The 2024 NBA Finals have arrived, with Game 1 of the Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics taking place on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both teams have coveted NBA DFS stacks in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of Boston, as well as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving of Dallas. Of that quartet, Doncic is the only one without any previous NBA Finals experience but also has the highest ceiling of anyone in the 2024 NBA Finals DFS player pool. Even with that, should your daily Fantasy basketball strategy use a wait-and-see approach with him in regards to how he’ll perform on this stage, or should you immediately insert him into Game 1 NBA DFS lineups?
A player with an even bigger question mark is Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to play after missing five weeks with a calf injury. In addition to returning from a lengthy absence, Porzingis has never played a postseason game outside of the first round in his entire career. With those factors, it may be sage NBA DFS advice to steer clear of him on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings. Before making your NBA DFS picks for Game 1 of Mavericks vs. Celtics, 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.
Last Thursday, Kaylor highlighted Mavericks point guard Doncic as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Doncic recorded 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals, returning 62.5 points on DraftKings and 57.5 points on FanDuel as the top scorer in the NBA DFS player pool. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Kaylor has turned his attention to Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, June 6
For Game 1, one of Kaylor’s top NBA DFS picks is Celtics forward Tatum. The four-time All-NBA selection has seen his scoring average dip slightly from the regular season (26.9 points per game) to the 2024 NBA playoffs (26.0). But he’s made up for that in other areas as the rest of his stats are up across the board. He’s averaging 10.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks as one of three players in the postseason averaging at least a 25-10-5 stat line.
Tatum absolutely torched the Mavs in the regular season, scoring 39 in his lone trip to Dallas and then 32 when Boston hosted the Mavericks. His 35.5 points per game average against Dallas was his second-highest versus any team, with him only scoring more versus the team the Mavs defeated to get here in Minnesota (38.5 ppg). Tatum also has a tendency to produce strong Game 1 performances, with double-doubles in all three so far this postseason, as well as his lone career playoff triple-double in Game 1 of the first round versus Miami.
Another part of Kaylor’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Mavericks forward PJ Washington. The former Hornet has scored in double-figures in five straight games, averaging 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and one block over that stretch. In two games against the Celtics in the regular season — one coming with Dallas and one with Charlotte — Washington scored at least 15 points in each.
Despite growing up in Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington seems to be quite comfortable away from home as over his last five playoff road games, he’s averaged 14.8 points and eight rebounds. Boston had some difficulties in defending athletic power forwards in its previous series against Indiana as Pascal Siakam averaged 23.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, while Obi Toppin also averaged double-digit points off the bench. See Kaylor’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, June 6
Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Thursday 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 Game 1 of Mavs vs. Celtics? 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.
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News Summary:
- NBA DFS: Celtics vs. Mavericks FanDuel, DraftKings daily Fantasy basketball picks for 2024 NBA Finals, Game 1
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