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The Denver Nuggets will try to get a game from the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in Game 3 on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on TNT. The Nuggets trail the series 2-0 after Anthony Davis banged a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 2 on Sunday. The Nuggets have their backs against the wall and it will be one of the ways we can approach the Showdown contest on DraftKings. Let’s take a look at some fades and value plays.
Players to Fade
Rajon Rondo ($7,000)
There’s a lot of regression happening for Rondo in this round and his price seems to keep going up for whatever reason. It’s jumped from $5,400 in Game 1 to $7K in Game 3 despite Rondo failing to reach 30+ DKFP in the first two games of the series. Rondo is only playing around 20 minutes and just isn’t getting the shot volume or scoring opportunities to really smash value.
Paul Millsap ($6,000)
Millsap has really become an afterthought this postseason. He hasn’t had more than 6 shot attempts in the past four games. He isn’t a high-volume rebounder. He isn’t a great passer. Millsap just isn’t doing anything right now. He’s still priced up mostly because of name value, and while he’s capable of reaching 25-30 DKFP, it just isn’t happening with AD down low. The Nuggets run the offense through Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. That isn’t going to change, so there isn’t much appeal in Millsap outside of a contrarian play.
Value Picks
Kyle Kuzma ($5,200)
Normally, I’ve been fading Kuzma pretty much in every contest. His price has finally gotten to an a playoff-low $5.2K, which is why I think we can start to consider him as a decent value option. At this point, the Nuggets’ only chance of winning this series is if they figure out a way to slow down Davis. If they throw doubles at him and try to make him uncomfortable, it could lead to more chances for Kuzma. At this price, we also don’t need Kuzma to go crazy, though it’s something that is feasible.
JaVale McGee ($2,200)
If you want to try and fit in 3 of LeBron, Murray, AD and Jokic, getting some salary relief will be key. McGee gives us that in a player who will at least start the game. We saw in Game 1 how fast-paced things were, so if it reverts back to that environment, we could get value with around 10-12 DKFP in the first quarter from McGee. There have been plenty of times this season in which McGee has smashed value in around 10-15 minutes.