Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Heat vs. Nuggets Showdown on June 4

The NBA Finals resume on Sunday with the Denver Nuggets hosting the Miami Heat for Game 2. To add even more excitement to the evening, we have another DFS Showdown contest to play on DraftKings. Let’s highlight some players to consider for your lineups.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $1.25M Finals Shootaround Special [$250K to 1st] (MIA vs DEN)

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Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets

Captain’s Picks

Nikola Jokic ($22,200 CP): A triple-double in the NBA Finals should be legendary, and it is, but it’s expected from Jokic. The Joker had three of them in the Nuggets’ Western Conference sweep of the Lakers. Throw in another three more in the six-game series with the Suns. He only had two in the first round against the T-Wolves, but he wasn’t required to do the heavy lifting in that series. When it came time to close against Minnesota, he scored 71.8 and 80.3 DKFP in the final two games of that series. The Heat do not have an answer for Jokic. No one does.

Jimmy Butler ($19,200 CP): His trademark on Himmy Buckets is still pending, so it’s still open for fair use. Wear it out. Butler was not him, nor did he get buckets in Game 1. He shot 6-for-14 from the field and the Heat never stood a chance against the Nuggets. Two playoff buzz saws are running into each other again on Sunday night. One is well rested and at home. The other survived a grinding series and is on the road, and it’s the toughest road environment in the NBA — the mile-high altitude of Denver wreaks havoc on visiting teams. Some believed that the Nuggets would be rusty. Wrong. Butler will not get any gimmees, but that’s nothing new. Butler carried the Heat through the play-in game and against the No. 1 seed in Round 1. The Heat breezed by the Knicks and ultimately put the Celtics away. Those wins were because of Butler’s tenacity. He better get up for Game 2 or this series could be over. This is possibly the biggest moment of his career. There will be upside.

UTIL Plays

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,800): For those familiar with the weekend NBA DFS content at DK Nation, seeing KCP’s name shouldn’t come as a surprise. There is a cheat code in Denver. KCP is a marginal player. He is average at best and defers to the superstars on this team. This suppresses his salary. Here’s the trick. In the thin, Denver air, he becomes above-average. It’s not that he is better, but it’s that his opponents become worse. Denver is notorious for sucking the life out of teams, literally sucking the air out of road teams. It’s possible that the Miami players will acclimate after a few days of practice in Denver, but that’s practice. In Game 1, KCP scored 38.8 DKFP. He’s done this all season. He plays on the road and is mediocre. His price drops. He returns home and easily exceeds salary expectations.

Caleb Martin ($7,200): Jimmy Butler can’t do it all by himself. He can throw on a cape or a state trooper hat, but that’s not enough. He needs support. Sometimes it’s Gabe Vincent ($8,100), but most of the time in the playoffs, it’s been Caleb Martin. As goes Caleb Martin, so go the Heat. Remember when the Hornets cut Martin in the middle of the season? Can anyone imagine thinking the NBA Finals would come down to Caleb Martin? Here we are. Martin scored over 31 DKFP in five of the seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. He closed that series with 48.3 DKFP in Game 6 and 48 DKFP in Game 7. In Denver, the Heat trailed the Nuggets by double-digits all game long, and Martin scored 12.5 DKFP on 1-for-7 shooting. Did Cinderella’s carriage turn into a pumpkin or was Game 1 just a bump in the road?

Jamal Murray ($11,200): All of the attention is on Jokic vs. Butler. Don’t forget about the Blue Arrow. Jamal Murray is having a terrific playoffs. Jokic and Murray are a frightening tandem. Murray scored 51.5 DKFP in 44 minutes in Game 1. He was four rebounds shy of getting his own triple-double. His floor has been secure throughout the entire post-season run and he’s flashed slate-breaking upside. In Game 2 against the Lakers, Murray caught fire in the fourth quarter. He scored 23 points in the final frame and finished with 37 points (68 DKFP). That outburst effectively ended the series. The Lakers led for most of that game, and it looked liked we were going to have a series. The Blue Arrow said, “No!” Here we are again. The Heat need this game, but Murray wants to shoot an arrow through the Heat’s heart.

Fades

Aaron Gordon ($6,400): He’s a terrific player and a perfect fit for the Nuggets. It took nine years and getting out of Orlando, but Gordon has become a borderline All-Star. That's great but this is fantasy basketball. Stats matter. Hustle is for chumps. Gordon will do everything to help his team win, but piling up stats is not his responsibility. He’s capable, but the volume just isn’t there. Jokic eats first. Murray gets his. In many cases, Gordon is not even third in the lunch line. Gordon has scored fewer than 20 DKFP in four of the last six games.

THE OUTCOME

The Heat story is great, but it’s not going to end with David slaying Goliath. Jokic is a giant, but the actual Giant was nearly blind and David cheated by using a slingshot in what was supposed to be hand-to-hand combat. Jokic is not blind and you can’t cheat in the NBA. The Nuggets don’t lose at home. This series is over.

Final Score: Nuggets 109, Heat 105

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $1.25M Finals Shootaround Special [$250K to 1st] (MIA vs DEN)

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.