NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Saturday, May 11

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Saturday, May 11

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

OKC at DAL: Series tied 1-1

BOS at CLE: Series tied 1-1  

For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

Injuries to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report       

DAL - Luka Doncic (knee): Questionable; Maxi Kleber (shoulder): OUT

BOS - Kristaps Porzingis (calf): OUT

CLE - Jarrett Allen (ribs), Dean Wade (knee): Questionable 

Elite Players

Guards

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($9,600) at Mavericks 

Despite the loss in Game 2, Gilgeous-Alexander continued his dominant play and finished the game with a postseason-high 67.0 DK points on 33 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block. He must continue to lead the way for his squad and should have no problem putting up big numbers in Dallas, as he averaged 29.3 points on 53.5 percent shooting on the road during the regular season. 

Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers ($8,900) vs. Celtics 

Mitchell came up with another impressive performance and led the Cavs to a blowout road win in Boston in Game 2. He has gone over 50 DK points in each of the last four games, including two with over 60, while averaging a whopping 37.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists during that span. He will likely keep up the strong play as the series moves to his home court, where he averaged significantly higher numbers in scoring and shooting percentage during the regular season.  

Forwards/Centers

Jaylen Brown, Celtics ($7,800) at Cavaliers 

After a 32-point scoring effort in Game 1 versus the Cavs, Brown came up with just 19 points, four rebounds and an assist for a total of 25 DK points in Game 2. He is averaging 23.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists through seven games this postseason, including three with more than 40 DK points. He must pick up his play again in order to help his squad get back on track, and he has already proven he can excel against the Cavs after averaging 22.7 points through three meetings in the regular season. 

Jayson Tatum, Celtics ($9,300) at Cavaliers 

Tatum topped 40 DK points in the first two games of the series and is averaging 21.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 0.9 blocks through seven outings this postseason. With his squad facing the risk of falling behind in the series, Tatum must come up with a top-notch effort to help get back on track. He also averaged higher scoring numbers and a slightly better shooting percentage on the road this season compared to at home. 

Evan Mobley, Cavaliers ($7,600) vs. Celtics  

Mobley surpassed 40 DK points in each of the last three outings, including a high of 49 DK points with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal and two blocks to help his squad snag the road win in Game 2. He must continue to step up while his squad deals with injury trouble in the frontcourt, and he should also continue to benefit from an advantageous matchup while the Celtics are also shorthanded in the frontcourt. 

Expected Chalk 

Luka Doncic, Mavericks ($11,400) vs. Thunder

Doncic turned in 63.5 DK points with 29 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block to power the Mavs to a nine-point road win in Game 2. He has a great opportunity to keep the momentum going and take control of the series at home, where the Mavs owned a 25-16 record during the regular season. Win or lose, home or away, Doncic is putting up major numbers this postseason, averaging 28.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals over eight outings. 

Mid-Range Money 

Darius Garland, Cavaliers ($6,100) vs. Celtics  

Garland has put together a relatively modest run this postseason, averaging 14.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.0 steals over nine games, including four with more than 30 DK points. Nonetheless, he shot a significantly better field-goal percentage at home this season and faces a great opportunity to shine as the series moves to Cleveland for Game 3.

P.J. Washington, Mavericks ($5,800) vs. Thunder

Washington came up huge with 29 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block for a total of 58.8 DK points to help lift his squad to an impressive road win in Game 2. It marked just the second time he surpassed 30 DK points this postseason, but he is likely to build off the strong performance and keep the momentum going as he returns to home court for Game 3. 

Daniel Gafford, Mavericks ($5,300) vs. Thunder

Despite the loss in Game 1, Gafford made his mark with a playoff high of 42.3 DK points, in 27 minutes of action. He came up with a calmer effort in Game 2, where he totaled 27.3 DK points, but it was enough to get his squad over the hump for an impressive road win. Gafford should continue to thrive against the Thunder, who gave up the league's third-most rebounds per game to opposing centers during the regular season. 

Value Picks

Caris LeVert, Cavaliers ($4,600) vs. Celtics  

LeVert is coming off his best performance of the postseason, as he totaled 31.5 DK points on 21 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Cavs' Game 2 win in Boston. He remains their go-to option off the bench and must come up with another well-rounded effort to help hold up against the talented Celtics squad. 

Tim Hardaway, Mavericks ($3,600) vs. Thunder

After missing the final four games of the first round due to injury, Hardaway came up with a very limited impact in Game 1 against the Thunder, but he looked much more comfortable in Game 2, totaling 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, which gave the Mavs a much-needed boost from the second unit. He has a good chance to keep building his rhythm as the series moves to Dallas, where he averaged slightly better shooting numbers during the regular season. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Bruno plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: duelingdan.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Bruno
Dan has been writing all things NBA for RotoWire since 2014. He is an active fantasy sports player, with a love for DFS. Dan is a certified Coach with the Ontario Basketball Association and is a recreation professional in his home city.
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