After a heartbreaking end to Game 5 in the Bucks/Nets series, our attention turns to Wednesday’s two-game NBA DFS slate with another pair of Game 5s and some recent injury news.
As always, the game-by-game breakdown will provide a brief overview of each and every game on the slate, highlighting players that stand out. This doesn’t, however, mean that every player will be touched on. If a player is excluded from the breakdown, that simply means that they didn’t stand out as one that necessarily needs to be in your player pool. Again, this is the first look. Things will change given the news throughout the day, but I will do my best to prime you for all of the hypotheticals that we can forecast.
Vegas data at the time of writing listed is the consensus odds from the FTN NBA Odds Tracker.
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Hawks at Sixers preview
PHI -6.5, total: 223.5
This series heads back to Philly knotted at two games apiece with the Hawks looking for a second-consecutive win despite Trae Young’s dreadful shooting night in Game 4. His 8-26 showing in Game 4 was his worst of the post-season, but one that I fully expect him to bounce back from despite dealing with Ben Simmons defensively. $9,900, however, is a steep asking price, limiting my exposure to large-field tournaments, where even then I’ll be under the field.
I would much rather opt for both Bogdan Bogdanovic for $6,500 or John Collins for $6,000, as their prices simply don’t align with their roles on offense. Collins, in particular, has shown a newfound upside on the glass, while Bogdanovic continues to launch threes whenever he gets the chance. After the main three, Clint Capela is a fine tournament option, but his ceiling is becoming rarer and rarer as the series drags on, while Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari remain viable value pieces with De'Andre Hunter out.
The Sixers looked brutal in the second half of Game 4, especially Joel Embiid, who went 0-for-12 in the second half and 4-for-20 overall in the game. He looked well below 100%, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing 34 or more minutes in every game this series. Despite the down game last time out, he remains an elite play given the sheer volume and ceiling he brings to the table. Both Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris had down second halves as well, but both remain fine plays on this slate. Harris has shown a higher ceiling given his offensive upside, making him my preference. Simmons, however, correlates well with both Embiid and Harris.
Seth Curry and Furkan Korkmaz should continue to get both added minutes and added shots as long as Danny Green is out, making them viable fillers in your lineup, while Matisse Thybulle should continue to get significant minutes off of the bench. Thybulle, however, is not someone I would consider outside of the showdown slate.
Clippers at Jazz preview
UTA -7.5, total: 221
The Clippers dropped a bomb on the entire NBA community Wednesday morning by reporting that Kawhi Leonard is not only out for Game 5, but the rest of the series is in jeopardy for him. With Leonard out, this game should be viewed as a legitimate blowout threat. With that said, Paul George is going to be hard to not lock into your single-entry lineups Wednesday. At $8,600, you were already getting 40 minutes and 20 shots per game, posting 31 points in back-to-back games. Now, for that same price, we’re getting that production plus a vacated usage rate and 20 more open shots with Leonard out. Even in a potential blowout, that’s too much production for his price to pass up.
The rest of the Clippers stand to benefit as well, with Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris likely seeing the most security in terms of minutes, while Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann and Luke Kennard are likely to see a nice uptick on the offensive end. All five of the aforementioned players are extremely viable on this slate. This could also force the Clippers to go a bit bigger since they’re going to insert another player into the starting lineup, meaning that Ivica Zubac could potentially see a few extra minutes, making him an intriguing value option given his point-per-minute production.
The Jazz benefit here as well from a real basketball perspective, but there’s an angle to take where it makes the Jazz a bit riskier given the blowout potential. That said, however, with this being a playoff game, I don’t see a high likelihood that the starters sit until at least late in the fourth regardless of the score. I do, however, see the Jazz sitting Mike Conley again in order to rest him until they absolutely need him. If that’s the case, I’m OK going right back to the well with Joe Ingles as a value option and Jordan Clarkson in GPPs. Donovan Mitchell is an elite option regardless of whether Conley plays but gets an obvious bump if Conley remains out. Royce O'Neale is rather unaffected by the Conley status and makes for a good cash-game option regardless.
Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic are two players I plan to target heavily in tournaments, but even with their lowered prices, they carry risk given the fact that neither is a priority on offense. If they aren’t taking advantage of the limited looks they have, then it’s hard to justify playing them. If looking for deep value and running with the angle that this game blows out, Georges Niang would be the best bet on this team.
