NBA DFS Lineup Picks & Advice: Thursday (5/29)

Welcome to the Thursday NBA DFS slate. I hope you’ve been following along this year because it’s been a great season, but there’s still some time to get some big cashes before the end of the season.

If you’re going to play NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. Of course, we have just one game tonight, but both Aaron Nesmith and Karl-Anthony Towns are questionable, so there’s still a good amount up in the air.

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

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

Tyrese Haliburton (G – IND)

DraftKings: $17,100
FanDuel: $21,900

I don’t expect to surprise many with this selection, as Tyrese Haliburton looks like he will be the most rostered player tonight in the Captain spot. After an insane 84.5 DraftKings point outing on Tuesday, it’s hard not to go right back to the well.

You can’t expect a repeat performance, but if Haliburton gets close, then he’s a must-start. His usage has continued to jump throughout the playoffs and he is the go-to guy for Indy. He will likely take over 20 shot attempts tonight. I like New York, but the clear usage funnel to Haliburton is enough to go over the field on him. If he is heavily guarded, he’s shown his capacity for facilitating and will play 37+ minutes, assuming this game stays close.

Jalen Brunson (G – NYK)

DraftKings: $16,500
FanDuel: $21,600

Again, not re-inventing the wheel here. Jalen Brunson will likely be close to Haliburton in Captain rostership, but I still view him as a contrarian option. Brunson’s splits have been pretty severe when Nesmith is guarding him versus when he’s off.

Luckily for the Knicks guard, Nesmith is dealing with an ankle injury and might not even play. If he does, he likely will see a decrease in minutes. With Indy up 3-1, I’m playing the narrative that New York will have a little extra Timothee Chalamet gusto that will manifest in the form of a Brunson takeover. I will also say I’m likely fading the heavy rostership on Towns with his injury concerns, which only pushes me more to Brunson.

NBA DFS Core Plays

Miles McBride (G – NYK)

DraftKings: $2,800
FanDuel: $1,800

The paydown value I’m going with is Miles McBride. I’m not sure why, but it feels like New York handles business tonight, and if we’re playing that hypothetical, their bench will get a minutes boost. In the last two games, McBide has only seen the court for 15 minutes in each game, but in the two games before that, it was 25 minutes.

McBride has also been a plus player on the court and has played some of his worst ball this series. I get that’s not promising for future projections, but he’s shot 33% from the field and 28% from deep these last four games. He’s a better shooter than that, so even if he manages 17 minutes and seven shots, he can still get his fill, which makes him a great value play.

Pascal Siakam (F – IND)

DraftKings: $9,000
FanDuel: $10,400

Playing the “Karl-Anthony Towns will be limited” narrative, New York is going to struggle to stop Indy’s frontcourt tonight, and more specifically, Pascal Siakam. Mitchell Robinson is the stop plug otherwise, but he doesn’t play full minutes compared to Siakam, so there are bound to be mismatches galore, no matter how you swing it.

Even if New York is fully healthy, we’ve seen the Pacers forward take over with a 52 DraftKings point outing last week in the most recent road game for Indy. Siakam has scored over 30 real-life points in two of the last three games. If the Knicks don’t have an answer for him, there’s no reason not to keep going back to him until they do.

Josh Hart (F – NYK)

DraftKings: $7,600
FanDuel: $6,800

It’s kind of an odd feeling, but with Josh Hart coming off the bench, I feel better about him in DFS tonight. In each of the last two games, Hart has played over 34 minutes a night with a double-double on Tuesday. He won’t take many shots, but he’s an efficient player who will get to the charity stripe plenty.

My lean to the Knicks in this game only boosts my Hart love. It’s a toss-up for me rostering him compared to OG Anunoby, but with the price difference, I’d prefer the cheaper option. The double-double boost is promising here, and Hart’s scoring is due for an uptick, as he’s shot 21% from three against Indy this season.

Tony Bradley (C – IND)

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

If you’re looking for a pure stone-cold punt option to roster the heavy hitters, consider Tony Bradley. If you see my Siakam explanation, you know why I like the frontcourt pieces for Indy tonight. This game also has blowout potential written all over it, so Bradley has a chance of getting more than his 11 projected minutes of play.

You can’t expect much from the Pacers center, but I do think he’s capable of getting over double-digit fantasy points, and that should be more than enough to help the rest of your lineup. It’s a risky play because there’s a chance Bradley doesn’t even see the court, but I’m willing to roll those dice for $1,000.