The Bucks are third in the Eastern Conference with a 30-17 record while the Trail Blazers are sixth in the Western Conference at 29-18. The Bucks are 7-3 in their last 10 games and sport a 12-10 record on the road. The Trail Blazers have won their last four games and are also 7-3 in their last 10 games overall, sporting a 15-12 record at home. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Bucks favored by 2.5 points with the total at 238.5. This should be a good one.
Let’s break down everything to play a few Showdown lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $80K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (MIL vs POR)
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Captain’s Picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($16,200 CP) - Giannis has not been the Greek God of hoops lately, as he’s put up mortal numbers of 47.0 DKFP, 46.0 DKFP, 33.0 DKFP and 35.5 DKFP in his last four games. Two of those games were against Boston with the other two against the Lakers and Clippers. Boston has a ton of experience against Giannis, while the Lakers are first in defensive efficiency and the Clippers are 11th. Giannis had also been dealing with a sprained knee, so it may have been a perfect storm for the faders and haters. The Greek God may rise up again as Portland is 29th in defensive efficiency and boosts the fantasy points per minute to power forwards by 9.92% above league average.
CJ McCollum ($12,900 CP) - I really like Damian Lillard ($10,000) in this spot, but I’ll take the $2,100 discount and go with McCollum. While Lillard will likely score more DKFP, it’s within the range of outcomes that McCollum exceeds him or at least stays relatively close. The Bucks defend inside out, prioritizing the paint then contesting on the perimeter. Against shooting guards, they boost the three-point production by 14.66% above league average. Since returning from injury, McCollum is averaging 9.2 attempts from downtown while converting 34% of those shots.
UTIL Plays
Bryn Forbes ($2,000) - This Forbes isn’t particularly money, but he has been playing 22.5 minutes per game over the last four and provides salary relief. He’s averaged five three-point attempts and contributed 15.75 DKFP, 12.5 DKFP, 19.0 DKFP and 12.25 DKFP.
Donte DiVincenzo ($6,200) - DiVincenzo averages 0.91 DKFP per minute and he has been playing 29.0 minutes over the last six games. He usually averages around eight shots per contest, so the points won’t be voluminous, but he chips in a little something in every category aside from blocks. He’s produced 28.75 DKFP, 21.0 DKFP, 22.25 DKFP, 27.0 DKFP, 29.25 DKFP and 40.25 DKFP over his past six games. He does have five games with double-digit rebounds and is always a maven in the steals department, so there’s a chance for a ceiling game if things break right.
Jrue Holiday ($7,800) - The variance is wide with Holiday as he can easily go for 60.0 DKFP or 25.0 DKFP. Over the last five games, he’s put up 64.25 DKFP, 24.0 DKFP, 27.25 DKFP, 47.5 DKFP and 56.5 DKFP. Whew. The one constant has been the field goal attempts and steals. He’s shot 15, 16, 12, 14 and 16 times while notching multiple steals in all but one contest. The variability has been in the rebounds and assists. You have been warned. With that said, this game should be an up-and-down affair with plenty of possessions, so the opportunities to collect counting stats should be there for Jrue.
Fades
Enes Kanter ($6,800) - Since Jusuf Nurkic ($6,000) has returned to action, Kanter has played 30, 18 and 27 minutes. He’s produced 42.45 DKFP, 21.5 DKFP and 21.0 DKFP in those three games, respectively. While Nurkic is still on a minutes limit, he’s going to slowly start getting more run over time. It could be a minute here, a minute there, but those will all be coming out of Kanter’s allocation.
THE OUTCOME
For full transparency, I’ve been absolutely horrible at predicting outcomes recently, so you may want to go Costanza on me. With that said, I’m always a sucker for home dogs. The Trail Blazers are at home, and while I think there’s a chance for a Giannis explosion, I like the backcourt duo of Lillard and McCollum to pull out a close one.
Final Score: Portland 123, Milwaukee 120
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $80K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] (MIL vs POR)
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