Fantasy Basketball: NBA DFS Picks (Monday, May 5)

After a pair of Game 7’s, the second round of the NBA Playoffs is officially underway. The Indiana Pacers shocked the world last night, defeating the Cavaliers on the road in Cleveland.

Tonight’s two-game slate tips off with the New York Knicks visiting the Boston Celtics (-9.5), followed by the Denver Nuggets taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder (-9.5). Both home teams enter as heavy favorites, but anything can happen when Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson takes the court—or when multi-time MVP Nikola Jokic is in action. There are no significant injuries to consider so everyone on tonight’s slate should be available. With that, let’s dive into the top NBA DFS picks of the day for Monday, May 5.

NBA DFS Guards

Stud: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder ($9,500)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enters the slate as the premier guard option and has the highest ceiling outside of his biggest rival for the MVP award, Nikola Jokic. Given his sub-$10K salary, it’s far easier to build around him than Jokic.

SGA averaged 53.8 DraftKings points per game during the regular season on a hefty 34.9% usage rate. He followed that with 47.4 DK points per game in OKC’s first-round sweep of Memphis, closing out the series with a dominant 59.25-point showing.

He also torched Denver for 51.9 DK points per game across four matchups this year. With Denver’s post-All-Star break defense slipping to 23rd in efficiency and a 225 total on the board, the setting is ripe for another big performance. At his lowest playoff salary yet and with projected ownership around 25%, SGA is a must-roster player. He’s cheaper than Jokic and only $1,000 more expensive than the next-highest guard on the slate in Jalen Brunson.

Value: Russell Westbrook, Denver Nuggets ($4,800)

Russell Westbrook may not be chasing triple-doubles like the glory days in OKC, but he’s emerged as a sneaky-good value play in Denver’s revamped rotation. With interim head coach David Adelman clearly appreciating Russ’s defensive edge and veteran savvy, the former MVP has carved out meaningful minutes when healthy.

Though a nagging foot issue kept him sidelined for Game 4 and limited his run in Game 3, Westbrook made his presence felt in the other matchups—most notably in the decisive Game 7, where he stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, five boards, five dimes, five steals, and nearly 40 DraftKings points. He also cracked 30+ DK points in both Game 1 and Game 6, showing he still thrives in high-stakes situations. With a soft price tag and a revenge narrative brewing against his old squad, Russ is a high-upside swing worth considering for guard slots.

Russell Westbrook Round 1 tape

13.8 PPG
4.8 RPG
2.8 APG
1.3 SPG
25.6 MPG
41.9 3P%

Year 17. pic.twitter.com/HfCLzpXWcK
— Pitless (@pitlessball) May 4, 2025

NBA DFS Forwards

Stud: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics ($9,000)

Tatum always seems to light it up against the New York Knicks and in Game 1, he will definitely want to set the tone. In four regular-season games against New York, Tatum posted 33.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. His counting stats could have been even higher if not for a few blowout victories where he was taken out of the lineup in garbage time.

Tatum has been a model of reliability and recently reminded everyone of his superstar ceiling with back-to-back 60+ fantasy point explosions in postseason play. The Celtics enter this matchup with a rest edge, and while the Knicks boast a respectable defense, they're a far more fantasy-friendly opponent than Orlando, who bogged down pace and punished inefficiency all year.

With Boston no longer facing a grind-it-out slogfest, Tatum finds himself in a much more fantasy-inviting environment—especially considering his postseason usage spike. If he maintains a workload near 39 minutes and a usage rate north of 35%, he’s a high-floor, high-ceiling anchor for DFS lineups. The only thing that could potentially stop Tatum is OG Anunoby, a critical matchup to watch.

Jayson Tatum is shooting 5/20 FG when guarded by OG Anunoby this season, per @nbastats.

It will be a crucial matchup this series. pic.twitter.com/JtDSRMhH55
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) May 4, 2025

Value: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets ($5,100)

While I wouldn’t select MPJ in cash games, he could be a sweet GPP dart throw at a bargain-bin price. Porter Jr. should continue to see 30+ minutes of action and with his scoring volume trending in the right direction, he could be in line for a breakout performance. It’s a boom-or-bust swing, but the ceiling is high enough to crack the slate wide open.

NBA DFS Centers

Stud: Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks ($8,000)

Call me crazy but I’m fading Nikola Jokic tonight in order to get SGA or Jayson Tatum into my lineup. And after one of those two studs, Karl-Anthony Towns seems like the perfect center to round out my lineup given his price adjustment after his recent struggles against the Detroit Pistons. Towns struggled on the offensive end but still managed to post north of 35 fantasy points in five of the six matchups against the Pistons, highlighted by a 58.3-point eruption in Game 1.

Against the Celtics, the big man averaged over 40 fantasy points per game in his four regular-season matchups, posting 19.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Towns is $3,000 cheaper than Jokic and can put up a similar statistical output outside of the assists category. But if Towns dominates the boards and can find his three-point stroke, he should be a better ROI than Jokic. Outside of Brunson, Towns is the Knicks’ go-to finisher and he will have to have a huge Game 1 in Boston if the Knicks want to remain competitive with the reigning champs.

Value: Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics ($6,300)

KP didn’t exactly light it up against Orlando, falling short of 30 fantasy points in four of five outings—but don’t let that fool you. When he did cook, it was a chef’s special: a 20-point double-double in Game 2 that netted a healthy 37.25 DraftKings points.

And don’t forget what he did the last time he saw the Knicks—torched them for 34 points in 39 minutes en route to 50.5 DK points. If Boston dials up his number in the series opener, he’s got the kind of ceiling that can blow the doors off any DFS slate.

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