Tuesday has a pressure-packed slate with three teams facing elimination, starting at an early 6:00 p.m. ET lock time on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: This is one of the last four-games slates, so we will want to enjoy having so many different strategies and players available. Kevin Porter Jr. is the unavoidable chalk, though given the differences in salaries and positional requirements, there are divergent paths on DraftKings and FanDuel, creating a fun ebb and flow with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, James Harden and others.
These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Tuesday, April 29
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Kevin Porter Jr.: Bucks at Pacers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 31.33 | FanDuel: 31.39
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 80.2% | FanDuel: 78.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $5,000 | FanDuel: $5,300
Condolences to Milwaukee fans: The torn Achilles for Damian Lillard is likely the final straw for Giannis Antetokounmpo, on top of poor coaching moves and, of course, it being tricky to get free agents to flock to Wisconsin. The end is likely nigh in more ways than one for this chapter of the Bucks.
For tonight, Kevin Porter Jr. should be preinstalled in most DFS lineups, even if he is coming off the bench. Currently, the Stokastic NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page has him with the first five, which makes sense, as the only way the Milwaukee will be able to topple the Pacers tonight is with incredible offensive efficiency. Porter currently projects to be on around 80% of all tournament rosters across the main DFS sites because he will probably be on the court during the inevitable blow-out run. His on-court results have been mercurial this series, with 23 points on Sunday but 22 combined points in the first three games of the series. He is still the best point-per-dollar option on the board, so plug him in and move on.
The second-most popular play on DraftKings ($5,800, 32.7%) in the early forecasts is Bobby Portis Jr. This is well below half of the expected representation of KPJ, showing how easy it will be to find different paths to potential glory. Portis is the sixth-most popular play on the blue site ($5,900, 31.8%), even though expectations have him with a similar participation rate on both sites. That is going to create vastly different player portfolios, making tonight a good night for playing both sites.
Similarly to Porter, Portis has seen his results fluctuate this series with a low of 4 points in the opener and a high of 28 points in Game 2. Lillard is vacating 25 combined shots from his two full games, which Porter and Portis will mostly absorb.
This all has to feel like a bad dream for Giannis Antetokounmpo, so hopefully the happy-go-lucky, two-time MVP is able to maintain his focus, even with so much uncertain adversity awaiting him when this series ends.
The 30-year-old leads the postseason at 33.8 points per game, accompanied by 14.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 “stocks” (combined steals and blocks). The main decision point tonight will be how to approach salary cap allocation, with the two median fantasy point projections costing $11,000 plus on DraftKings and nearly $12,000 on FanDuel.
Aside from Game 3, which was a 117-101 victory for the Bucks in Milwaukee, the Pacers have compiled lofty winning margins of 19, 12 and most recently 26 points. Indiana is currently an 8.5-point home favorite, and we have yet to see any consistent top-end production from its core players, with everyone contributing just enough to secure mostly sedate positive outcomes.
Reserve guard T.J. McConnell and do-everything forward Pascal Siakam are likely to be on around one-in-four rosters on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight, with Aaron Nesmith joining them on DraftKings and Tyrese Haliburton receiving the honors on FanDuel.
Obi Toppin is an interesting contrarian punt play on DraftKings ($3,600, 19.2%) since he has a regular role in the rotation and a path to mop-up duty if this game plays out as expected.
Stokastic’s NBA DFS Single Lineup Simulator is a groundbreaking tool that revolutionizes lineup building by providing data-driven simulations, making it a must-have for serious players. Check out how the Simulator evaluates this single lineup for this sample slate:
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Nikola Jokic: Nuggets vs. Clippers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 67.54 | FanDuel: 64.81
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 31.2% | FanDuel: 24.8%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $11,500 | FanDuel: $11,800
The “late night hammer” is the only game where the series is tied, with the Los Angeles Clippers in Denver taking on the Nuggets in what is essentially a pick’em. Outside of Game 3, when the Clippers cruised to a 117-83 victory in Los Angeles, the other trio of tilts has been decided by 3 or fewer points.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is once again carrying the hopes and dreams of the franchise with limited help from his teammates. Having three days off and being back at home should help, but someone is going to have to step up for the Nuggets to make another championship run.
