For the first time in this 2024 NBA playoffs series, Tyrese Haliburton isn't listed on the injury report as his Pacers prepare to do battle with the Knicks in Game 6 of their postseason matchup on Friday. The NBA's assists leader has been up-and-down during the playoffs, so does not having an injury designation make him a bit more coveted by daily Fantasy basketball players for tonight's NBA DFS lineups? It's a single-game slate on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, so a smaller NBA DFS player pool means you need to hit on every pick.
Haliburton has two games with 34-plus points this series but also two contests with 13 or fewer points. Indiana needs more of the former to keep its season alive, but Haliburton will also need help from the likes of Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner against a top-heavy Knicks team with the Villanova trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. Which of these teams should you lean towards when crafting your Friday NBA DFS strategy? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a DFS and betting expert for SportsLine, who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest in 2022. He uses a combination of his background as a former college and professional athlete and his keen eye for statistical trends when making his picks and locking in his DFS lineups. Kaylor enters the 2024 calendar year with multiple five-figure tournament cashes on his DFS resume.
Kaylor's approach allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he only shares on SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Wednesday (when he last made picks), Kaylor highlighted Thunder forward Jalen Williams as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Williams had 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, returning 30 points on DraftKings and 32.7 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Kaylor has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, May 17
For Friday, one of Kaylor's top NBA DFS picks is Knicks point guard Brunson. The 27-year-old leads all postseason players in both points per game (33.9) and total points (373) while ranking sixth with 7.5 assists. He's coming off a 44-point outing in Game 5, which was his fifth 40-point game of the 2024 NBA playoffs. That is already the second-most by any player in a single postseason in the last 20 years.
There were two off days in between Tuesday's Game 5 and tonight's Game 6, and additional time off has certainly benefitted Brunson this postseason. Three times in these playoffs he's had at least two days of rest between postseason games, and he's scored 39 points, 47 points and 43 points in those contests. He's also averaging 9.7 assists across those three games as Brunson is a must-start for Friday NBA DFS lineups.
Another part of Kaylor's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Pacers forward Obi Toppin. The former Knick has taken a liking to playing his previous employer and is averaging 11 points on 57% shooting, to go along with 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in this series, despite logging less than 20 minutes per game. Including the regular season, Toppin has scored at least nine points in six of eight career games against New York.
Toppin is another player who benefits from extra rest as he's averaging 13.5 points and 6 rebounds off a rest of two-plus days in the postseason, compared to 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds with one day in between. Toppin should also feed off the home crowd as he's one who is noticeably better in the friendly confines rather than on the road. Four of his five highest-scoring games this postseason have come in Indianapolis, and he dropped 14 points in just 18 minutes in the last home game versus New York. See Kaylor's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, May 17
Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and get the rest of Kaylor's picks, here.
Who is DFS pro Jimmie Kaylor putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has a Millionaire Maker win on his resume, and find out.
