NBA PrizePicks for May 18

We’ve finished the NBA regular season, but before we hit the first round of the playoffs, we get the brand-new NBA play-in tournament. There are two games Tuesday night, but PrizePicks has included Wednesday’s games on the board as well. We’re going to focus on Tuesday’s action here, but don’t hesitate to tag me in the FTN PrizePicks Discord channel leading up to lock if you want any feedback on some multi-day entries. 

If you aren’t familiar, or for an in-depth look at the app, check out this PrizePicks Review by FTN’s Tyler Loechner.

How to Play PrizePicks NBA

PrizePicks is a creative new way to parlay picks based on expected fantasy point production. The format is simple. PrizePicks will set fantasy point or single stat lines for select players and then you choose between two and five players to go over or under their given projection. Naturally, the more players you put into your parlay, the larger the payout! You can enter a “Power Play,” where you must get every pick in your parlay correct to get paid out. Another option is a “Flex Play,” where your payout changes depending on the number of picks you got correct.

• Two-player “Power Play” entry pays 3x and “Flex Play” pays 2x for both correct and 0.5x for one correct
• Three-player “Power Play” entry pays 5x and “Flex Play” pays 2.25x for three correct and 1.25x for two correct
• Four-player “Power Play” entry pays 10x and “Flex Pay” pays 5x for four correct and 1.5x for three correct
• Five-player entries are only eligible for “Flex Plays” and pay out 10x for five correct, 2x for four correct and 0.4x for three correct

Tuesday’s first NBA action locks at 6:40 p.m. ET on PrizePicks. Note that these lines can shift throughout the day leading up to lock just like a spread or moneyline on a game. They will also occasionally add players as the day goes on if injury news changes the outlook for a team. Tag me in the FTN PrizePicks Discord channel (which is FREE) up until lock if you want a second pair of eyes on a parlay you’re considering or for help on lines that may have changed since this writing.

Scoring breakdown for PrizePicks contests can be found here.

My 2020-21 PrizePicks record

• Picks Overall: 275-207
• Favorite Combos: 59-106
• Longshot 5-way Parlays: 
  • 10x: 3
  • 2x: 12
  • 0.4x: 8
  • No cash: 19

PrizePicks NBA picks today

Here’s a look at my favorite picks on the NBA board at PrizePicks Tuesday.

• LaMelo Ball (38.0 points) – OVER
• P.J. Washington (32.0 points) – OVER
• Domantas Sabonis (51.0 points) – OVER
• T.J. McConnell (26.0 points) – OVER
• Oshae Brissett (26.0 points) – UNDER
• Russell Westbrook (61.0 points) – OVER
• Bradley Beal (42.0 points) – OVER
• Evan Fournier (31.0 points) – OVER
• Kemba Walker (39.5 points) – UNDER

Favorite combinations

Here are the combinations I have placed on PrizePicks so far Tuesday, all as “Power Plays.”

• Bradley Beal (o42.0), T.J. McConnell (o26.0)
• P.J. Washington (o32.0), Russell Westbrook (o61.0)
• Evan Fournier (o31.0), Domantas Sabonis (o51.0)

Power play payout: 3x 
Flex play payout: 2x for two correct, 0.5x for one correct

Longshot five-way flex play of the day

I’m not a huge fan of doing the largest offering of a five-way parlay on a daily basis, but if I was to run one out there Tuesday on PrizePicks, here’s what I would throw in.

• Bradley Beal (o42.0), T.J. McConnell (o26.0), P.J. Washington (o32.0), Evan Fournier (o31.0), Russell Westbrook (o61.0)
  • Flex play payout: 10x for five correct, 2x for four correct, 0.4x for three correct