Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Nuggets vs. Thunder 5/7/25
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
May 7, 2025 9:30 pm EDT
The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a Western Conference playoff matchup featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 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 this evening’s Denver vs. Oklahoma City matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets $13,000
Denver center Nikola Jokic has certainly established himself as one of the best players in the National Basketball Association today. Having stated that, how has Jokic performed from a statistical perspective this season? Let’s examine the veteran center’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season to answer that question.
In the 78 games that center Nikola Jokic has played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff gamess), Jokic is averaging a massive 29.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 78 games that Jokic has played this season, Jokic is averaging a massive 67.5 Draftkings points a game.
It is noteworthy that these two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Nikola Jokic perform in the most recent matchup? Who prevailed? In the Denver Nuggets thrilling 121-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder two days ago, Denver center Nikola Jokic played exceptionally well. Let me be more specific. Jokic amassed 42 points, 22 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal in the Denver Nuggets defeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Nuggets victory over the Thunder, Denver center Nikola Jokic tallied a whopping 83.1 Draftkings points. It has to be said, those are the type of DFS numbers that I need to see from a player that I select at the captain position.
In my opinion, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in this evening’s Western Conference playoff game. For that specific reason, I am backing Nikola Jokic as the captain for this single game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest slate.
Flex Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Point Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder $11,600
Veteran point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has quickly established himself as one of the best point guards in the National Basketball Association today. Let’s examine Gilgeous-Alexander’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games) to better illustrate his contributions to his team.
In the 80 games that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a rather impressive 32.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks a game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this Western Conference playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Jalen Williams, Forward (Oklahoma City Thunder) $9,400: Jamal Murray, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $9,000: Russell Westbrook, Point Guard (Denver Nuggets) $6,600.
