The NBA Playoffs begin today, with a busy slate of four games. The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers clash to begin the action, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers facing the Denver Nuggets.
The Detroit Pistons and NY Knicks follow, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves close out the night.
Stars included in my entries are Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson.
Keep reading for my NBA picks for DraftKings’ Pick6.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 Picks for today
The first three picks are our favorite plays for a 3-player lineup. If you want to play a 6-player lineup, use all six stat projections below.
🔼 Cade Cunningham more than 27.5 points
🔼 Jalen Brunson more than 27.5 points
🔽 Nikola Jokic less than 12.5 points
🔽 Luka Doncic less than 28.5 points
🔽 Tyrese Haliburton less than 19.5 points
🔼 Giannis Antetokounmpo more than 7.5 assists
Click on each pick to read full analysis.
DraftKings NBA Pick6 fantasy basketball lineup for April 19
Cade Cunningham 27.5 points: MORE
Cade Cunningham is set to make his playoff debut today and he comes in with tons of momentum. The Detroit Pistons star averaged 26.1 points this season and has registered more than 27.5 points in four of his last five appearances.
In fact, Cunningham surpassed tonight’s total by a mile in those games, scoring 35,35,36, and 36. Yes, the Knicks will be doing everything in their power to slow down Detroit’s best player, but he’s also averaging 30.8 ppg against the Knicks in 2024-25. He’ll start the series with a bang.
Jalen Brunson 27.5 Points: MORE
I’m also expecting the New York Knicks’ top guy to ball out. Jalen Brunson was a consistent piece once again this season for Tom Thibodeau’s squad, leading the way alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Brunson posted averages of 26 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds.
While Brunson has dropped less than 27.5 points in four of his last five outings, he plays well against the Pistons. Across four meetings, the Villanova product is averaging 28.3 points, and he gets to play at home in Game 1.
Nikola Jokic 12.5 Rebounds: LESS
Nikola Jokic arguably the best all-around player in the Association and he had another MVP caliber campaign. We’ll focus on his rebounding here for Game 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Jokic averages 12.7 rebounds per night, but he hasn’t been dominating on the glass lately.
The Serbian big man has grabbed less than 12.5 boards in three of his previous five contests. When it comes to facing LA, Jokic is only averaging 10 rebounds per game. I’ll ride the trends for the series opener in Denver.
Luka Doncic 28.5 Points: LESS
Luka Doncic has been the perfect addition to the Los Angeles Lakers alongside LeBron James, and they head into the playoffs as a potential dark horse in the Western Conference. Doncic averaged 28.2 points in the regular season and certainly finished the campaign on a high note.
He put up more than 28.5 points in four of his final five appearances, including a 45-point performance in a revenge game against the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month.
However, Luka is averaging just 19.7 ppg versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. I have no question he’ll contribute, but I’m not predicting a massive game from him in the series opener.
Tyrese Haliburton 19.5 Points: LESS
The Indiana Pacers have championship aspirations, but it’ll take their absolute best effort for that to happen, which means Tyrese Haliburton needs to perform. He was inconsistent at times in ‘24-25 but finished the season with averages of 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds.
However, Haliburton has scored less than 19.5 points in two of his last four and hasn’t played particularly well against the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 17 points. He’ll get going in this series, but I don’t expect it in Game 1.
Giannis Antetokounmpo 7.5 Assists: MORE
Giannis Antetokounmpo will be relied upon heavily to begin this series at the very least, with Damian Lillard still sidelined. He’s been stepping it up as a facilitator with his co-star sidelined, averaging 11.8 assists in April. That’s drastically higher than his season average of 6.5 dimes.
The Greek Freak has dished out more than 7.5 assists in four of his last five games and had a whopping 15 dimes in the final regular-season contest. Antetokounmpo is also averaging exactly 7.5 assists against the Pacers across four matchups.
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