NBA Best Bets Today: Free Expert NBA Picks for Friday, May 20

NBA Best Bets Today: Free Expert NBA Picks for Friday, May 20

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Andrew Wiggins over 22.5 points + rebounds (-113)

FanDuel, 1:00 PM CT

Alex Barutha: Minus the Warriors getting blown out by the Grizzlies in Game 5 of that series, Wiggins has averaged 18.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, so it's hard not to like the over on 22.5 combined. And you can extend the sample out further, too, since he's 16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per 36 minutes for the whole postseason. I think Golden State's offense as a whole is going to regress a bit in Game 2, but Wiggins, at this point, has proven to be a relatively high-volume scoring and rebounding option. And if the Mavericks continue to trap and double-team Curry and Thompson, that will continue to lead to open looks from three and cutting opportunities for Wiggins.

Klay Thompson under 3.5 threes (-148)

FanDuel, 1:00 PM CT

Alex Barutha: Thompson's three-point volume has decreased significantly over the past five games. Aside from his 14-attempt Game 6 performance against the Grizzlies, he's averaging just 5.8 attempts during this span, and he took just four threes during Game 1 of this series. I think the low three-point attempts will continue. During the regular season, the Mavericks allowed the fewest made threes, and we saw in Game 1 that their defensive focus was chasing Thompson (and Curry) off the three-point line. And assuming Dallas continues to double-team and trap Curry, I'd also hear an argument for over on Thompson's 2.5 assists prop, since he'll often end up being a release valve for Curry and will presumably do more driving and kicking.

Reggie Bullock over 2.5 threes (+108)

FanDuel, 1:00 PM CT

Alex Barutha: The Warriors' defense worked so effectively in Game 1, it's hard to imagine much changing today. That scheme allowed Bullock to take 10 three-pointers. In the playoffs as a whole, he's taking 7.1 threes and making 2.7, so getting plus odds on 2.5 is hard to turn down. He's gone over this number in nine of 14 playoff games.

Dorian Finney-Smith under 10.5 points (-110)

DraftKings, 2:30 PM ET

I'm repeating my successful bet from Game 1. DFS has averaged 5.5 points a game over his past four playoff games via 5.0 field goal attempts per contest.  He's in there for defense.  Yes, there is always a chance he gets hot from three.  But the Warriors are smart enough to force Finney-Smith to drive, which isn't his strength. Look for Luka, Brunson and Dinwiddie to again hog the field goal attempts.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Ken
An early RotoWire contributor from the 90's, K-Train returns with the grace of Gheorghe Muresan and the wisdom of Joe Gibbs. Ken is a two-time FSWA award winner and a co-host on the RW NBA Podcast. Championships incude: 2016 RW Staff NBA Keeper, 2019 RW Staff NFL Ottoneu Keeper, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Experts, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Kamla Keeper and 2023-24 FSGA NBA Expert Champions. Ken still owns a RotoNews shirt.
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