Best lineup strategy for Lakers vs. Trail Blazers NBA Showdown

The Los Angeles Lakers become the second top seed to lose a Game 1 Tuesday and will look to even their series against the Portland Trail Blazers to wrap up Thursday’s NBA action. The game will top off at 9:00 p.m. ET. We’ll go over the top Showdown lineup strategies for DraftKings contests centered around the matchup below.

Captain’s picks

James ($18,000) had to do everything for the Lakers to keep Tuesday’s game close, as Anthony Davis continued to struggle shooting the ball. It’s clear that James is now in playoff mode. He tallied 73.25 DKFP in his last game and could raise the bar once his shooting stroke comes together. He’s sure to be an effective passer and crash the boards harder than he did in the regular season.

Jusuf Nurkic ($15,300) had a below average performance in Game 1, but still amassed 16 points and 15 rebounds. He’s not as pricy as James or Damian Lillard ($18,600) and has triple-double potential when he’s at his best.

Flex

Gary Trent Jr. ($6,000) has been a breakout star in the bubble but had his worst game since the restart. He failed to tally at least 10 DKFP for the first time since the season resumed and only made one shot from beyond the arc. He’s a lock to play more than 30 minutes coming off the bench, and it’s not likely that he’ll be a major dud for a second game in a row.

Zach Collins is out again, and that means Hassan Whiteside ($5,000) should get a healthy boost. He notched 26 DKFP in 26 minutes in Game 1 and even paired with Nurkic in the frontcourt at times. The elite shot blocker showed that he can still be a top-notch rim protector.