DraftKings and FanDuel, though that is not enough to change his popularity. He does have a median fantasy point projection that is nearly 2 points higher than he had for Game 2 in Oklahoma City, which is a nod to the homecourt advantage.
He is the fifth-most popular player on FanDuel, with teammate Pascal Siakam ahead of him on the blue site, while both Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin are ahead of him on DraftKings, where he is the sixth-most popular play.
The overall offensive woes are not Haliburton’s alone since his 13 field goal attempts actually led the team. Siakam had 11 attempts while also getting to the line nine times and converting on eight free-throw attempts. Aaron Nesmith had a dozen attempts, making 4 of 8 from 3-point range, while Myles Turner also had 12 attempts, making half, along with three of four from the charity stripe.
The biggest things that coach Rick Carlisle can change is to get Haliburton into the upper 30s for minutes, or at least get him to 17-plus field goal attempts, while Turner needs to play 32 to 33 minutes as a baseline. Having a deep team and rotation is great, but it also means the best players have the ball in their hands less. Maybe this is all Turner can play against a daunting frontcourt, as he hasn’t cleared 27.6 minutes in the last four games. Of course, he did play 31-plus minutes in 10 of the 18 postseason games thus far, and both Cleveland and New York have bigger frontcourts.
Obi Toppin had eight field goal attempts in his 19 minutes, though only one found the bottom of the net. He did have five rebounds, two assists and a steal in his 19 minutes, and he should continue to see a similar workload and volume of opportunities tonight; it is just going to come down to effectiveness for the one-way player. Thomas Bryant had close to four minutes in the first quarter, though the team was down by 15-plus points when he was on the court in the third and fourth quarters. Tony Bradley was a DNP-CD, not even picking up minutes in garbage time.
Somehow T.J. McConnell continues to be fantasy relevant, having another strong game with 11 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals. He connected on 5 of 7 from the field, including a rare 3-pointer. We know he is a crowd favorite, and as a veteran, he continues to play within his skillset. It is just crazy that he keeps getting results against this ferocious defense.
Bennedict Mathurin continues to be the backcourt version of Toppin, and he made the most of his 22 minutes with 14 points, two rebounds and an assist. He did pick up four fouls, but in turn he got to the line seven times, which was one fewer than the rest of the team, excluding Siakam.
Ben Sheppard rounds out the bench, though he played just under two minutes in the first half and only 14 total. He is likely to get another look, but unless Andrew Nembhard or Aaron Nesmith are in foul trouble, he could find it hard to get on the court. Sheppard is the inverse of Mathurin, getting run for his defense. He is a low-usage player, which is fine on this team, but it is hard to put up fantasy points when you are only getting two shots a game.
Nembhard and Nesmith, Nesmith and Nembhard. This duo has been difficult to pinpoint this series, though that is also due to the plus defenders at every position from Oklahoma City. In prior series, opposing teams would put their weaker defenders on this duo, but there really are no weak defenders on the Thunder roster. Sprinkle them in across lineups and hope for the best, unless you have a particularly strong personal preference for one or the other.
Siakam is the other player who has to be more aggressive on offense, though he will have an easier time than Haliburton. The Pacers need to push their advantage whenever he gets a mismatch instead of resetting the offense. If he can get a couple of makes when it is one of the guards who crossmatches with him, that will aid his DFS value.
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 Showdown slate:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Thunder at Pacers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 57.52 | FanDuel: 57.38
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 89.3% | FanDuel: 93.6%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $12,400 | FanDuel: $16,200
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has received a $600 increase on DraftKings and an $800 salary bump on FanDuel. His median fantasy projection is lower by 1 point and his expected popularity is unchanged from Game 2.
Surprisingly, it was Alex Caruso (20 points) and Aaron Wiggins (18 points) who were the biggest difference-makers, with the duo combining for 9 of 18 from 3-point range. It is hard to expect that again, but it shows the depth of the roster.
Chet Holmgren played nearly 28 minutes, up over four from Game 1, losing out on the final two as the unused reserves got in for a little homecourt glory. Holmgren was everywhere, though most of his actions did not result in DFS points. He did share the court with Isaiah Hartenstein for almost four minutes, during which Hartenstein had a pair of assists, one to Holmgren in their big-to-big attack and one to Isaiah Joe.
Hartenstein had nine potential assists for four actual helpers, which is impressive for his 22 minutes of run. Though he only took two shots, he also had eight rebounds and a steal, making him one of the more intriguing fantasy point-per-dollar options on both sites tonight.
Caruso and Wiggins picked up where Luguentz Dort left off on offense, with the otherworldly defender more focused on defense. We know he is a capable scorer; he just is not typically needed with the embarrassment of riches on the court with him.
Be sure to 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 to find out if there are any lineup changes for Oklahoma City.
Jalen Williams got to the line nine times, making eight free throws, which offset a disappointing 5-for-14 effort from the field. He had five rebounds and five assists and continues to project well. Before the end of this series, he is going to have a performance where he puts everything together and pushes SGA for top honors.
Cason Wallace remained in the starting lineup, though his minutes slid from 33 to a more appropriate 23 on Sunday. He is a reasonable discount dandy, but his popularity as a starter is outpacing his likely fantasy production, making him a bit overrepresented in tournaments. Caruso still has the better fantasy upside, and Wiggins is the better salary saver, though the casual gamers do love to play starters.
Veteran Kenrich Williams played a strong five-minute shift in the second quarter with four rebounds and two assists, but he didn’t take a shot. It would appear that he is going to continue to get a first half rotation, but it is fragile at best. Joe is in a similar boat, though as always, he controls his minutes potential by his offensive effectiveness.
Ajay Mitchell was a surprise first half player in Game 1, but he was relegated to only mop-up duty over the weekend. It is unlikely he will resurface outside of a lopsided contest.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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There are not many positive wagers out on the markets with this being the third game of the NBA Finals, but some are appearing on the “social sites” of ProphetX and Novig. Currently, Turner projects for 16.1 points + assists, though he fell shy of that mark in four of the last five games. This wager is likely to come down to the wire, but for those seeking action, it is supported by the underlying math.
