Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Celtics vs. Knicks 5/9/25
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
May 9, 2025 3:30 pm EDT
This Saturday afternoon, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with an Eastern Conference playoff matchup featuring the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks game let’s review the rules for the 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 night’s New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Karl-Anthony Towns, Center, New York Knicks $9,000
Talented center Karl-Anthony Towns has been a standout performer for the New York Knicks this season. To assess Karl-Anthony Towns performance from a statistical standpoint, let’s review Towns relevant game data from the 2024 NBA season. This will provide a clear picture of Karl-Anthony Towns overall contributions to the New York Knicks this season.
In the 79 games that center Karl-Anthony Towns played for the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Towns is averaging 23.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks a game.
Examining the data just presented more closely, in the 79 games that Karl-Anthony Towns has played for the New York Knicks this season, Towns has compiled a 52.6% field goal percentage, a 42% three-point percentage and an 82.9% free throw percentage.
It is noteworthy that these two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Karl-Anthony Towns perform in the most recent matchup? Who won? In the New York Knicks thrilling 91-90 win over the New York Knicks two days ago, Towns played exceptionally well. Let me be more specific. Towns amassed a robust 21 points, 17 rebounds, one assist and one block in the New York Knicks defeat of the Celtics.
In my view, Karl-Anthony Towns is the player most likely to score the highest Draftkings points in this NBA Eastern Conference playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing talented New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA DFS Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Jalen Brunson, Point Guard, New York Knicks $9,400
In addition to center Karl-Anthony Towns, point guard Jalen Brunson has been an essential part of the New York Knicks starting lineup this season. With that said, how has Brunson played recently?
More recently, in the New York Knicks 108-105 victory over the Boston Celtics four days ago, New York point guard Jalen Brunson tallied 29 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in 44 minutes of play.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Jayson Tatum, Forward (Boston Celtics) $10,800: Josh Hart, Forward (New York Knicks) $8,000: Jaylen Brown, Forward (Boston Celtics) $8,600.
