Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Nuggets vs. Clippers 5/1/25
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers
May 1, 2025 10:00 pm EDT
The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a Western Conference matchup featuring the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets 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 Nuggets vs. Clippers matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-James Harden, Point Guard, Los Angeles Clippers $11,800
Veteran point guard James Harden has been an essential part of the Los Angeles Clippers starting lineup this season. With that said, how has Harden performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s examine Harden’s relevant game data from this season to answer that question.
In the 84 games that point guard James Harden has played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Harden is averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 84 games that James Harden has played this season, Harden has compiled a 41% field goal percentage, a 35.2% three-point percentage and an 87.4% free throw percentage.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Harden perform in the most recent matchup? Who prevailed? In the Denver Nuggets 131-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers last night, Los Angeles point guard James Harden played rather well. The veteran point guard amassed 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Nuggets defeat of the Los Angeles Clippers.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Remember to keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my opinion, James Harden is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this NBA playoff game. With that said, I am backing Los Angeles Clippers point guard James Harden at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,600
In the 75 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff gamess), Jokic is averaging a massive 29.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 75 games that Jokic has played this season, Jokic is averaging a whopping 67.7 Draftkings points a game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this Western Conference playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Kawhi Leonard, Forward (Los Angeles Clippers) $10,200: Ivica Zubac, Center (Los Angeles Clippers) $9,800: Jamal Murray, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $9,600.
