The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with an NBA Finals matchup featuring the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Indiana Pacers 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 Thursday night’s Thunder vs. Pacers matchup.
Draftkings NBA DFS Picks
Captain-Jalen Williams, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder $10,800
Talented forward Jalen Williams has been a solid performer for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. With that said, how has Williams performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s review the veteran point guard’s relevant player data from the 2024 NBA season to answer that question.
In the 90 games that Jalen Williams has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA season (including playoffs), Williams is averaging 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 90 games that Jalen Williams has played for the Thunder this season, Williams has averaged 40.3 Draftkings points a game.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Williams perform in the most recent matchup? Who won? In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers earlier this week, Oklahoma City forward amassed 40 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal in the Thunder’s defeat of the Indiana Pacers.
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 my opinion, Jalen Williams is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this NBA Finals game. For that specific reason, I am backing Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams at the captain position for this one game NBA DFS slate.
Flex Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder $14,200
In addition to forward Jalen Williams, point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a key contributor for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025.
In the 97 games (including playoff games) that point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks a game.
Examining he data just presented more closely, in the 97 games that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played for the 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 Thursday night’s NBA Finals game (Draftkings price noted): Pascal Siakam, Forward (Indiana Pacers) $10,200: Isaiah Hartenstein, Center (Oklahoma City Thunder) $5,400.