Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Pacers vs. Cavaliers 5/13/25
Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
May 13, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with an Eastern Conference playoff matchup featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers 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 tonight’s Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Donovan Mitchell, Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers $10,800
Talented guard Donovan Mitchell has been the driving force behind the Cleveland Cavaliers success on the basketball court this season. Let’s review the veteran guard’s relevant game data from the 2024 NBA season to better illustrate Mitchell’s overall contributions to his team.
In the 77 games that Donovan Mitchell played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Mitchell has averaged 24.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals a game.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How has Mitchell performed in the matchups with the Pacers? In the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-104 win over the Indiana Pacers four days ago, Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell played exceptionally well. The talented guard tallied 43 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal in the Cavaliers defeat of the Pacers.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the 77 games that Donovan Mitchell has played this season, Mitchell has compiled a 44.3% field goal percentage, a 36.8% three-point percentage, and an 82.8% free throw percentage.
It should be noted that the Cleveland Cavaliers have officially listed Donovan Mitchell as questionable for this evening’s playoff game. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my view, Donovan Mitchell is the most likely player to amass the most Draftkings points in this Eastern Conference game. For that specific reason, I am backing Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell at the captain position for this one game NBA Showdown slate.
Flex Plays
Pascal Siakam, Forward, Indiana Pacers $7,800
In the 88 games that power forward Pascal Siakam has played for the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Siakam has averaged 20.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 88 games that Pascal Siakam has played for the Pacers this season, Siakam is averaging a robust 32.1 Draftkings points a contest.
Considering the elevated importance of tonight’s game, I fully expect Pascal Siakam to continue his outstanding play.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this playoff NBA game (Draftkings price noted): Tyrese Haliburton, Point Guard (Indiana Pacers) $10,400: Jarrett Allen, Center (Cleveland Cavaliers) $8,000: Myles Turner, Center (Indiana Pacers) $7,600.
