Wednesday’s featured NBA Showdown contest on DraftKings is the win or go home play-in tournament matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs in Memphis, and the game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET. As usual, DraftKings is offering up a Showdown contest for this game, and below I give you some of my favorite options to attack for the format.
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Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs
Captain’s Pick
Jonas Valanciunas ($14,400, CP)
Valanciunas closed out the regular season in outstanding form. The center finished with five straight double-doubles, helping him score 50.4 DKFP per game. With playoff implications at stake every night, Valanciunas received 32.8 minutes per game over this stretch, which is a large upgrade from his 28.2 average for the 2020-21 season. With Wednesday night obviously presenting a win or go home scenario for the Grizzlies, Valanciunas should find himself in the 35-40 minute range against the Spurs. San Antonio’s main flaw on the defensive end is containing centers, and the Spurs have allowed the 3rd most DKFP per game to the position this season.
Contrary to popular belief, Valanciunas has actually benefited from Jaren Jackson Jr. being back in the lineup for Memphis. In all the time they have shared the floor together since Jackson returned, Valanciunas has amassed 1.4 DKFP per minute, opposed to 1.3 DKFP per minute with the power forward off the court. All things considered, Big Val should post a huge double-double tonight, and I believe he brings the best ceiling in this play-in matchup.
Dejounte Murray ($12,300, CP)
With the Spurs’ season on the line tonight, Murray should handle huge minutes against the Grizzlies. As an efficient fantasy asset, the point guard has generated 40.3 DKFP per game when he has logged over 35 minutes this season. For the month of May, the Spurs and Grizzlies both rank inside the top-five in pace. Murray thrives in up-tempo environments, and he should flirt with a triple-double and score a minimum of 40 DKFP in this must-win.
This is a very friendly price for Murray’s upside and rostering him at captain opens up a ton of possibilities for the rest of your lineup.
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HAMMER THE OVER
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UTIL Plays
DeMar DeRozan ($9,000)
As the Spurs’ leader, DeRozan shouldn’t disappoint in this pivotal matchup. Currently on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Grizzlies are only four-point favorites tonight. When the spread has been under five points this year, DeRozan has amassed 41.4 DKFP per game.
Plus, no defense in the NBA has surrendered more DKFP to opposing small forwards than Memphis this season. Ignore his up and down game log and attack DeRozan with full confidence this evening.
Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,800)
Sunday against the Warriors was essentially a playoff game for the Grizzlies. The winner of that West matchup walked away as the eight seed in the West, and in the important tilt, we saw Jackson get all the way up to a season-high 31 minutes. This translated into 35.75 DKFP for the excellent two-way forward, and we have to expect Jackson to surpass the 30-minute threshold Wednesday in this do or die situation.
The 21-year-old is collecting 1.23 DKFP per minute this season and the Spurs have yielded the 4th most points in the paint per game over their last 10. Jackson’s salary is very low relative to his upside with a full workload, and he is building block for this single-game format.
Patty Mills ($2,600)
Spending the past 10 years in San Antonio, Mills is the longest tenured player on this Spurs roster and his championship experience should show in this game-seven like atmosphere. The veteran has topped 20 DKFP in four of the Spurs’ past eight contests that have been decided by single digits, is averaging 19.3 DKFP per game in three matchups against Memphis this season.
Anything over 10 DKFP would be a win at this cheap price tag, and utilizing Mills allows you to stack any combination of the studs in this game.
Fades
Jakob Poeltl ($6,200)
Poeltl has really struggled when facing the Grizzlies this season, only providing 21.9 DKFP per game in three meetings against the club. Furthermore, after being a weak interior defense all season long, Memphis has dramatically improved with Jackson back in the fold. Across the Grizzlies’ last 10, they have given up the 7th least DKFP per game to opposing centers.
While his recent production is enticing, I think we see Poeltl get absolutely dominated by Valanciunas tonight and finish as one of the worst fantasy values on the slate.
The Outcome
Gregg Popovich should have a few tricks up his sleeve and the Spurs should keep this game competitive, but I think the Grizzlies pull this one out on their home floor. Memphis is all of a sudden a very deep team with Jackson back, and I think the forward’s presence certainly gives them an edge on the defensive end.
The Grizzlies won the regular season series over the Spurs 2-1, defeating San Antonio by an average of 23 points in their two wins. Jackson wasn’t available for either of these victories, and while I am certainly not expecting a blowout Wednesday night, Memphis should cover their four-point spread on DraftKings Sportsbook and move onto to the postseason.
Final Score: Grizzlies 112, Spurs 103
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