NBA Playoffs May 10 DFS picks: See which players we’re building a lineup around

The NBA Playoffs are on to the second go-round of Game 5 matchups tonight, both of which could potentially result in elimination for the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors.

The Knicks will kick off tonight’s slate at home against the Miami Heat, and the Warriors will also be at home against the Los Angeles Lakers, and there have been trends developing as far as individual performances at home and on the road.

We took those trends into account when looking for DFS value plays for tonight, and we’ve got each matchup broken down with an optimal lineup for the main slate.

NBA PLAYOFFS DFS MATCHUPS BREAKDOWN (MAY 10)

Prices based on DraftKings $50,000 salary cap

Heat at Knicks

Targeting players from the Knicks and Heat isn’t normally the route to take when constructing a DFS lineup, but we feel like there are several value plays to be had in tonight’s Game 5 matchup between the two.

The Knicks have seen point guard Jalen Brunson take over as their leading scorer, and his all-around production has him in the elite conversation, and his price is still somewhat reasonable at $8,700. R.J. Barrett has had his moments this postseason, especially at home, so we like him as someone with a mid-range price that’s capable of more. Quentin Grimes is also worth keeping an eye on as an affordable lineup filler option who should see an increase in minutes with Immanuel Quickley listed as doubtful.

As for the Heat, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will almost certainly get theirs statistically, but their prices have gotten to the point where they don’t offer much value from a DFS perspective. That’s why we’re pivoting to Gabe Vincent at an affordable $5,100 since he’s been the second-best fantasy producer for the Heat on the road so far this postseason. Caleb Martin is another name to watch at $4,200 since he’s seen steady minutes off the bench and is a capable scorer.

Lakers at Warriors

The Lakers-Warriors series has produced some high scoring, and while it makes sense to build around players in this matchup, the high prices of the majority of these players have us pivoting more toward the Knicks and Heat.

There are some Lakers and Warriors worth having though, and we’ll begin by breaking down why this feels like a night to build around Anthony Davis even though he’s the most expensive player in the slate at $10,600. Trying to predict which Lakers are going to step up and complement Davis and LeBron James is a daunting task, and with Lonnie Walker now in the rotation and likely earning more minutes, we’ll take the safe route with Davis since he offers such a stable production floor even if he’s not the leading scorer since he’s such a dominant rebounder and shot blocker.

The Warriors will be back at home and offer several appealing options on paper, but it’s hard to feel too confident in building around them for DFS with the Lakers defense having figured out how to slow them down significantly so far in this series. Klay Thompson is nearly unstoppable at home and is the Warrior we’ll pay up for as opposed to Stephen Curry since Thompson is priced at a much more affordable $6,900. There are some potential sneaky utility options emerging with Jordan Poole’s minutes shrinking, and Donte DiVincenzo is someone we like as a utility option since he plays an important role off the bench and is priced down at $3,400.