Tonight’s NBA Showdown matchup between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns is full of star power at the top plus plenty of usable roster options in the mid-range. The main news we are waiting on for this game is the availability of point guard Chris Paul. If he starts tonight, it removed a lot of the appeal of Cameron Payne. Here are the NBA DFS top plays we can invest in for our lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings!

 

Injuries
Boston Celtics

Malcolm Brogdon – PROBABLE
Danilo Gallinari – OUT
Robert Williams - OUT

Phoenix Suns

Torrey Craig – QUESTIONABLE
Chris Paul – QUESTIONABLE
Jae Crowder – OUT
Cameron Johnson - OUT

NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks

MVP/CAPTAIN

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

For $16,800 on DraftKings, you are paying up for the elite-level security that Tatum brings this year. He has one game since November 21st below 47 fantasy points, and he is averaging 53.5 in his last ten days. The Suns are tremendous against power forwards (second only to the Celtics this year), but the Suns do rank just 21st in the league defending from behind the arc. Look for Tatum and company to bomb away in this one, which aligns well with this seasonal shot selection. Tatum’s 9.4 three-pointers attempted per game are far and away the highest of his career, and he is making them at a 36% clip. 
 

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Booker is another MVP-caliber player whose offensive game is strong enough to overcome the tough defensive matchup he will see against Boston with Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart his likely defender. Booker’s box scores don’t look great from his last two games, scoring only 21 and 31 fantasy points in those contests. But that’s because he averaged only 29 minutes as the Suns lost one game by 19 and won the other 38. Before that, he had a streak of four straight with more than 52 fantasy points. This game has the closest implied spread of the night (Boston -1), so you can have full confidence Booker will get his full allotment of minutes. 

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

In what will be a theme tonight, Brown ALSO gets a tough defensive assignment from Mikal Bridges. Bridges has locked down opposing small forwards this season, allowing a second-best 37.9 fantasy points per game to the position. But Brown is on just as much of a heater as Jayson Tatum lately, scoring at least 40 fantasy points in every game since November 21st. What’s driving the success for Brown lately is some of the best shooting of his career. He has over a 50% field goal rate in six of his last seven games and 11 of his last 13. At a $2,700 discount from Tatum at MVP, he is definitely worth consideration. 

UTILITY 

Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns

Ayton is also playing some of the best basketball of his career, scoring at least 35 fantasy points in all but one game since November 18th. And while Boston is the best team against centers this season, they are allowing the 13th-most fantasy points in the last seven games, as they have struggled on the glass with Al Horford in and out of the lineup recently. Over their last 10 games, Boston is just middle of the pack in rebound rate (50.2%), so expect Ayton to try and hit the glass on both ends tonight. 

Cameron Payne, Phoenix Suns

The decision as to whether or not to start Payne tonight hinges on Chris Paul’s availability. If Paul is in, Payne is not a reasonable start at a salary up to $7,200. But if he does not, Payne’s numbers should be off the charts again. With Paul out, Payne sports a 23.8% usage rate and 1.00 fantasy points per minute. In that scenario, his minutes should also be around 30 again, where they would drop to under 20 if Paul plays. At the time of writing, Paul was still Questionable for this late game. 

Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

Marcus Smart is a player that doesn’t have to rely a lot on his scoring to get his fantasy production, although he is averaging 16.4 points per game in his last ten days. But he is contributing in a major way with assists, rebounds, and steals lately, so the tougher offensive environment in this one won’t impact him as much as other mid-range plays. Part of a team-wide hot streak, Smart has not seen less than 31 fantasy points since Thanksgiving and is averaging 38 fantasy points per game over his last 10. 
 

DART THROWS

Ish Wainright, Phoenix Suns

Wainwright is the very definition of a dart throw in this game, but the $2,000 salary combined with some significantly increased playing time lately might make him worth the risk. Just in his last three games, Wainwright averages 20.3 minutes per game, plus 14.6 fantasy points per contest. With the Suns down to Torrey Craig in the starting lineup at power forward, the Suns have had to rely more on Wainwright than perhaps they want to. But we can benefit if they continue to give him playing time at this salary. 

Grant Williams, Boston Celtics

Williams at $4,600 is pushing the limits of a “dart throw” salary, but he is playing such big minutes these days, it won’t take much for him to 5x this salary, even in Phoenix. Williams averages 31 minutes and 21.3 fantasy points in his last ten days, including shooting 51% from the floor. If Horford gets extra minutes on the bench tonight, or Boston wants to go small and try to push the pace tonight, Williams will be the beneficiary. Despite playing the most minutes of his career this season, Williams’ field goal percentage (53.5%) and three-point percentage (45.6%) are both career highs. 

 


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Dominate your NBA DFS Showdown contests today using our Player Projections that you can use specifically for Showdown!