Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Knicks vs. Celtics 5/14/25
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
May 14, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
This Tuesday night, 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 tonight’s Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Jaylen Brown, Forward, Boston Celtics $9,000
Forward Jaylen Brown has been an essential part of the Boston Celtics starting lineup this season. Let’s examine the veteran forward’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season to better shed light on Brown’s overall contributions to his team.
In the 72 games that Jaylen Brown has played for the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Brown is averaging 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 72 games that Jaylen Brown has played for the Celtics this season, Brown has averaged a robust 38.7 Draftkings points a contest.
It is noteworthy that talented Boston forward Jayson Tatum will miss the remainder of the 2025 NBA playoffs due to injury. In my opinion, the absence of Tatum in the Celtics lineup should present Jaylen Brown with more offensive opportunities in this evening’s Eastern Conference playoff game.
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. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In summary, I think Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this NBA playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing Jaylen Brown at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA single game contest.
Flex Plays
Karl-Anthony Towns, Center, New York Knicks $8,800
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 81 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 81 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.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this NBA playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Josh Hart, Forward (New York Knicks) $7,800: Mikal Bridges, Guard (New York Knicks) $7,000: Payton Pritchard, Guard (Boston Celtics) $6,000.
