Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Thunder vs. Grizzlies 4/24/25
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies
April 24, 2025 9:30 pm EDT
Later today, the NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a Western Conference playoff matchup featuring the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Memphis Grizzlies 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 tonight’s Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Jalen Williams, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder $9,800
Veteran forward Jalen Williams has certainly been a key contributor for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. With that said, how has the talented forward performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s examine Jalen Williams relevant game data from this season to answer that question.
In the 71 games that Williams has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA season (including playoffs), Williams is averaging 21.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 71 games that Jalen Williams has played for the Thunder this season, Williams has averaged 40.4 Draftkings points a game.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Jalen Williams perform in the most recent matchup? In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominant 118-99 win over the Memphis Grizzlies two days ago, Thunder forward Jalen Williams played exceptionally well. Let me be more specific. Williams amassed 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal in the Thunder’s defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies.
In my view, Jalen Williams reasonable Draftkings price of $9,800 presents the best fantasy value on this slate. For that specific reason, I am backing Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NBA Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Point Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder $12,000
In addition to forward Jalen Williams, point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been an essential part of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s starting lineup this season.
In the 78 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, 4.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 78 games that point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, Gilgeous-Alexander has compiled a 51.9% field goal percentage, a 37.5% three-point percentage and an 89.8% free throw percentage.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this Western Conference playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Ja Morant, Point Guard (Memphis Grizzlies) $9,600: Jaren Jackson Jr., Power Forward (Memphis Grizzlies) $8,400: Zach Edey, Center (Memphis Grizzlies) $7,000.
