Happy Saturday, May 3rd, we have a Game 7 showdown in the NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.

The stars are out as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard are taking the floor in their most meaningful game of the year so far.

 

 

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

  • News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
  • Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
  • Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
  • NBA DFS Projections
  • Lineup Generator
  • NBA Ownership
 

 

Pre/Post-Lock Update

This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock. 

Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.

All status updates after contest roster lock will be made in the Fantasy Alarm Discord: https://discord.gg/2yATJxXe8G

 

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 5/3

  • None
 

 

NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews

In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads. Not every game is listed, but every game listed has the pace and defensive numbers listed.

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers

  • Total: 208
  • Spread: DEN -1.5

Nuggets NBA DFS Breakdown

  • DRtg (Post All-Star Break): 23rd
  • Pace (Post All-Star Break): 13th

The Nuggets starters outside of Michael Porter should be in line for 40+ minutes each. The big question mark is the health of MPJ's shoulder. He has clearly not been right all series, and sat the final 8 minutes of Game 6 in favor of Russell Westbrook. Russ looks to be the healthier and more effective player at the moment. 

Expect Nikola Jokic to show up in a big way to keep the dream of a second ring alive. Jamal Murray is known for epic games in playoffs past, and another huge performance would not be a shock to anyone. 

Along with Jokic and Murray, Russell Westbrook is a core piece of lineup builds  as he has a chance to close the game if MPJ proves ineffective again. Aaron Gordon has been a consistent contributor as well. 

Clippers NBA DFS Breakdown

  • DRtg (Post All-Star Break): 7th
  • Pace (Post All-Star Break): 25th

The Clippers played James Harden nearly the entirety of Game 6, and we can expect that again in Game 7. He responded with his best game of the series since Game 1. LA will need that type of performance again if they hope to advance. 

Kawhi Leonard has been the more consistent of the Clippers stars and he has not scored less than 42 DK points since Game 1. He also has not exceeded 40 minutes played since Game 1, but that is certainly in play with the season on the line in Game 7. 

Norman Powell put up his best game of the series in Game 6, as he scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. That is the type of efficiency that makes this team dangerous and will be needed for the Clips to pull of the series upset. 

Ivica Zubac has had an outstanding series, but his production fell off a bit in Game 6. He is a huge reason the Clippers have stayed in this series with his play on both of ends of the floor. 

Clippers value pieces like Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derrick Jones all look more attractive from a fantasy perspective than anything outside of Denver's top six players. Batum has the best role of that group, while DJJ is the cheapest option and was productive in Game 6. 

NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

High

Mid

Value