NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Will Jonathan Kuminga Grab a Bucket? (May 12)

Monday has a two-game NBA slate with a 7:30 p.m. ET lock time on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks. 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: Monday, May 12

NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

The injury to Stephen Curry has forced coach Steve Kerr to try anything he can think of, which led to Trayce Jackson-Davis getting a Game 3 spot start after Quinten Post failed in that role the preceding game. Jackson-Davis played the first five minutes and was not seen again until the start of the second half, when he had around another five. He was on the floor for the final 73 seconds as well, but this shows that even if he starts again, he has a tenuous role.

Jonathan Kuminga has also returned from his banishment, posting 30 points on 11 of 18 (61%) from the field — 3 of 4 (75%) from 3-point range — and missing only one of his six free throws. He also chipped in with six rebounds, three assits and a pair of blocks, which has him on everyone’s radar tonight and the most popular play on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Jimmy Butler led the team with 33 points, accompanied by seven rebounds and seven assists in 43 minutes, so expect more of the same tonight as the Dubs desperately try to steal a second game and give them a cushion to hopefully get Curry back for Game 6.

Buddy Hield chipped in with 14 points on 11 field goal attempts, converting on 4 of 8 (50%) from downtown. He played 32 minutes and should see a similar baseline tonight, as long as he is effective.

Brandin Podziemski was a dreadful 1-for-10 (10%) from the field, though he played 39 minutes as he needed to run the offense. The youngster should have a better game tonight since it is hard to do much worse.

Draymond Green was doing Draymond things on the court, and not in a good way. He picked up his fifth and sixth fouls in an 18-second span with just under five minutes to go in the game and watched the rest from the bench. After 40 fantasy points in Game 2, he hasn’t even reached that level of production in the last two games combined. He is a tournament wild card, though also could be the trojan horse that destroys rosters.

The surprises off the bench, in addition to Kuminga, were Moses Moody getting just over three minutes, while Kevon Looney surged for 18 ticks. Gary Payton II had eight different stints, totaling 25.6 minutes with Kerr using him situationally. Moody has the best chance to see an increase, and Looney is the most likely to lose minutes, particularly if Green is on his best behavior.

In the least surprising wrinkle, Nickeil Alexander-Walker went from scoring 20 points in Game 2 to missing all four of his field goal attempts and being blanked in Game 3. He is out on the court for his defense, and other than getting lucky from long range on limited attempts, he is an afterthought for DFS purposes if crafting fewer than 20 lineups. For the single-game slate, he is in the mix purely as a salary saver.

Edwards and Randle are the desirable Timberwolves, which is pretty obvious. Randle messed around for a triple-double, handing out 12 of the team’s 28 assists. That is not likely to occur again, though he should push for 40 minutes in a close game and could easily double-double. Speaking of double-doubles, Rudy Gobert is going to need to take more than four shots to get one himself, but he will still collect rebounds and the four blocks on Saturday were impressive.

Mike Conley continues to meander, though the 37-year-old has continued to hold off Donte DiVincenzo from getting more run, as have the disappointing results from the one-time Warrior. Naz Reid remains a solid bench option, and he does just enough of everything to give him a solid floor, while his scoring grants attainable upside.

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:

Payton Pritchard is underrepresented in tournaments per the Stokastic Boom/Bust Tool, with gamers seemingly hesitant to trust the Sixth Man of the Year in his bench role. He can “get his” during his regular runs backing up White and Jrue Holiday, plus there is a path to fantasy glory in the event there is mop-up duty. In Game 3, he saw 11 minutes of run in the final frame with the C’s holding a commanding lead.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the do-everything wings who are the engine of the Boston offense, and we all know what to expect from this tandem.

Kristaps Porzingis is still dealing with his intermittent, long-term, mystery illness, so expect him to continue seeing limited minutes, usually with one stint per quarter. That makes him less appealing since he has to get by on the upside and he can cut into Al Horford’s minutes, making him a tough click as well. Luke Kornet was needed for just under 10 minutes in the last game, with his potential hanging on the performance and stamina of Porzingis.

Be sure to tune into Stokastic’s NBA Live Before Lock at 6:30 p.m. ET tonight for all of the up-to-date analysis and breaking news.

This has been a tough series for Jalen Brunson, getting a steady dose of double-teams and extra attention from Holiday, White and even Brown at times. While the diminutive scorer has gone for 27-plus points in two of the three tilts, he is averaging just over 40 fantasy points per game, despite massive minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns has tallied 21 points in back-to-back games, with 32 combined rebounds. Unfortunately, he has only one assist and one block as his other peripheral stats in this pair of performances. This duo has favorable salaries when compared to the regular season, but going against the ferocious Boston defense definitely limits their DFS appeal.

O.G. Anunoby and Josh Hart remain the priority plays with their ability to contribute across multiple categories. This means their point production typically upside, whereas teammate Mikal Bridges needs to score to provide relevance.

Mitchell Robinson should play close to 20 minutes, while Miles McBride has a baseline of 15 or so, filling in for the backcourt members when they get a break. That also keeps this duo out of mop-up duty, meaning they need to get to their upside via efficiency or foul trouble/in-game injury to one of the starters.

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 Jaylen Brown under 47.5 points + rebounds 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.

Brown could get over this number on points alone, though that is unlikely with the defense and pace of the game. He also has a lot of competition for rebounds and getting this wager at plus money is appealing tonight.