Draftkings Best NBA Showdown Picks: Pacers vs. Celtics 5/23/24

The NBA presents a playoff matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics. Let’s take a look at this game from a Draftkings perspective.

Before we dive into the Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics game let’s review the rules for Draftkings single game showdown contest.

Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules

You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.

The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.

If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.

*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one Game slate

Here are my Draftkings picks for tomorrow’s Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics matchup.

Draftkings Picks

Captain-Jaylen Brown $9,400

Yes, I know that talented Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will be a popular choice for captain. Rightfully so. However, I am going to pivot to another Boston Celtics player as my captain in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That Boston Celtics player’s name is Jaylen Brown.

In the Boston Celtics last four games played in the 2024 Eastern Conference playoffs, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has averaged 23.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.3 steals a game.

More recently, in the Boston Celtics 133-128 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals two days ago, Boston forward Jaylen Brown accumulated 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the Celtics victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Looking at the data just presented more closely I observed that in the Boston Celtics last four Eastern Conference playoff games played this season, Jaylen Brown has averaged a whopping 40.1 Draftkings points a game.

I also like Jaylen Brown’s matchup in this Game. Why? Jaylen Brown draws an Indiana Pacers defense that struggled to defend the small forward position in the regular season. Upon the completion of 82 Games in the 2024 NBA regular season, the Indiana Pacers ranked a rather low 24th in total Draftkings points allowed (42.2) to the small forward position a Game.

Selecting the correct captain for your DFS single game showdown lineup is vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) Draftkings contest. Having stated that, I think that Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown fits the captain narrative perfectly for this one game slate.

Flex Plays

Jayson Tatum $11,600

How important has Jayson Tatum been to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 Eastern Conference playoffs? Let’s take a look at Tatum’s recent game statistics to answer that question.

In the Boston Celtics last four games played in the 2024 Eastern Conference playoffs, Jayson Tatum has averaged a robust 17.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 steals a game. It has to be said, those are some outstanding fantasy numbers from the Boston Celtics power forward.

For the reasons just noted, I am backing Jayson Tatum as a flex play for this one Game Draftkings NBA DFS slate.

Tyrese Haliburton $9,600

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton arrives at tomorrow’s game with the Boston Celtics playing outstanding basketball from a statistical perspective.

In the Indiana Pacers last four Games played in the 2024 Eastern Conference playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton averaged 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2 steals, and 1.1 blocks a Game.

Additional flex plays I like (Draftkings price noted): Pascal Siakam $9,000: Derrick White $8,200: Myles Turner $8.000: Payton Pritchard $4,200.