The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a Western Conference playoff matchup featuring the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for tomorrow night’s Timberwolves vs. Thunder matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder $12,000
Point Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a standout performer for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. With that said, how has Gilgeous-Alexander performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s review the veteran point guard’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season to answer that question.
In the 85 games that point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks a game.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the 85 games that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played for the Thunder this season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 53.3 Draftkings points a contest.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perform in the most recent matchup? Who prevailed? In the Minnesota Timberwolves thrilling 131-128 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in February, Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played exceptionally well. More specifically, Gilgeous-Alexander amassed a massive 37 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks in the Timberwolves victory over the Thunder.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In summary, I think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this NBA playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA single game contest.
Flex Plays
Anthony Edwards, Guard, Minnesota Timberwolves $11,600
Guard Anthony Edwards has been the driving force behind the Minnesota Timberwolves success of the basketball court this season. Let’s examine Edwards game data from the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games) to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the 89 games that guard Anthony Edwards has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 NBA season, Edwards is averaging 27.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Jalen Williams, Forward (Oklahoma City Thunder) $9,400: Mike Conley, Guard (Minnesota Timberwolves) $5,400: Naz Reid, Forward (Minnesota Timberwolves) $6,400.