NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Finals Game 5 Primer (Monday)

I have never been more confident that a series will end like I am here. Boston got out to a dominant 3-0 series lead and then gave away a 40-point blowout in Game 4. The Celtics are happy to bring things back home because they will be crowned NBA champions after tonight’s game. I have a hard time seeing the Mavs do anything to prevent that from happening, but it should be fun to see how it all plays out.

With that said, let’s dive into this Game 5 slate! Here are our NBA DFS picks for Game 5 between the Mavericks and Celtics.

If this is my last article of the season, I want to thank all of you for reading throughout the year!

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

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Primer

Schedule and Odds

• DAL at BOS (BOS -6.5) O/U: 209

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Kristaps Porzingis (leg) Questionable

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays

Jaylen Brown (SG/SF – DAL): $9,800 DraftKings, $14,500 FanDuel
Like every player on the Boston roster, JB had an ugly showing in Game 4. That will happen when a team loses by nearly 40 points, but this guy was balling before that. The Finals MVP frontrunner had at least 35 DraftKings points in seven straight games before the dud, posting a 47-point average in that span. He’s also destroyed Dallas, scoring at least 40 fantasy points in five of their six matchups! With The Celtics looking to close things out and JB vying for that award, look for him to go all out!

Jrue Holiday (PG/SG – BOS): $7,000 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel
Holiday is the veteran leader for this Boston team, and you know he’ll leave it all on the line to get them over the hump in this clinching game. The defensive stud had at least 32 DK points in eight of 10 games before that Game 4 dud, flirting with a 40-point average in that span. He’s also one of the few players who might play a full 48 minutes, and he should get plenty of opportunities with Brown and Jayson Tatum swallowing up all of Dallas’ defensive attention.

NBA DFS Picks: Cash Game Considerations

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $13,800 DraftKings, $18,000 FanDuel
Luka was one of the only players with a quality fantasy outing in Game 4, but he has the highest floor in the NBA. The Slovenian led the league with 66 DraftKings points per game while reaching 50 DK points in all but a handful of outings during the regular season. He’s also scored over 60 DK points in eight of his last 11 games, averaging nearly 70 fantasy points per game since the All-Star break. With the Mavs staring down elimination, don’t be surprised to see Doncic have another one of his patented 30-point triple-doubles.

Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $11,400 DraftKings, $15,500 FanDuel
Tatum is the only player who could snatch Finals MVP from Brown, and you better believe he will go after it. The All-Star still had 31 DK points in that nightmarish Game 4 but had at least 39 fantasy points in every playoff game before that. JT also averaged over 50 DK points per game before that stinker and could be looking at 45 minutes and 30 shots in this clinching matchup. This guy would need an outburst to grab Finals MVP, but we saw him score 57 and 62 DK points in the series clinchers leading up to this point!

NBA DFS Picks: GPP Targets

Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $6,000 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
Big Al will likely start for the injured Kristaps Porzingis, averaging over 30 DK points per game when starting for him this season. We haven’t seen much of that in this series, but if KP has to sit, Horford should be guaranteed to play 35-40 minutes in this clincher. In the 16 games that Big Al has played at least 35 minutes, he’s averaging nearly 35 fantasy points per game! This is a last hooray for the aging veteran, and he’ll undoubtedly leave it all on the floor to grab a ring.

Dereck Lively (C – DAL): $5,400 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
Lively has been the Mavs third-best player in this series, recording back-to-back double-doubles off the bench. He’s usurped Daniel Gafford on the depth chart and might get rewarded with a start here. He’s also scored at least 29 DK points in seven of his last 10 games, despite playing just 23 minutes a night in that span. They need to give this rookie more minutes, and the last few games might persuade the coaching staff to do just that.

Value Plays

Derrick White (PG/SG – BOS): $7,600 DraftKings, $11,000 FanDuel
White has been one of the best players in this postseason, and it’s hard to believe that he’s only a role player on this stacked Celtics team. He’s no ordinary role player, though, scoring at least 34 DraftKings points in seven of his last nine games. The guard is also averaging 37 DK points per game in that span and needs to be out there 40-45 minutes to cover Irving and Doncic.

PJ Washington (PF/C – DAL): $5,800 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel
PJ had to battle foul trouble in Game 4, limiting the big man to just 14 minutes. That’s an outlier when looking at the game log, with Washington playing at least 36 minutes in 12 of his previous 13 games. He also scored at least 26 DraftKings points in 10 of those, posting a 31-point average in that span. The Mavs have an uphill battle to get back into this series, and they won’t pull off the upset here unless Washington is one of the five best players on the floor.

Advantageous Pricing

• Jaylen Brown (SG/SF – DAL): $9,800 DraftKings, $14,500 FanDuel
• Jrue Holiday (PG/SG – BOS): $7,000 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel
• Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $6,000 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
  
• Dereck Lively (C – DAL): $5,400 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel

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