NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: It’s Tatum Time! (May 10)

Saturday has a two-game NBA slate with an early 3:30 p.m. ET lock time on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: It is now or never time for both Boston and Golden State, which should lead to some spirited action with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield needing to step up.

These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.

NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Saturday, May 10

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Jayson Tatum needs to find his offensive game, or things will become even more dire. So far in the series, he is just 12-of-42 (29%) from the field and 5-of-20 (25%) from behind the arc. Funny enough, as a team the Celtics are 25-of-100 from 3-point range, mirroring the result of their franchise player. Tonight will be the 120th playoff game for the 27-year-old, who has been through the wringer before. He currently projects to be the most popular player on both DraftKings and FanDuel, making him an excellent foundational piece for all game types.

Sam Hauser (ankle) is doubtful having missed the last game and Kristaps Porzingis continues to deal with his long-term, intermittent illness. The former Knickerbocker played two rotations, crossing over the between period breaks in each half, totally 13.9 minutes. Al Horford drew the spot start, with Luke Kornet serving as his direct backup for the first half. Sharing the role with Porzingis in the second half.

Payton Pritchard has a baseline of around 20 minutes off the bench, with another six that are reasonably available through strong play or potential mop-up duty, which we haven’t seen yet in this series.

Derrick White is a slightly better point per dollar play than Jaylen Brown, though the latter has the better upside, even as he deals with a sore knee.

Jrue Holiday matches up better in this series, where he can square off with Jalen Brunson on both ends of the floor, this has helped boost his offense and it is unlikely that coach Tom Thibodeau changes things, as any other defensive assignment for Brunson would be far more advantageous for Boston. Brunson is not too far behind Tatum for projected tournament representation, though it feels like coming in under the field is the savvy strategy.

Towns is coming off his best game of the playoffs, putting up 21 points and 17 rebounds. He is always in play, though from a fantasy point per dollar perspective, it is hard to give him a voracious endorsement. The roster flexibility on DraftKings makes it far easier to roll out KAT than on the blue site.

Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are more appealing plays as compared to Mikal Bridges, who tends to be more dependent on his scoring to secure a strong DFS outcome. Hart and Anunoby each have a strong baseline built on peripherals, which allows for their offensive success to add to their production, rather than carry it completely.

Mitchell Robinson is a wild card and while he is typically a solid source of blocks in the regular season, he has only two in his last five postseason appearances and none yet, this series. Caveat Emptor.

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Trace Jackson-Davis started 37 of the 46 games he played in through the end of January, playing in barely half of the last 34 games, averaging just over four minutes per appearance. In the first round, he played in five of the seven games against Houston, totaling 24 minutes. On Thursday, he was the surprise of the slate, knocking down all six of his field goal attempts, with six rebounds in 19.3 minutes of run.

Quinten Post drew the spot start, but he was banished to the bench for the rest of the game after the first 3.3 minutes, after proving to be a square peg in a circular world, without Curry as a pick and roll partner. He will probably get a few minutes, but expect a different first five tonight.

Jonathan Kuminga is another player who had fallen from grace, who popped up in Game 2, scoring 18 points in 26.4 minutes. He is a candidate to start, with TJD being the competition. Who knows what coach Steve Kerr is going to do, other than mix and match players in the hopes of finding an effective patchwork group.

Be sure to tune into Stokastic’s NBA Live Before Lock at 2:30 p.m. ET this afternoon for all of the up-to-date analysis and breaking news.

Draymond Green continues to feel that the world is against him, even though it is not. He is at risk of being ejected or suspended for his antics and is a risky play, with no real regard for the bigger picture. The one constant in DFS is that everyone is playing with the same set of rules, salary cap and options. So let personal preference be your guide for how to employ the mercurial MSU Spartan.

Jimmy Butler attempted just 13 shots, with the entire Minnesota defense keying on him, so expect that level of attention to continue. He is still likely to be the most productive fantasy option for the ‘Dubs, but it will be a long row to hoe tonight.

Expect the ‘Dubs to play all 14 guys tonight. Pat Spencer should get a dozen minutes or so as an overmatched point guard, with Kevin Knox II and Gui Santos likely getting a first half look, just to see if there is any offensive spark. Kevon Looney is very risky, since he mostly rebounds and Braxton Key is on his fourth team in four years, with just 37 regular season games on his resume.

Anthony Edwards looked good in Game 2, after getting off to a listless start in the series opener. Hopefully his off-court conundrum which has reared up again, doesn’t distract him too much. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels were solid complementary scorers and should continue to find success in this matchup.

Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley are m-e-h, MEH! Though at least Gobert has a route to fantasy relevance, even if he rarely takes it. Outside of mop-up duty, the reserves will continue to be Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Reid has the most predictable role and attainable upside if Randle or Gobert are ineffective. DiVincenzo does a little bit of everything, though not a lot of anything and for those expecting Alexander-Walker reprise his Game 2 stat line, keep in mind the most likely result will be a whole lot of NAWthing.

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 Jayson Tatum over 28.5 points today, 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.

The C’s need a statement game from their leader and while he has just 36 points combined in the first two games, he put up 36, 37 and 35 in the final three games against Orlando. Yes, this is a different set of circumstances, but getting to 29 is an attainable milestone for Tatum this afternoon.