We have a potential preview of this year's Western Conference Finals on tap as the Thunder visit the Nuggets for a Thursday night primetime game on TNT.

Here are all the DFS NBA picks & projections you'll need to build winning lineups in your Showdown contests on DraftKings & FanDuel.

NBA DFS Showdown Picks & Playbook: Thunder vs. Nuggets Game Preview

These are two teams that are “mostly” the same as last year - which is a good thing, because they're both title contenders once again.

Josh Giddey is out and Alex Caruso is in for Oklahoma City. For DFS purposes, we won't benefit from Caruso's defense, but we will see Giddey's 12/7/6 scatter to other members of the Thunder backcourt.

Both Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams are out tonight for Oklahoma City. That leaves the Thunder terrifyingly thin at center - which, of course, is an even bigger problem considering their opponent. All signs point to Ousmane Dieng being the biggest beneficiary.

For the Nuggets, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out and Russell Westbrook is in. The offseason moves happened completely independently of one another, but collectively paint a clear picture of what Denver's plan of attack will be this season from a personnel standpoint. Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson all will be asked to step up. All appear to be up to the task.

The Nuggets have no noteworthy injuries entering Opening Night. 

All together, we'll have a fairly familiar player pool to pick from in our DFS NBA Showdown slate tonight.

NBA DFS Showdown MVP Captain Picks For Thunder vs. Nuggets On TNT 

Nikola Jokic - $12,600 DK, $17,000

This one needs no explanation for an Opening Night Showdown contest.

Jokic projects to be the top overall point scorer AND fantasy-point-per-dollar player on the slate. He is a must-play in any format and a must-Captain in cash games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - $11,400 DK, $16,500 FD

Re-read the previous pick, but replace “Jokic” with “SGA,” and “top” with “2nd-highest” for overall points and points-per-dollar alike.

Don't believe me? Look at today's DFS NBA projections. It's rare, but sometimes slates can be this straightforward from a Captain's perspective.

Mid-Tier Plays & NBA DFS Picks For Oklahoma City vs. Denver

Russell Westbrook - $6,000 DK, $9,000 FD

Westbrook is a GPP-only play for me simply because it's not clear precisely how Mike Malone will use him, or for how long. That said, we've seen Russ put up big fantasy numbers in a very few number of minutes, so if you're building multiple lineups, you'll want to be sure to have some solid exposure. With Braun now starting, Westbrook should be the unquestioned leader of the second unit.

Aaron Gordon - $7,400 DK, $11,000 FD

Gordon is the engine that makes the Nuggets go when Jokic is off the floor. He's an elite defender and facilitator for playing the four. What he lacks in raw scoring prowess, he makes up for with balanced fantasy box scores.

We don't project Gordon to set the world on fire tonight, but we need to find balance and productivity beyond Jokic and SGA. Gordon will check those boxes for you.

Lu Dort - $5,000 DK, $8,500 FD

Dort can be frustrating to roster for fantasy purposes. We need to have short memories to be successful playing DFS though, so we need to look at his price and projections for tonight only. They're not pretty, but they'll play on this specific slate.

Thunder vs. Nuggets DFS Value Picks For Thursday, October 24

Ousmane Dieng - $1,600 DK, $6,000 FD

Dieng is priced at the near minimum on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He is the Thunder's only healthy center behind Holmgren. For better or worse, he's going to see significant minutes tonight. Starters aren't completely stretched out this early in the season, and Denver almost always has a traditional center on the floor.

Dieng does at least have a decent pedigree. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and even briefly played professionally overseas before being picked as a 19-year-old. He averaged 26 minutes per game this preseason, which is in no small part why he'll be the next big up when Mark Daigneault turns to his bench.

I will likely have Dieng in every lineup I build tonight. I don't love it, but the salaries have shaken strangely on both sites, and we have to find value somewhere. I'd rather go all the way down to Dieng and fit in another one of Holmgren, Jamal Murray or Jalen Williams than try to mix and match the “meh” options we have in the mid- and low-priced tiers tonight.

Player Pool

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