NBA DFS Picks & Playbook For Today: 2024 Playoffs, May 12th
As the NBA action heats up and the second round of the playoffs begins, tonight's DFS slate presents an intriguing mix of games that promise excitement and ample opportunities for fantasy success. The spotlight shines on clashes between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. These teams are going to lock horns in a battle of skill and strategy, promising a showdown filled with high-flying plays and intense competition. With star-studded rosters and playoff implications at stake, tonight's games are poised to deliver exhilarating moments that DFS players won't want to miss
NBA DFS Tools To Dominate Tonight's NBA DFS Slate!
Don't forget to review the NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections for today before locking in your lineups. Take advantage of our NBA Consistency Report to pinpoint players who have been outperforming their price tags this season, and don't miss out on our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers
Total: 218.5
Spread: IND -5.5
NBA Injury Report
Knicks NBA DFS Injuries
- OG Anunoby - OUT
- Mitchell Robinson - OUT
- Bojan Bogdanovic - OUT
- Charlie Brown - OUT
- Duane Washington Jr. - OUT
- Julius Randle - OUT
Pacers NBA DFS Injuries
- Tyrese Haliburton - QUEST
- Aaron Nesmith - QUEST
- Bennedict Mathurin - OUT
Knicks NBA DFS Breakdown
Despite all of the injuries and Jalen Brunson’s struggles, the Knicks were in it until the final possession of the game and were a little unlucky with Andrew Nembhard bailing the Pacers out from 30 feet after an awful offensive possession.
Starters: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa, Isaiah Hartenstein
Bench: Miles McBride, Alec Burks, Jericho Sims
Jalen Brunson didn’t look right and was subbed out very early in this game (after 5 minutes) and missed a LOT of shots with Aaron Nesmith draped all over him, but two things of note here. 38 minutes and 26 shots. That’s what we got from Brunson here. Two numbers I’d play him at – in this form – 10/10 times. He’s not listed on the injury report, which is something to note as well.
It was an incredible night of shooting from Donte DiVincenzo again and he did everything he could to pick up Jalen Brunson’s slack. He’s now played 44+ minutes and scored 23+ points and 35+ DKP in four straight games and with how short-handed they are, they’ll need a fifth straight.
The Knicks actually gave two players off the bench 20+ minutes in Miles McBride and Alec Burks. McBride closed the game over starter Precious Achuiwa and played seven more minutes than him. Burks played the entire second quarter and was a spark plug offensively pouring in 14 actual and 25 DKP. Burks will probably be the more popular option, but there’s a greater probability McBride plays more.
Another Josh Hart game in which he only takes seven shots, but puts up 42 DKP because he grabbed 18 (!!!) rebounds. Anytime we get the elite scoring output from Hart, there’s 50+ DKP in our future. It’s hard to play Previous Achiuwa if he’s only going to play low-20’s minutes, but there is the chance, that if he defends Pascal Siakam well, he will be extended.
Isaiah Hartenstein is just a good fantasy producer. He’s not a high-volume shooter, but he’s a good rebounder, he’s a really good passer and is a big-time stocks player too. The minutes are elite, the only thing we have to be concerned about is the 6K price point on DK.
Top Play(s): Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein
Secondary Play(s): Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa
Punt(s): Alec Burks
Pacers NBA DFS Breakdown
The Pacers finally got a game in this series after dropping the first two and will try and notch the series at two here with another home game. The Pacers hope their stars show up the way they did in Game 3 again.
Starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Bench: T.J. McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Jackson
The Pacers have now gotten back-to-back 30+ point games from Tyrese Haliburton and he took 26 (!) shots in Game 3, the second-most attempts he has had in a game this year. Haliburton’s aggressiveness has to continue here. Naturally, after the whole world wondered why T.J. McConnell didn’t close either of the first two games of the series, he played his worst game since Game 5 of the Milwaukee series.
Both Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, if Nesmith plays, are last pieces in. Nesmith was better during the regular season and has better position eligibility, but Nembhard has been the better fantasy producer this postseason.
The only thing that stopped Pascal Siakam in Game 3 was foul trouble. There’s serious comfort for him on the offensive end now that OG Anunoby isn’t around. Obi Toppin also had a bad game off the bench for the first time in a while. He had topped 26 DKP in four straight games and 21+ in six of seven playoff games before Game 3.
Things have been up and down for Myles Turner, but man he’s good when he stays out of foul trouble. If he does get in foul trouble, Isaiah Jackson has played 10+ minutes in four straight games and has 10+ DKP in three straight games. He’s not a bad punt.
Top Play(s): Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Secondary Play(s): T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith
Punt(s): Isaiah Jackson
Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Total: 203.5
Spread: MIN -2.5
NBA Injury Report
Nuggets NBA DFS Injuries
- Jamal Murray - QUEST
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - QUEST
- Reggie Jackson - QUEST
Timberwolves NBA DFS Injuries
- Jaylen Clark - OUT
Nuggets NBA DFS Breakdown
Did we just assume the defending champs would lay down and die? They blew Minnesota out in Game 3 on the road, so can they do it again in Game 4?
Starters: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Bench: Justin Holiday, Christian Braun, Reggie Jackson
If the version of Jamal Murray that showed up in Game 3 shows up in Game 4, there are few players in his pricing tier better than him, especially when he’s playing upwards of 40 minutes. This postseason, Murray has a 29% USG rate, which leads the team even ahead of Nikola Jokic. Reggie Jackson is playing a few minutes here and there, but not enough to play him in DFS.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the last piece in, nothing more, nothing less. On a small slate, it’s hard to find a player with 40-minute upside at 4.4K on DK. Christian Braun’s 19 minutes came at the expense of Michael Porter Jr. getting into some foul trouble. Not going down that path here.
