NBA DFS Lineup Picks & Advice: Thursday (5/22)

Welcome to the Thursday NBA DFS slate. The conference finals are underway and man oh man were we treated to something special last night. The Pacers comeback yesterday was something to behold and it would be quite delightful for tonight’s Oklahoma City-Minnnesota matchup to have the same excitement. Of course, that’s the only game on the slate tonight so from now until the end of the year, it will be showdown slates, so you have to get creative. In the end, it’s about making the right choices, and picking your spots, which is why I’m here. Let’s break down the top plays for this slate.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer

NBA DFS Captain/MVP Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC)

DraftKings: $12,400
FanDuel: $16,000

Right now it looks like Shai is getting nearly a third of captain ownership on DraftKings and I will likely be over the field on that. His usage rate in game one was a whopping 41 percent and he didn’t even play to what I see as his ceiling. He took 27 shots and only made 10 of them, his lowest field goal percentage in his last six games. The 2025 MVP might be called a free throw merchant but he still tallied nine assists in game one so there’s a decent chance he gets to a double-double with his monster usage and is the obvious favorite to be the leading fantasy scorer tonight and must-have in your lineup.

Anthony Edwards (PG/SG/SF – MIN)

DraftKings: $11,800
FanDuel: $14,600

If not Shai, your next clear go-to is Anthony Edwards. If you’re going to roster the Minnesota man I’d recommend slotting him in your captain spot as he’s 50 percent owned overall but only about 18 percent. If Minnesota keeps this game close it will be because of Ant. And if you want to follow that theory then he makes for a clear GPP leverage option with his ability to get to 50 or 60 fantasy points. Edwards was a rebound shy of a double-double and recorded his second-lowest output of the playoffs. Obviously, the Oklahoma City defense is the best he’s seen but I’d argue 35 fantasy points is the floor he has to offer in this series. The Thunder may continue dominating but if they don’t it’s because of Anthony Edwards. Putting him as your captain is an interesting way to get different but risky as he still is not cheap.

NBA DFS Core Targets

Kenrich Williams (PF/C – OKC)

DraftKings: $1,200
FanDuel: $1,000

If you’re going to cash in showdown slates you gotta find some pure value and Kenrich Williams is the floor I will start with. Williams will likely be the best pure value option and is a great GPP choice as his ownership is remarkably small. He might only play 10 minutes, which is the risk, but even returning 10 fantasy points as he covered in game one, that is enough for your lineups to get there elsewhere.

Cason Wallace (PG/SG – OKC)

DraftKings: $3,400
FanDuel: $4,000

The other chalky value option right now is Cason Wallace and that is chalk I am willing to eat. The guard played 33 minutes in the series opener and I can see more of that tonight. If this game gets out of hand, he gets a minutes boost which is an easy avenue to see happening. Even if it’s close he should still get on the hardwood around 20 minutes and with around a fantasy point per minute, his projection around 20 fantasy points would be ideal.

Rudy Gobert (C – MIN)

DraftKings: $5,800
FanDuel: $5,800

After a disappointing series opener, I’m going right back to the well on Rudy Gobert. He only played 21 minutes with three shot attempts and Minnesota will use their center a lot more tonight. He’s obviously capable of getting to a double and is projected to be in less than a quarter of lineups. Considering how much his price dropped from game one and the rest of the playoffs to now, it’s hard to pass up on him at sub-$6k, knowing he can get to 30-plus fantasy points. Your other Minnesota option I’d advise is Donte DiVincenzo with the amount of shots he takes but otherwise, the Timberwolves are pretty straightforward and pricing seems to high across the board for the rest of the team to go overweight on any one player.

Jalen Williams (SF/PF – OKC)

DraftKings: $9,600
FanDuel: $12,800

Finally, tonight, I’m going with chalk, as Williams projects to be the third highest-owned player on the slate behind Edwards and Shai. He had an excellent performance on Tuesday, returning 47 fantasy points, and he didn’t even play to his potential, shooting 39 percent from the field in just 33 minutes of play. There is still way more to be tapped from Williams despite scoring a playoff high and I’m here for it.