Looking at the optimal lineups using the median fantasy point projections, the best DraftKings lineup has Antetokounmpo, and neither Joker nor the Greek Freak is in the FanDuel version. The best DraftKings version with both multi-time MVPs is only 3 points off the unfettered optimal, while the dynamic duo checks in a full dozen points below the best median build on the blue site. Playing both together, along with KPJ, is going to be a somewhat common path, so be sure to find differentiation with at least two other sub-15% players.
Russell Westbrook has been dealing with a sore foot, which kept him out of the last game. If he is out again tonight, that gives a slight bump to the rest of the ambulatory Nuggets, though there is not one particular player who receives the majority of the minutes or field goal attempts. Currently, the Stokastic models are expecting Westbrook to play tonight.
Michael Porter Jr. played through a sprained left shoulder once again, though he was more effective than in the two preceding games and has had another 72 hours of treatment. Jokic is the most popular Denver player on DraftKings, with Porter, Christian Braun and Jamal Murray each coming in at around half of the representation. This trio is all outpacing him on FanDuel, where only one “true center” can be rostered, and it is his counterpart Ivica Zubac who is the most popular pivot man.
Wrapping up Denver, Aaron Gordon keeps chugging along, despite multiple nagging issues, so the hope is the break between games has helped get him back some pep in his step. On the two-game late-slate, Peyton Watson carries some intrigue as a deep punt play for salary relief.
Zubac has performed well this series, managing to harass Jokic while also providing DFS contributions. Expect more of the same tonight, though keep in mind the elevation plays to Jokic’s favor, which could create a little downside from Zubac’s expected DFS baseline.
Kawhi Leonard is playing massive minutes, and that is great to see after all of his injury issues of the last half decade. The salary is a touch high, considering that he has lacked some peripheral contributions outside of rebounds, but that also factors into his reasonable popularity levels.
James Harden is providing just enough of everything to keep a solid fantasy floor yet still offer some attainable upside via efficiency. Norman Powell is best left for the late slate since he is so scoring dependent for his fantasy production that there is a lot of risk in using him on the four-game slate.
Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn are defense-first punt plays on DraftKings, though they are less prominent on FanDuel with the salary and scoring differences between the two sites.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
If you’re serious about winning in NBA DFS, you know the edge comes from having the right tools. The same principle applies to sports betting — and that’s where Portfolio EV steps in.
Take Giannis Antetokounmpo over 11.5 rebounds tonight, for example. It’s a +EV bet, meaning it has positive expected value when compared to the best odds available across the market. But the real strength of Portfolio EV isn’t about finding just one good bet — it’s about consistently finding dozens. With the Mass Entry tool, you can scale up, place a high volume of +EV bets, and let the math do the heavy lifting.
Just like you wouldn’t count on one DFS lineup to ship a GPP, you don’t count on one bet to carry your night.
Portfolio EV is built for long-term profitability. It helps you spot market inefficiencies, compare lines across books and generate a steady stream of +EV bets. It doesn’t chase heaters, but rather trusts the numbers, follows a process and builds sustainable profit over time.
Antetokounmpo cleared this mark in each of the games this series, with 15, 12, 18 and 12 (reverse chronological order) in 33.7, 32.2, 39.6 and 38.1 minutes. If you have strong convictions that he is not going to play more than 32 to 32 minutes on the road in a likely blowout situation, then this is a risky wager. If your beliefs are leaning towards a game that stays remotely in reach for the first three quarters, then the over is a reasonable expectation.
This is the fifth game of each series tonight, which makes it harder to find “advantage” wagers, though not impossible.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
Tune into the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate tonight’s NBA DFS slate!
