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The Houston Rockets couldn’t miss a shot in Game 1, taking a commanding 1-0 lead in the first-round series vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many believed the Thunder would come out and take control with Russell Westbrook (quad) sidelined for Houston. This was not the case. Now, we enter Game 2 with a better sense of how things could play out in this series. Let’s take a look at some DraftKings Showdown picks to get you started.Set your DraftKings lineup here.
Captain’s Picks
Chris Paul ($14,400)
CP3 nearly backdoored himself into a triple-double in Game 1, a game in which the Thunder were pretty much trailing by double-digits since the start. Imagine a competitive game in which CP3 has a chance to win? Wouldn’t that be something. Paul should be motivated to get a W and tie the series. So this is more of a narrative pick than anything. Still, he had 51 DKFP on 20-10-9 with a pair of steals in Game 1. That smashed James Harden ($18,600) in terms of value at Captain.
Fade of the Game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($9,000)
This feels a lot like a natural bounce-back spot for SGA. The issue is that his price went up $200 after busting in Game 1 — 17.5 DKFP. This doesn’t instill much confidence for me. Really, the only thing we get with playing Gilgeous-Alexander is a high-upside play with leverage. It’s not bad for tournaments, but in a contest where we almost certainly need to play Harden and CP3, it’s tough. Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari are both cheaper and safer plays.
Value Picks
Eric Gordon ($5,000) — I wanted to say anyone on Houston but that seemed too easy. Really, you can take your pick of anyone outside Harden and Roberto Covington for value. Gordon has 50-point upside. I mean come on! He’s coming off 30.75 DKFP in Game 1 and he had an off game! Gordon shot 7-of-17 from the field and 2-of-6 from 3-point range. Imagine if he, like, doesn’t do that ...
P.J. Tucker ($4,200) — I played around with some value on OKC, but it just isn’t there. Houston’s pricing is just too low. Tucker played 34 minutes in Game 1 and that seemed very low for him. If this Game 2 is competitive, Tucker likely plays closer to 40 minutes. He’s one of few bigs who can sort of match up against size. He wasn’t spectacular in Game 1 but still shot 8 3-pointers and finished with 23.5 DKFP. I’ll take it.