NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Time for Payback! (April 22)

Tuesday brings a three-game featured slate with a 7:00 p.m. ET lock time on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: Alex Caruso and John Konchar are the discount dandies, opening up a world of fun roster builds, centered around Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James and more!

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: Tuesday, April 22

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Alex Caruso was the third Thunder bench player to enter the game, logging 3:09 in the opening period. His second rotation was more extensive with 8:03 minutes early in the second quarter. Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault emptied the bench midway through the third period, so it is a little tricky to know how the playoff rotations are going to work out.

The Stokastic NBA DFS Projections have Caruso in for 20 minutes, which is eight more than he saw on Sunday. Caruso will be out on the court for his defense and as a secondary facilitator. Though he doesn’t generate much of his own offense, he should at least get a couple field goal attempts in the flow of the game tonight.

John Konchar had two rotations in the first half of the opener. He came into the game, along with Santi Aldama, as Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jaren Jackson Jr. rotated out. He was back on the bench after 3:18 of run, though he returned about a minute later, closing out the quarter and then continuing for another 8:03 in the second period. He is being projected for 21 to 22 minutes, but it may be somewhat fragile as Vince Williams Jr. could earn more run at the expense of Konchar.

These two discount dandies, along with Donte DiVincenzo for Minnesota and Dorian Finney-Smith for Los Angeles, are allowing gamers a path towards a stars-and-scrubs roster build.

In the early run of the Stokastic Boom/Bust Tool, Pippen is surprisingly the player with the best positive leverage, meaning that he is underrepresented in tournaments. That will likely normalize a little, though it is a dramatic change from Game 1 of the series, when he was the industry’s favorite value play. Finney-Smith is the second-best play per this metric. He may not start, but it appears coach JJ Reddick may have a quick hook for Jaxson Hayes, who started each of the first three quarters but played only 8.2 total minutes.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are secondary tournament targets. Though the risk of another lopsided game is in play with this well-balanced squad, Memphis should be able to rally somewhat and help this trio get something approaching 30 minutes of run. Right?!

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 this sample slate:

If that is the case, it pushes Luka Doncic just ahead of the two-time NBA MVP for the most coveted DFS foundational play. Essentially, he is producing his same stats for the Lakers, which is taking a tremendous amount of pressure off of LeBron James. Despite losing Game 1 by 22 points, Los Angeles is currently listed as a 5.5-point home favorite. Both teams have had a 72-hour respite, though we know that will be of the most benefit to James.

The Lake Show is a two-man act, with Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura popping in every now and then for some fantasy goodness but offering little predictability. The key reserves in Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are all about defense. To wit, in 72 combined minutes, this trio tallied a total of 8 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.

DiVincenzo had a strong game for Minnesota, doing a little bit of everything with 9 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in 25 minutes. That is a lofty expectation for him to maintain, but even 80% of it would be nice for DFS purposes. Naz Reid was 6 of 9 from downtown and 8 of 12 overall for 23 points, helping keep the offense humming with the disappearance of Rudy Gobert. Reid and Julius Randle were serving as the center when Gobert was off the court, which was also forced somewhat by the Lakers using Hachimura, James and Finney-Smith in that role over Hayes.

We have seen this before with Gobert, though he also has been able to play through these situations if he is able to control the glass. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is another low-end punt who looks to be underrepresented in tournaments with the attention rightfully on Caruso and Konchar.

Jaden McDaniels was outstanding in Game 1, leading the Timberwolves with 27 points. We saw him show flashes on offense in the last playoff rounds, as well as stepping up when DiVincenzo and Randle were injured at various times this season. His ability to collect blocks and steals makes him a viable tournament target, particularly with him also being overlooked like NAW.

Anthony Edwards is going to need to kick it up a notch tonight if the Timberwolves want to resume the series in Minnesota with a 2-0 lead. We know he has the talent; it just comes down to him rising to the occasion.

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 Kyle Kuzma under 5.5 rebounds tonight 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 likely return of Lillard is going to impact Kuzma, who had one of the all-time worst playoff games on Sunday. In 22 minutes, he missed all five field goal attempts and both of his free throws, recording no other stats. That is unlikely to transpire again, but with Bobby Portis back as well, we know that coach Glenn Rivers plans to employ Kuzma in a “do the little things and the dirty work” role. The former Washington Wizard is on board with this strategy and has embraced it. He could still end up with double-digit points in the flow of the game, but it is not going to be his priority.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

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