NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: The End is Nigh! (May 29)

Thursday could be the last NBA action for a week, so enjoy Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at 8:00 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: Thursday, May 29

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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Jalen Brunson needs to have 50-plus fantasy points and probably mid-30s real points if the Knickerbockers are going to send the series back to Indiana. Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and Aaron Nesmith (ankle) are both questionable, though they are expected to play. Nesmith hurt his ankle in Game 3 but was relatively effective in Game 4 and has had another 48 hours of treatment. He has been playing excellent defense against Brunson and is key for an Indiana win.

There is a chance that coach Tom Thibodeau will put Josh Hart back with the starters, but having Mitchell Robinson playing more of the first quarter has been semi-successful for the Knickerbockers keeping things closer, even considering the late 10-2 run at the end of the opening frame in Game 4.

Robinson still only saw 18.8 minutes on Tuesday, getting half of that run in the first quarter. Shockingly, Precious Achiuwa had 2.4 minutes in the first quarter after having been glued to the bench for the first three games of this series. That is unlikely to occur again unless things are completely sideways.

Delon Wright and Landry Shamet each had rotations again with 9.1 and 11.1 minutes, respectively. This cut into Miles McBride’s run, which increases the variability of minutes for all three.

McBride is just $1,200 on FanDuel, which has him far more appealing than Wright and Shamet, who are at the $1,000 blue site minimum salary. DraftKings is a little different with McBride ($2,800), Shamet ($2,000) and Wright ($1,600), though McBride is still the most desirable, but the savings to the other discount dandies could help upgrade another position.

Mikal Bridges is always live to lead the team in minutes, but we know his DFS production is heavily skewed by his ability to put the biscuit in the basket. O.G. Anunoby and Hart remain steadier plays, particularly when factoring in salaries.

Towns continues to pick up silly fouls, earning two in the first four minutes of the last game and landing him on the bench. He stayed on the floor for all but three minutes over the next 36, but this continues to be an Achilles heel, and it is mindboggling that it keeps happening in these high-leverage situations.

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Pascal Siakam also stepped up on Tuesday, putting up 30 points for the second time in three games, both of which resulted in Indiana victories. He got off to a strong start with 11 points in the first quarter and helped keep the cushion down the stretch with another 11 points in the final stanza.

Bennedict Mathurin also made his supporters happy as everything he touched for a six-minute span bridging the third and fourth quarters turned to gold. He had 9 points, including five free throws while handing out a pair of assists in this stretch. It is unlikely he will catch lightning in a bottle to this degree again, but it is a reminder of why he is a key offensive threat off the bench.

Nesmith was solid, working through an ankle injury picked up in the preceding performance, putting up 16 points and helping keep Brunson off balance with defensive pressure. The offense was a nice bonus, though that is not his primary focus in tonight’s tilt. Myles Turner had three blocks, which helped him out on FanDuel with an otherwise mediocre 13-point, three-rebound and one-assist stat line.

Andrew Nembhard all but disappeared in the box score, making only 1 of 9 (11%) field goal attempts, finishing the game with 3 points, two rebounds, three assist and a steal. He is likely to reclaim some of the production from Nesmith and Mathurin as his own, and ideally The Masses will shy away from him somewhat on this single-game slate.

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Coach Rick Carlisle continues to employ reserves situationally, with T.J. McConnell playing the minutes that Haliburton is off the floor, along with a few together. That keeps him in the 14- to 16-minute range, though he has to get by on efficiency from the field and luck into a steal or two to keep his fantasy profit in play.

Obi Toppin is the frontcourt offense off the bench but with Tony Bradley as the defensive side of the platoon and the player most likely to fill in for Turner. Ben Sheppard also has been getting a couple of first half rotations, though he continually defers to the starters when they are on the court with him.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks

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Bridges has connected on more than two troikas once in this series, going 4-for-5 in the last game. He got over the 1.5 threshold in half of the games against Boston and in four of six against Detroit. The thesis behind this play is that he is at home and the Knicks will need offense.