NBA DFS Showdown Playbook May 20: Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was largely a dud for daily fantasy purposes. Not one player truly lived up to their expectations except Kevon Looney. But as build new NBA DFS lineups for tonight’s game, we can assume adjustments are made on both sides and it will be closer than the 25-point spread of the first game. Be sure to check out the NBA daily projections, NBA DFS lineup generator, and more of our daily fantasy basketball tools at DFS Alarm. With the Mavericks and Warriors set to tip-off a likely high-scoring Game 2, let’s take a look at some possible NBA daily fantasy picks.
Injuries:
Dallas
- Tim Hardaway OUT
Golden State
- Gary Payton OUT
- Andre Igoudala QUESTIONABLE
MVP/Captain
In no way should less than 35 fantasy points in Game 1 scare you off from Luka Doncic tonight. If anything, they may rely on him, even more, to make sure the game stays close. That was the first blip on the radar for Doncic since March 21, as he scored at least 50 fantasy points in every other game since then. Doncic is the optimal pick for your MVP spot tonight.
Steph Curry did put up 47.5 DraftKings points in just 31 minutes on Wednesday, but it was a question of what might have been as he sat out the entire fourth quarter. If he can put up that level of points per minute and get 38 minutes on the floor, his $3,000+ MVP discount may be well worth the roster spot.
Klay Thompson was just a few seconds behind Andrew Wiggins for the most minutes on the floor for the Warriors in Game 1. That is a great sign heading into this pivotal matchup. The Warriors are now unconcerned about his minutes and what type of game environment he is in. Thompson shot 54% from the field in Game 1, and also would have benefited from the extra 4-5 minutes if there was no blowout. He checks in around $8,000 less than Doncic.
Utility
Apart from Doncic, Jalen Brunson was the most disappointing high-salary player on
Wednesday night. His 26 fantasy points were the lowest since the beginning of the Phoenix series and well below his 10-day average of 31.3 fantasy points. Brunson was absolutely abysmal shooting the ball, coming in at 37.5% on the night including 0-for-5 from three. But that can be expected to turn around tonight where he should get back to 30+ fantasy points. His salary did bump up $200 on DK, so at the price range, you will likely have to decide if you want Brunson or the next guy on this list.
Draymond Green was just as involved all over the court as we predicted he would be, but just got 29 minutes on the floor so wasn’t able to rack up as many of the valuable stats we would have liked. Still, he put up 31 fantasy points, contributing in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. His salary stayed the same on DK so we can expect him to get much closer to hitting 5x value tonight.
In just 28 minutes in Game 1, Kevin Looney put up 26 fantasy points at just $4,400. He gets a bump to $4,800 for this contest, but it’s still not enough if they plan to use him for 28-30 minutes again. Before Game 1, the big question was would Golden State go big with Looney playing significant minutes or go small with more Draymond Green at the center position. The answer is now clear so feel free to fire up Looney on all of your rosters.
Dart Throws
Otto Porter Jr. got a nice 23.4 minutes in Game 1, but the best part about that was he
was not part of the mop-up crew that came in midway through the fourth quarter once it got out of hand. Knowing this, he could have seen more crunch-time minutes if the game script would have called for that. His salary actually dropped $400 on DK after giving us 21 fantasy points, so this presents a buying opportunity considering the Warriors only really played seven men before the blowout. Damion Lee got five minutes total before the fourth-quarter minutes, so Porter and Jordan Poole seem to be the only players Golden State trusts off the bench.
Reggie Bullock somehow still got 36 minutes in a massive blowout on Wednesday,
producing 22 fantasy points in the process. That score also gives him a $400 salary drop tonight, making him the likely chalk with Looney and Porter so rosters can fit three studs at the top. If Bullock gets back up to 40 minutes again tonight and is hitting his threes (he took 10+ in two of the past three games), it will be near impossible for him not to hit 5x value.
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