Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals will take place on Sunday, June 5th with tipoff at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. The Boston Celtics are looking to go up 2-0 in the series, while the Golden State Warriors badly need a win to level this best-of-7 series. There’s plenty of stars in this matchup, making for some interesting possibilities when it comes to DFS lineup combinations.
Let’s go over the Showdown fantasy outlook for the game for contests on DraftKings.
Captain’s Picks
Steph Curry ($15,900) - Curry was a man possessed in Game 1, dropping 21 points in the first quarter of the first game. Unfortunately, he cooled off almost as quickly as he heated up. Curry still finished with 34 points leading in scoring between both teams. The offense runs through him and it is hard to see an outcome where he isn’t worth the captain’s choice for your lineup.
Jayson Tatum ($15,600) - If you are not wanting to go with Curry as your captain, the other logical option is to go with Tatum. Game 1 showed Golden State keying in on him which limited his scoring. He finished with only 12 points. He added a cool 13 assists though showing that if he gets stifled in one area of his game, he will excel in another. Tatum will likely be one of the top two most productive players in this game in one way or another.
FLEX Plays
Jaylen Brown ($9,600) - Brown shines when the defense focuses on Tatum. Golden State is going to have to change up some strategy because while they shut down Tatum, Brown went off. He played 38 minutes in the first game and finished with seven rebounds, five assists and 24 points. He is the most expensive option past Curry and Tatum but has the upside to make it worth adding him to your lineup.
Al Horford ($7,600) - Horford had his best game of the playoffs in Game 1 of the finals. He connected on six of eight three-point attempts and finished with 26 points. It is likely that he sees a regression in scoring, but he should see an increase in rebounding. Horford is consistently a double-double threat which is why he has value for your showdown roster.
Klay Thompson ($7,400) - Thompson fell short of expectations in the first game. Sure, he still finished with 15 points, but he was only 3-7 from three-point range. Thompson also just wasn’t getting good looks and wasn’t generating the high octane offense that we are used to seeing. He has a high chance of looking more like himself in the second game of this series and returning to value for Showdown lineups.
Fades
Draymond Green ($7,000) - Green finished with 11 boards in the first game, but only four points. In the Western conference finals, he only had more than six rebounds once. It is very likely that his rebounding numbers regress, but if he doesn’t greatly increase his scoring, he isn’t going to be worth an addition to your roster.
Robert Williams III ($6,400) - Time Lord has an epic nickname but hasn’t quite carved out his role in the Boston offense. Sure, he had eight points and six rebounds in the first game. I consider that the normal output for Williams. That’s a heavy cost for fewer than double-digit results in those categories. He is often dealing with some sort of injury so there are better options to go with that will be more beneficial.
Andre Iguodala ($1,400) - When it comes to Showdown lineups, you are looking for value wherever you can get it. Iguodala is one of the cheapest choices that should see double-digit minutes. In Game 1, he played 12 minutes and had three assists and seven points. Iguodala isn’t worth a lineup spot even at this price, so don’t be tempted.
The Outcome
Golden State was shocked in the Finals opener and Boston was able to get the early momentum. The Warriors have to come away with a win in this game before the series heads to Boston for the next two games. I think Curry spreads out his offensive output and gets more help from Thompson. The Warriors have had time to adjust to the Celtics' offense so and will come away with an important victory.
Final score: Warriors 118, Celtics 105