The first round of the NBA playoffs continues Thursday with a two-game slate, and DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players. Below, I dive into three of my favorite DFS picks to consider for Thursday’s games.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
PG, Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks, $9,700
This is a do-or-die game for the Pistons and Cunningham as they trail 3-2 against the Knicks. Despite shooting a poor 6-for-17 from the floor in Game 5, Cunningham still flirted with a triple-double and posted 50 FPTS, marking his fourth straight effort of at least 50 FPTS in this series. Cunningham has faced the Knicks nine times this season and has scored 50+ FPTS in six of those matchups.
With a 30.3% usage rate and 40.9% assist percentage, Cunningham is generating 1.5 FPTS per minute this season. In this series, the guard is logging 40.7 minutes per game. The Knicks shouldn’t have answer for Cunningham, and the guard should exceed five-times value with ease in Game 6. Detroit is a 1.5-point favorite for this game on DraftKings Sportsbook and when competing as a home favorite this season, Cunningham is producing 54.4 FPTS per game (14 games).
SF/PF, Tobias Harris, Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks, $5,800
Harris was massive in the Pistons’ Game 5 win at Madison Square Garden, posting 43 FPTS across 43 minutes. The veteran has now scored over 30 FPTS in all but one these five games against the Knicks, and Harris is logging 38.7 minutes per game in this series. This ranks second only to Cunningham among the Pistons and is a big increase from the 31.6 minutes per game Harris averaged in the regular season.
Harris’ veteran leadership has been huge for Detroit, and he has been a major factor on the defensive end, averaging 2.4 defensive stats per game. With the Pistons’ season on the line, Harris should see over 40 minutes for the second straight game and score a minimum of 30 FPTS. Harris is scoring 0.9 FPTS per minute this season and is averaging 34.8 FPTS per game in the last 10 games he received over 35 minutes.
SF/PF, Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets, $8,200
In the Clippers’ Game 5 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday, Leonard was one rebound shy of a triple-double and finished with 55.25 FPTS. Los Angeles now returns home and faces elimination with the Clippers trailing 3-2 in this best of seven. Leonard is a two-time NBA Finals MVP who doesn’t disappoint in big moments. He is vastly underpriced for this win-or-go home Game 6. Leonard is amassing 46.8 FPTS per game in his last 10 starts and has eclipsed 50 FPTS in three of these 10 games.
Leonard is supplying 1.2 FPTS per minute with a 28.7% usage rate this season, and he is shooting 56% from the field in this series against the Nuggets. Leonard should receive close to 40 minutes Thursday with the Clippers fighting to stay alive, giving him a ceiling well over 50 FPTS.
