The Knicks vs. Pacers series and Nuggets vs. Timberwolves series have gone about as opposite as possible when getting to the same results heading into Game 5. The home team has won all four games in the Eastern Conference semifinals series while the road team has won all four in the Western matchup. The Knicks return to Madison Square Garden after dropping their last two, and with a lineup missing multiple injured starters and rotation players, how should you construct your Tuesday NBA DFS strategy with the limited Knicks options in the NBA DFS player pool?
The Knicks used 11 players in Game 4, but that was due to the lopsided score to allow their primary players to rest. New York only had seven players play more than five minutes in Game 3, so should you stack New York starters like Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart or Donte DiVincenzo in NBA DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings due to their high usages? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Monday, McClure highlighted Celtics forward Jayson Tatum as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Tatum had 33 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals, returning 60.75 points on DraftKings and 58.7 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Tuesday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Tuesday, May 14
For Tuesday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is rostering Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who is listed at $11,300 on DraftKings and $12,100 on FanDuel. Jokic had 35 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in Game 4. Jokic won his third NBA MVP over the last four seasons this year, and he showcased his ability to take over the game as the primary scorer in Game 4. Jokic took 26 field-goal attempts, his most in nine playoff games this year, and shot 57.7% from the field, his best in this series. Jokic shot better than 55% from the field in Denver's two victories in Minnesota after shooting below 45% in each of the first two games.
The 29-year-old averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists during the regular season en route to capturing another MVP award. He's vital in every aspect of Denver's offense, and the 6-foot-11 center is averaging 26.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in this 2024 NBA playoffs series. Jokic also has three steals in back-to-back contests and in three games this series as he has the highest floor with a huge ceiling as well for anyone in Tuesday's NBA DFS player pool. He comes with a hefty price tag, but Jokic's consistency makes it worth finding ways to use him in NBA DFS picks.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Knicks point guard Brunson ($9,500 on DraftKings and $10,100 on FanDuel). Brunson is averaging 32.9 points per game this postseason, including four games with at least 40 points. He set a Knicks postseason record with 47 points in a game against the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.
The one positive for the Knicks from suffering a 32-point loss to the Pacers in Game 4 was it allowed Brunson to rest. The dynamic point guard played at least 40 minutes in each of New York's first seven playoff games before a foot injury in the first quarter of Game 2 against the Pacers forced him to sit the majority of the first half. With OG Anunoby (hamstring) out again, the Knicks are without multiple starters and key rotation pieces. Brunson is averaging 37.3 ppg over his last three home games, and New York will rely on another huge performance from Brunson at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday, May 14
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Tuesday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Tuesday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
