NBA DFS Picks & Playbook For Today: 2024 Playoffs, May 15th
We have VERY important NBA playoff action taking place tonight, Wednesday 5/15, as we have one elimination game and a Game 5 where one team will take a 3-2 series lead.
Gear up for an intense showdown as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Boston Celtics in Boston, while the Dallas Mavericks travel to Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With high-caliber players and playoff implications on the line, tonight's games are bound to deliver some heart-pounding moments for DFS fans. Check out my top NBA DFS picks for Wednesday, 5/15 right here!
NBA DFS Tools To Dominate Tonight's NBA DFS Slate!
Before you finalize your lineups, it's important to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections. Take advantage of our NBA Consistency Report to identify players who have consistently exceeded expectations this season, along with utilizing our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics
Total: 205.5
Spread: BOS -15.5
NBA Injury Report Today, 5/15
Celtics NBA DFS Injuries
- Kristaps Porzingis - OUT
Cavaliers NBA DFS Injuries
- Donovan Mitchell - OUT
- Jarrett Allen - OUT
- Caris LeVert - OUT
- Craig Porter Jr. - OUT
Cavaliers NBA DFS Breakdown
UPDATE - With Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert out, the Cavs are starting:
I love Sam Merrill off the bench. We should see Georges Niang, Marcus Morris Sr. & Tristan Thompson round out their rotation.
Top Play(s): Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, Sam Merrill (GPPs)
Secondary Play(s): Isaac Okoro
Punt(s): Dean Wade, Georges Niang
Celtics NBA DFS Breakdown
It is time. Time for Boston to close this series out in five games just like they did in the Miami series. They’re likely getting a very short-handed Cleveland team if Mitchell and Allen are out again. Boston checks in as a nearly 15-point favorite here.
- Starters: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford
- Bench: Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet
With Jrue Holiday’s price and recent play, he’s likely going to be much higher rostered than Derrick White, but White’s been a better FP/min player than Holiday and has been all year. White’s just missed shots the past two games. Payton Pritchard is a solid punt as well. He’s just $4K on DK and plays mid-20 minutes anyway. If this game gets out of hand, it could be the Pritchard show to end the game.
I love both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in this spot. Tatum has dominated each of the last two games pouring in 30+ points and 60+ DKP. Brown has 37+ DKP in three of four games and continues to be the team leader in usage rate.
We assume Al Horford is eventually going to make a shot, right? He’s 0-for-10 from three over the last two games. That could shift here and he has value if the shots fall. Luke Kornet’s minutes have been hard to predict, but he’s been good when extended.
Top Play(s): Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White (GPPs), Jrue Holiday (Cash)
Secondary Play(s): Al Horford
Punt(s): Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet
Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Total: 213.5
Spread: OKC -4.5
NBA Injury Report Today, 5/15
Thunder NBA DFS Injuries
- Olivier Sarr - OUT
Mavericks NBA DFS Injuries
- Luka Doncic - PROB
- Maxi Kleber - OUT
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper - OUT
- Greg Brown - OUT
Mavericks NBA DFS Breakdown
The Mavericks played an awful fourth quarter in game 4 and lost because of it and now head back to Oklahoma City in a tie game. Unfortunately, Dallas is getting a less than 100% Luka Doncic because he doesn’t look like himself at all.
- Starters: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford
- Bench: Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Dereck Lively II
Despite not looking like himself and shooting terribly, Luka Doncic is still stuffing the box score and his price is down to a number we’re not used to seeing it at. Kyrie Irving also hasn’t been great offensively because of how hard he’s working on the defensive end.
On the wing, Derrick Jones Jr. will start and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If he makes shots he has a solid ceiling, but he did lose out a lot of time to Tim Hardaway Jr. in this one and ended at just 27 minutes. Speaking of THJ, he played nearly 23 minutes in Game 4 and was in the team's closing lineup. If he has the opportunity to be in the final five, I have a LOT of interest at his price. Josh Green plays minutes, but the minutes are on the decline as the series has gone on.
The best Maverick thus far in this series is P.J. Washington and it’s not all that close. He’s scored 20+ points and 40+ DKP in three straight games and the 17+ shot attempts and 40 minutes have been amazing to boot. Lock and load here.
The center room features two options in Daniel Gafford who will start and Dereck Lively II. Lively has played more minutes than Gafford for three straight games and is 1.2K cheaper. There is a case for Gafford in tournaments, however.
Top Play(s): P.J. Washington, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II
Secondary Play(s): Daniel Gafford, Derrick Jones Jr.
Punt(s): Tim Hardaway Jr.
Thunder NBA DFS Breakdown
The Thunder straight up STOLE Game 4 and now head back home with a chance to take the lead in the series.
- Starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren – Josh Giddey has been the 5th starter all year, but there could be a change here
- Bench: Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams
It’s really hard to just simply want to play anyone other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams here. The rest of the rotation is a nightmare.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been incredible this entire series and nothing Dallas can throw at him bothers his shot. He’s scored 29+ points and has 59+ DKP in all four games. The minutes being 40+ are tremendous too. Jalen Williams has NOT played well, but he’s too good to have a 5-for-19 shooting night. Chet Holmgren playing 40 minutes is as good as it’s going to get.
Luguentz Dort is interesting because he’s the only other Thunder player than their “Big 3” who plays big minutes. He’s been making shots, too, he’s just been in constant foul trouble.
Maybe this is the game Josh Giddey is benched! We’ll see. If he is, the starter in his place is interesting for sure. The likes of Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins are all darts.
Top Play(s): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
Secondary Play(s): Luguentz Dort
Punt(s): Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins
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Player News
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks that his current stamina issues may be related to the problem that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season.
After an illness limited him to 13 first-half minutes in Boston’s series-opening defeat on Monday, Porzingis came off the bench in Game 2. Unfortunately, he could only give the Celtics 14 minutes. Following the game, Porzingis said his current problem may be related to the upper respiratory ailment that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season. “Probably, probably,” Porzingis said. “I’ve had like ups and downs throughout until this point. Just now, had a big crash. Now, my energy, my everything, hasn’t been good, but who cares? Have to move forward and it will get better from this point.” While Boston’s shot selection was the focus following its two home defeats, Porzingis’ limited availability has also been a factor. He’ll hope to return to full health in time for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.