Speaking of Michael Porter Jr., look at how differently Denver’s offense looks when he’s making shots. He went 4-for-5 from three and had 21 points across 30 minutes despite being in foul trouble the entire game. Justin Holiday is probably the only player I’d punt, he’s been Denver’s best bench player this series because he’s making a bunch of threes.
Aaron Gordon, starting power-forward, backup center, is safe at 6.1K. I’m OK if this is where you end up, but it’s not a priority for me. It’s hard to look at 11.2K for Nikola Jokic and not want all the exposure. He’s as good as it is if you’re comfortable with the slates value.
Top Play(s): Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.
Secondary Play(s): Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Punt(s): None
Timberwolves NBA DFS Breakdown
First one to win a home game wins the series? Denver punched Minnesota in the mouth in Game 3 and we’ll see how the Timberwolves respond to the defending champions in Game 4, in Minnesota again.
Starters: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert
Bench: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson
We saw Mike Conley get back to his safe ways, so if you end up having 5.7K left in the bank, Conley has put up 27+ DKP in five of six games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s production is so up and down and nothing more than a GPP target because of it.
Anthony Edwards came out and said he fell flat in Game 3 and lacked energy so look for a BIG Game 4 response. He has a 32.5% USG rate while averaging 1.3 DKP/game this postseason. He’s one of the top spend-ups of the slate. Jaden McDaniels has spent the last two games in foul trouble and if Jamal Murray looks like he did in Game 3, that could very well happen again. GPPs only.
None of the Timberwolves front-court members did much of anything in Game 3. Karl-Anthony Towns has been the best on FP/min standpoint averaging 1.18 FP/min this postseason. I said it last slate and I’ll say it again; KAT is too cheap at 6.9K on DK. Rudy Gobert has been disappointing in the two games he’s played in this series as he’s an offensive afterthought. Naz Reid is ALWAYS a tournament play that could fill it up when he’s out there. He is the sixth man of the year after all.
Top Play(s): Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns
Secondary Play(s): Mike Conley (Cash), Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels (GPPs), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (GPPs)
Punt(s): None
Player News
Bennedict Mathurin (abdominals) is available for Game 5 against the Bucks on Tuesday.
Mathurin is available after sitting out Indiana’s Game 4 victory in Milwaukee. His return will likely result in fewer minutes for fellow reserve Ben Sheppard. Sheppard, who re-entered the Pacers’ rotation in Game 3 after Andrew Nembhard landed in early foul trouble, played 22 minutes in Game 4.
Michael Porter Jr. (shoulder) won’t face suspension for Tuesday’s matchup against the Clippers.
MPJ left the bench area during a Game 4 scuffle but won’t face suspension if he suits up on Tuesday. He logged a series-high 42 minutes in Game 4 and will likely play a significant role in Game 5 if healthy and engaged.
Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup on Monday and contributed 27 points (7-of-12 FGs, 12-of-12 FTs), five rebounds, six assists, one block and one three-pointer in a 109-106 win over the Rockets in Game 4 on Monday.
After missing Game 3, Butler was back in the lineup on Monday. He started off slow, but he scored 23 points after halftime to help Golden State take a 3-1 lead in the series. This was “Playoff Jimmy” on full display. Excluding his early exit in Game 2, Butler had scored at least 24 points in his last six completed games, dating back to April 9. If he’s playing this well, the Warriors will be tough to beat in a seven-game series. It’s worth noting that Jonathan Kuminga, who started in place of Butler in Game 3, was back to being out of the rotation in this game. Expect Butler to continue to dominate as Golden State attempts to clinch this series in Houston in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Buddy Hield started on Monday and finished with 15 points (6-of-15 FGs), four rebounds, three assists, two steals and three three-pointers against the Rockets in Game 4 on Monday.
Jimmy Butler’s return from a one-game absence also allowed Hield to enter the starting lineup after scoring 17 points in Game 3. He really struggled in Games 1 and 2, but he was able to build on his performance from Saturday in Monday’s win. Hield is a streaky shooter, but he has been on recently and hit eight triples across Golden State’s two home games. He’ll look to carry this shooting with him to Houston for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Quinten Post provided a boost off the bench with 13 points (4-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, three assists and two three-pointers against the Rockets in Game 4 on Monday.
With Jimmy Butler, head coach Steve Kerr bumped Post back to the bench, though he still played a significant reserve role. After playing 27 minutes as a starter, he played 20 minutes off the bench in Game 4 and scored in double figures for the second time this postseason. The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but the threat of a stretch big certainly opens things up on offense for Golden State. Post will continue to be an important part of the team’s rotation moving forward.
Brandin Podziemski lit up the Rockets with 26 points (9-of-18 FGs), five rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block and six three-pointers in Game 4 on Monday.
Podziemski has made things happen in this series. He scored in double figures in Games 1 and 3, which were wins. He exited early from Game 2, which was a loss. He played 40 minutes in Game 4 and had his best game of the postseason, which helped the Warriors take a 3-1 lead in the series. Podz did a little bit of everything in this game, but he did most of his damage beyond the arc. He’ll look to stay hot in Game 5 on Wednesday to help the Warriors close out the series.