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The NBA is offering up a four-game slate on Saturday, including Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards. The 76ers have jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but the series heads back to Washington for the next two games. The 76ers are still fully expected to take care of business in Washington, but Saturday’s game is the Wizards’ best chance to get back in the series.
The 76ers are currently listed as 6.5-point favorites in this matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, and 70% of the spread bets have landed on Philly.
DraftKings is offering up a featured showdown for this contest, so let’s break down some of the top options to consider for your lineups.
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Captain’s Picks
Ben Simmons ($14,400) – This matchup features plenty of star power, but Simmons stands out as my clear top target. He’s significantly cheaper than guys like Russell Westbrook ($20,400 CP) and Joel Embiid ($18,300 CP), but he has absolutely crushed against the Wizards this season. He’s scored at least 45.75 DKFP in all four contests, including at least 50.25 DKFP in both playoff matchups.
Overall, he provides the best combination of affordability and upside at the captain slot on today’s slate.
Alex Len ($3,300) – If you don’t want to pay up for someone like Simmons, you could consider going with Len as a punt. He’s not expected to see a ton of playing time, but he has averaged 1.04 DKFP per minute over the past month.
More importantly, going with Len is going to allow you to load up on studs. You can pair Len with Embiid, Westbrook and Simmons and still have an average of $5,650 left for your final two roster spots. That’s pretty appealing on a slate with lots of high-priced options.
Set your DraftKings lineup here: NBA Showdown $35K Pull Up Jumper [$10K to 1st] (PHI vs WAS)
UTIL Plays
Russell Westbrook ($13,600) – Westbrook’s salary is pretty eye-popping, especially since he hasn’t exactly played well so far in this series. He’s also questionable heading into this contest, and while I think there’s zero chance he actually sits, it does mean he could be operating at less than 100%.
Still, Westbrook has been an absolute fantasy monster this season. He’s averaged 1.57 DKFP per minute, and he increased his production down the stretch. He’s also one of the biggest “competitors” in basketball, so I expect him to bring his A-game in a must-win contest.
Tobias Harris ($9,000) – Like Simmons, Harris is another player who is underpriced on Saturday. He dominated in Game 1 vs. the Wizards, finishing with 51.5 DKFP over 37 minutes, and he followed that up with another impressive performance in Game 2. He racked up just 33.75 DKFP in that contest, but he did it in just 23.3 minutes. Overall, he’s averaged approximately 1.44 DKFP per minute to start this series.
Seth Curry ($5,400) & Danny Green ($5,000) – You’re going to need to find some cheaper options to pair with all these studs, and the 76ers’ perimeter shooters are definitely worth consideration. Curry is slightly more expensive, but he’s been the better player on a per-minute basis over the past month. If either of these players gets hot from behind the arc, they’re going to provide excellent value.
Fades
Bradley Beal ($11,200) – No disrespect to Beal, but his salary seems crazy on this slate. He’s only slightly cheaper than guys like Westbrook and Embiid, and he’s significantly more expensive than Simmons and Harris. I also think it makes sense to choose between Westbrook and Beal on today’s slate, and Westbrook is my clear target of that duo. Both players are negatively correlated, so when one of them finds success, the other tends to struggle.
THE OUTCOME
I think this is going to be the most competitive game of the series. I’m not sure if the Wizards can actually win this contest, but I expect them to keep it competitive.
That’s going to be a good thing for the fantasy prospects of all the studs. We should see some huge games, and I think this slate ends up extremely high scoring. The winning lineup will ultimately have a high-priced Captain, two other studs, Len and possibly one more wild card to round things out. Finding the correct low-owned values is going to be the key to victory, as it is on most Showdown slates during the playoffs.
Final Score: 76ers 124, Wizards 123
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Set your DraftKings lineup here: NBA Showdown $35K Pull Up Jumper [$10K to 1st] (PHI vs WAS)
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