NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, May 9

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, May 9

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

CLE at BOS: Celtics lead series 1-0  

DAL at OKC: Thunder lead series 1-0

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       

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

BOS - Kristaps Porzingis (calf): OUT

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

Elite Players

Guards

Kyrie Irving, Mavericks ($8,700) at Thunder 

After averaging 26.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals through the first round, Irving turned in a more modest effort in Game 1 versus the Thunder, as he finished with a total of 31.3 DK points in 37 minutes of action. Nonetheless, he was the leading scorer for his squad in the loss and remains a tough matchup for the opposition, especially when they looked to be more focused on locking up Luka Doncic in the last game. 

Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers ($8,800) at Celtics 

Mitchell put together a dominant first round, averaging 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals through seven games, including more than 60 DK points in both Games 6 and 7. Despite the loss in Game 1 against the Celtics, he still managed to fill the stat sheet with 33 points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal in 37 minutes of action. He must continue to lead the way offensively for his squad and should be able to stuff the stat sheet again, as he is averaging 23 field-goal attempts per game in the postseason. 

Forwards/Centers

Jaylen Brown, Celtics ($8,000) vs. Cavaliers 

Brown led the Celtics in scoring last game as he tallied 32 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 34 minutes of action. He is averaging 24.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the postseason, including two games with more than 30 points. He must continue to look for his shots on the offensive end while his squad remains without one of their top scorers, Kristaps Porzingis

Jayson Tatum, Celtics ($9,400) vs. Cavaliers 

Tatum is coming off three consecutive games without exceeding the 20-point mark, but he is averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 blocks across six outings this postseason, including five games with more than 40 DK points and a high of 58. He has a great opportunity to stuff the stat sheet in Game 2 against the Cavs, as they gave up the league's seventh-most points per game to opposing power forwards during the regular season. 

Chet Holmgren, Thunder ($7,100) vs. Mavericks 

Holmgren carried his strong play from the regular season into the playoffs, as he is averaging 16.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.8 blocks through the last five games. He topped 40 DK points twice in four games during the first round, and he kicked off the second round with his third-best performance of the postseason thus far, with 39.8 DK points on 19 points, seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks. He should continue to thrive against the Mavs, who are giving up an average of 11.9 offensive rebounds per game in the playoffs. 

Expected Chalk 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($9,500) vs. Mavericks 

After putting together an MVP-worthy regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander carried his strong play into the postseason, averaging 27.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals through the first round. He also came up with an impressive effort in Game 1 versus the Mavs, as he totaled 59.8 DK points with 29 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, a steal and two blocks. He should continue to prosper in the matchup as he shot an average of 51.8 percent from the field through their four meetings during the regular season. 

Mid-Range Money 

Derrick White, Celtics ($6,700) vs. Cavaliers 

White has put together a great start to the postseason, averaging 22.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists over six games, including four with more than 30 DK points and a high of 57. He has another opportunity to provide a great boost to the Celtics' offense while opponents are forced to focus most of their defensive efforts on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. White is shooting a blistering 57.5 percent from the field this postseason. 

Al Horford, Celtics ($5,700) vs. Cavaliers 

Horford is up for a third consecutive start in place of Kristaps Porzingis. He topped 20 DK points in each of the last two games and is averaging 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 0.9 blocks across 35 starting appearances this season. 

Value Picks

Payton Pritchard, Celtics ($4,100) vs. Cavaliers 

Pritchard is coming off his best performance of the postseason, as he totaled 27.8 DK points on 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in the last game. He continues to provide his squad a reliable presence off the bench and should thrive again versus the Cavs' second unit. 

Isaac Okoro, Cavaliers ($3,900) at Celtics 

Okoro delivered a good offensive boost in Game 1 against the Celtics, as he knocked down three three-pointers and amassed 11 points. It marked his third start and just the second time he scored in double digits this postseason, but he should continue to handle a significant block of playing time as the Cavs' look to match up defensively against the Celtics' versatile core.  

Daniel Gafford, Mavericks ($4,900) at Thunder

Gafford delivered his best performance of the postseason in Game 1 against the Thunder, as he totaled 42.3 DK points with 16 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and five blocks in 27 minutes of action. He should prosper once again versus the Thunder, who gave up the league' third-most rebounds per game to opposing centers this 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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