NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: NBA Finals Game 5! (June 16)

The NBA Finals are resuming in Oklahoma City tonight with the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers tied up at 2-2 as the second act begins. 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, June 16

All done with NBA DFS picks for the year but still want that NBA playoff sweat? Get into the best sports betting tools with Portfolio EV! You can start making money and compounding your returns for the home stretch of the NBA season (or any other sport, for that matter) with a large portfolio of +EV bets at your disposal. Sign up now and get your first seven days FREE!

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Haliburton did have six first half field goal attempts, which was good to see, and it helped the Pacers keep the lead for most of the first half, though for the game the average lead was only 2.45 points. Looking at median projections, the best lineup with Haliburton as the Captain on DraftKings is just over 7 fantasy points behind the “optimal” lineup, which is helmed by Jalen Williams. Over on the blue site, the top Haliburton lineup is 5 points off the optimal, which has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the MVP.

The slight salary downturn has Haliburton projecting to be the third-most rostered player on the main sites, up one spot from Friday on FanDuel and two spots on DraftKings. In an ironic twist, Haliburton did not stand at the charity stripe once in the first trio of tilts, though he did end that streak by making all three of his opportunities on Friday while continuing to keep his 50% success rate from the field.

Overall he is averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 3.1 “stocks” (combined blocks and steals), which is good — though still not great, though it looks a little better against the lens of the generational defense that the Thunder have built.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 20 points, 2 more than Haliburton. The Cameroonian also had five steals and a block, which was phenomenal. This series he has averaged 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.1 stocks, and that has him grading out as the key foundational play tonight.

In an interesting and appropriate twist, most sportsbooks have Siakam within hailing distance as a potential Finals MVP. The Pacers are +350 to win the series, but Haliburton and Siakam are in the +800 to +900 range to earn the Finals MVP. For perspective, SGA as the MVP and the Thunder as the series victors have nearly identical odds of around -450.

Myles Turner played around 30 minutes in each of the last two games, which were his highest totals this series. However, he was apparently dealing with an illness and also had two of his least productive postseason efforts in these appearances. In the 10 games between the Conference Finals and this round, he averaged only 13 points and barely four rebounds per game, posting more than four rebounds only twice (five and nine). While he has eight blocks in this series, he had none in the second and fourth installments. It is hard to click on his name, though he does possess 30-fantasy point upside, even if it has not been displayed much at all over the last month.

Bennedict Mathurin was mostly invisible in the box score, with 8 points and just two 3-point attempts, sinking one and then picking up 5 more points on eight free-throw tries. Obi Toppin continues to be the most trustworthy reserve, even though his defensive woes have him continually dancing on the brink of danger.

Veteran T.J. McConnell continues to be locked in at $2,400 on FanDuel, though he did get a $200 bump for his DraftKings salary cap hit. Once again he was able to convert on a few shots and hand out a couple helpers, though he didn’t have any steals after recording eight thefts in the first three games of the Finals. He is going to continue playing 16 to 18 minutes per game, usually covering for Haliburton’s breaks and then getting a few minutes alongside him.

Aaron Nesmith fouled out for a second consecutive game, but he did play 30 minutes, which were eight more than in Game 3. Defense is his focus, which is important for the Pacers, but not so much for DFS gamers. Let others take the risk on him tonight for DraftKings tournaments. On FanDuel, he is fine at his $3,600 salary.

Andrew Nembhard also has been doing some heavy lifting on defense, and while he has nine fouls in the last two games, he was able to stay on the court for 33 and 36 minutes. He has similar risks as Nesmith on this front, but the former Gonzaga stalwart has been more consistent with his fantasy production. This is also accounted for in the salary disparity of this duo.

Thomas Bryant fell out of the rotation as expected with a DNP-CD. Ben Sheppard played 12 minutes, down from his 18 in Game 3, though in line with his nine and 14 minutes of run in the first two Finals matchups. He sunk his only shot, splashing home a troika but recording no other fantasy relevant stats.

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:

Tonight the Thunder are 9.5-point home favorites, but by now we have learned we cannot count the Pacers out until the final horn sounds. Chet Holmgren had another strong performance, with 14 points and 15 rebounds, notching a second straight double-double. He also had 37 minutes of run, two more than the preceding game, and only the overtime game in Denver saw him with more court time.

Jalen Williams put up 27 points, which were 1 more than Game 3, and though he missed all three of his 3-point attempts, he got to the line 11 times with perfect results. In the last three games he had nine, 11 and 11 free-throw attempts, which is helping offset his 3-for-14 (21%) from behind the arc. The big three for the Thunder are also the three most popular “multiplier” options on the main DFS sites.

Isaiah Hartenstein moved back into the starting lineup, though it did not have a major impact on his playing time, which saw him on the court for just over 21 minutes while averaging 19 in his three games as a reserve. He and Holmgren shared the court for a series-high 10 minutes and 21 possessions, during which the former New York Knick recorded all three of his field goal attempts and all six of his rebounds.

Luguentz Dort attempted only two shots, sinking both, including a 3-pointer. He also had three rebounds and a steal in his 33 minutes. We know his main focus is as a defender, but it also keeps him on the court nearly as much as the big three, which is half the battle in the postseason.

Turning our attention to the reserves, it was Alex Caruso who led the second unit with 30 minutes, scorching the net to the tune of 7-for-9 (78%) from the field and producing 20 points to accompany his three rebounds and ridiculous six stocks. There is a chance he will slide into the starting lineup, though most likely the team will stick with Hartenstein.

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.

Cason Wallace played 19 minutes off the bench, and we should expect 18 to 20 if he remains in this role, barring mop-up duty. He did his best to be a spark with two rebounds and two assists, though he connected on only one of his five shots and also had four fouls. He is not going to fall out of the rotation by any stretch, but it is unlikely this performance did much to change his prospects for tonight. His falling salary has him rating out as a similar fantasy point-per-dollar option as Caruso, though they are not particularly close from a raw points perspective.

Aaron Wiggins was the second reserve off the bench after Caruso, but he played only 8.2 minutes. Kenrich Williams logged 11.3, including almost four minutes to start the fourth quarter, and it would appear he is likely in line for half a dozen first half minutes, with the potential for a handful in the second half. That is worthy of our attention on both DraftKings ($1,600) and FanDuel ($1,000) as the savvy punt du jour with nearly no tournament representation on the blue site (<1.0%) and around 8% to 9% on DraftKings.

Isaiah Joe is the other wild card since he will likely feel more comfortable putting the biscuit in the basket at his home venue. Even though he connected on both of his triples in Game 3, he still had a sedate 4.5 minutes of run on Friday, missing his lone field goal attempt, though at least contributing a rebound and a surprise steal.

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 Obi Toppin under 17.5 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 odds 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.

There are not many positive wagers out on the markets with this being the fifth game of the NBA Finals, but some are appearing on the “social sites” of ProphetX and Novig. Currently, Toppin projects for 18.38 PRA, though that doesn’t account for variable outcome ranges. Toppin crushed this target with 25 PRA in Game 4 and 24 PRA in Game 1; however, he fell short in Game 2 (10 PRA) and Game 3 (15 PRA).

How to Use NBA DFS Sims for Your NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today