NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Thursday (6/1)

We’re finally into the NBA Finals! Denver has been sitting at home for 10 days waiting for this series to start, and they saw an epic matchup between the Celtics and Heat. Miami looked well on their way to an easy series win when they led 3-0, but then Boston made the miraculous comeback to send it into a Game 7. They were only the fourth team to do that in NBA history, and we’re monster favorites to be the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit. They were unable to prevail in that Game 7, though, with the Heat pulling out a shocking blowout victory on the road. That’s how Miami has done it throughout this postseason, and they’ll have to keep shocking the world to beat this heavily favored Denver team.

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

Schedule and Odds

MIA at DEN (DEN -8.5) O/U: 219

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

• Victor Oladipo (knee) OUT
• Tyler Herro (hand) OUT
• Gabe Vincent (ankle) Questionable

Core Plays

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $14,000 DraftKings, $17,500 FanDuel
Jokic was robbed of his third straight MVP this season, but he’s still the best player in fantasy. The big man led the NBA with 61 DraftKings points per game during the regular season and has been even better in the postseason. The Joker has scored at least 70 DK points in 10 of his last 12 games, averaging 32.3 points, 13.8 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in that span. He’s simply one of the greatest stat-stuffers of all time and is impossible to fade if he’s going to play 40 minutes a night.

Jimmy Butler (SF/PF- MIA): $13,400 DraftKings, $16,000 FanDuel
If Jokic has been the best player in these playoffs, Butler is a close second. The Eastern Conference Finals MVP is averaging over 50 DraftKings points per game in this impressive postseason run. He’s also scored at least 52 fantasy points in seven of his last 10 games in total, which is miraculous since he struggled mightily in a few of those. We know that JB is locked into 40-45 minutes and 20-25 shots, making him tough to avoid in the most important games of his career.

Cash Game Considerations

Jamal Murray (PG/SG – DEN): $10,800 DraftKings, $15,500 FanDuel
Murray has made a miraculous recovery from ACL surgery, establishing himself as one of the best point guards in these playoffs. The bubble star has scored at least 35 DraftKings points in 14 of his 15 postseason outings, averaging nearly 50 DK points per game. That’s less surprising since he’s averaging over 40 fantasy points per game in his playoff career. This stud always plays better when the lights are the brightest, and they couldn’t be brighter than Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Bam Adebayo (C – MIA): $9,200 DraftKings, $13,000 FanDuel
Bam has struggled with his offense recently, but this guy will always provide fantasy value through sheer hustle. The big man averaged nearly 40 DraftKings points per game during the regular season, just above his postseason average. He’s also scored at least 34 fantasy points in 10 of his last 12 outings and should get his offense going against a defensively-inept Jokic. In his last three matchups with Denver, Bam is averaging 41 DK points per game.

GPP Targets

Michael Porter Jr.(SF/PF – DEN): $7,600 DraftKings, $12,500 FanDuel
Porter can be a risky option with his lack of stat-stuffing, but this kid took his game to another level in the Western Conference Finals. MPJ has scored at least 34 DraftKings points in six of his last eight outings, posting a 33-point average in that span. That’s a tempting total, and not many players in this price range could be looking at 35 minutes and 15 shots like Porter will. He also had 30 fantasy points in his last matchup with Miami and could be one of the sneakiest options for the captain slot with his massive upside.

Gabe Vincent (PG/SG – MIA): $5,800 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
This is the most egregious pricing on this slate. Vincent was one of the most valuable players in the Eastern Conference Finals, and he’s being priced like the role player we saw in the regular season. That’s not who he is anymore, playing 35-40 minutes as the starting point guard in Miami. That’s allowed GV to post a 26-point average across 36 minutes a night over his last six outings. That’s all you can ask for from such a cheap player, and it should continue with Herro and Oladipo still sidelined.

Value Plays

Caleb Martin (SG/SF – MIA): $7,400 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
Many people think that Martin should have been named Eastern Conference Finals MVP, but there was no way anybody was getting it other than Butler. Martin was the most surprising piece for the Heat, scoring at least 32 DraftKings points in five of those seven games. That culminated with Caleb scoring 48 DK points in the final two games of that series. The pristine production is less shocking when considering his role, with Martin playing nearly 45 minutes a night in those final two games. If he’s playing 40-45 minutes, it’ll be tough to avoid this breakout stud.

Aaron Gordon (SF/PF – DEN): $6,600 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
Gordon can be a frustrating player at times, but he’s too cheap. The defensive stud averaged over 31 DK points per game during the regular season and needs to play 40 minutes a night in this series to cover Butler. Scoring 31 DraftKings at this price would be a godsend, and we saw AG score 43 fantasy points in the Game 4 clincher over LA. You don’t need much for Gordon to be a good value, making him one of the best per-dollar plays on the board.

Advantageous Pricing

Michael Porter Jr. (SF/PF – DEN): $7,600 DraftKings, $12,500 FanDuel

Gabe Vincent (PG/SG – MIA): $5,800 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG/SF – DEN): $5,600 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel

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