NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Which Team Will Have a Comeback Tonight?! (May 23)

Friday brings Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals with an 8:00 p.m. ET tipoff. Let’s break down the top NBA DFS picks and key lineup building blocks on FanDuel and DraftKings. These selections reflect the most up-to-date data — and for live updates, be sure to visit our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.

NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Friday, May 23

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Jalen Brunson did everything he could to lead the Knickerbockers to a win, pouring in 43 points by going 15-for-25 (60%) from the field and 12-for-14 (86%) from the free-throw line. These were hard-fought buckets as the diminutive scorer was just 1 of 6 (17%) from behind the arc. The only blemish, other than the loss, was seven turnovers, though that is not as ugly as it may seem when we remember his ridiculous playing time and that he touches the ball on nearly every New York possession.

Karl-Anthony Towns was also outstanding, putting up 35 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and a pair of “stocks” (combined steals and blocks) in this game. It is hard to envision less than 40 minutes for New York’s dynamic duo since they will want to avoid being 0-2 heading to Indiana at all costs. Of course, this is not a “must win” game, but it is close.

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Building out lineups on FanDuel, those with either Brunson or KAT as the MVP are within a point of each other, while the best Haliburton lineup is almost 5 fantasy points behind.

DraftKings is similar, with the Brunson lineup 2 fantasy points ahead of the Towns Captain lineup and 3 ahead of Haliburton.

Because Thomas Bryant is at $1,000 on DraftKings, it is not hard to put all three stars on the same lineup with one as the Captain. However, that leaves only to slots for differentiation, which elevates the probability of overlap and duplicated lineups.

FanDuel has far more permutations, with the best lineup using all three and one as the MVP a full 10 points behind the median “optimal” roster.

O.G. Anunoby was amazing with 16 points and six stocks, along with three boards and two assists. Still, he fell half a dozen points shy of the 40-fantasy point plateau with the weaker blocks and assists figures. Mikal Bridges had 16 field goal attempts, making eight and matching Anunoby with 16 points. Similarly, even with an above average 11 combined rebounds and assists plus three stocks of his own, he too didn’t clear the 40-fantasy point threshold.

Josh Hart did Josh Hart things, chipping in a across the box score with 8 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and a steal. This series appears to favor Bridges, but he is going to have to keep making the most of his offensive opportunities in order to be relevant. Hart and Anunoby are the safer plays, though as we saw even with overtime and decent games for each of this trio, the team is all about Brunson and KAT.

Cameron Payne got a little extra run in his standard first half rotation with about three bonus minutes due to good play. That is going to be a possibility in each game for the remainder of the series, but the more the Pacers win or if the Knicks are down, the quicker coach Tom Thibodeau will be to get Brunson back in the game.

Under the “what could have been” scenario, it was Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride who were on the court over Bridges and Brunson when New York did most of the damage at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a 17-1 run. Of course, there was no stopping Aaron Nesmith from long range, which was one of those things that can’t really be laid at the feet of any New York players.

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The rest of the Pacers are so balanced that it is hard to get a great lean on anyone, though they are all very much in play and each has upside for their current salaries. This is where personal preference and roster construction should be heavily weighted. Some quick thoughts on each player include:

Myles Turner: Looked great knocking down those long 2-pointers, though he only played 29 minutes in regulation. That is about three minutes less than his baseline projection, which is actually a lot when we consider that is a 10% potential bump in his run tonight by comparison.

Obi Toppin: Surprisingly was on the court over Turner during Nesmith’s flurry of troikas, with the duo splitting the center minutes in overtime. We know he has a role, and he is a safe option off the bench.

T.J. McConnell: Also a safe option off the bench, but it is hard to envision more than 15 to 16 minutes. He gets by on offensive efficiency attacking the rim on back cuts and the break, which happen far less frequently in the playoffs. He also doesn’t take 3-pointers, attempting only seven so far this postseason. He will play but does not have the same potential upside of Toppin.

Thomas Bryant: Super discount dandy, unlikely to reach double-digit fantasy points outside of mop-up duty or something befalling Turner or Toppin.

Ben Sheppard: Highly risky and a potential DNP-CD. He did not get into the game until the fourth quarter, lucking into coach Rick Carlisle leaving him on the floor during the comeback.

Bennedict Mathurin: Offense off the bench, has a chance to play his way into more minutes if he is putting the biscuit in the basket or if anything happens to another wing. Shaky defense is really exposed in the postseason, making him even more of a one-way option than Toppin.

Aaron Nembhard and Andrew Nesmith: They will be tasked with guarding Brunson, which could lead to foul trouble. Otherwise both are steady options and solid from a fantasy point-per-dollar perspective.

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 Jalen Brunson under 2.5 3-pointers, 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.

Brunson cleared this mark in seven of the 13 (54%) playoff games so far, though he landed on exactly three (23%) times. The volume is there with 7.5 attempts per game, but he is merely an average marksman in the postseason with a 33.8% career success rate.