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The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western conference Finals on Tuesday but will look to rebound from the loss on Thursday in Game 4. Nobody wants to go up 3-1 against the Nuggets, but the Lakers will have to go for a win. We’ll go over how to approach Showdown contests for this matchup on DraftKings here.
Players to Fade
Alex Caruso ($4,400)
Caruso has emerged as one of the more favorable utility plays in the playoffs but is coming off a poor performance. He was 1-for-7 from the field his last time out and is listed as questionable to play in Game 4 because of a wrist injury. Having a hurt wrist certainly won’t help his shooting woes, so I’m perfectly fine passing on him. I expect Rajon Rondo to take on a bigger role if Caruso isn’t at 100 percent.
Dwight Howard ($3,600)
Howard did a great job making things difficult for Nikola Jokic in Game 1, but the big man has been subpar for two games straight now by failing to tally 10 DKFP. At this point it seems like he’s just a big body the Lakers can throw in to be a nuisance and burn some fouls.
Value Picks
Monte Morris ($2,800)
Morris was easily the best bench player in Game 3 and scored 14 points on seven shots off the pine in 20 minutes. Tons of DFS players were on P.J. Dozier as a big-time value play earlier this week, but it’ll be hard to put him in to relieve Jamal Murray when Morris has games contributes so much.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,600)
KCP has found his shooting stroke in this series and has made more than 58 percent of his field goals against the Nuggets. He’s shooting better than 53 percent from beyond the arc. he should continue to get catch-and-shoot opportunities moving forward, and if he makes them he should hover around 30 minutes a night.