After the news of Kawhi Leonard’s knee injury stunned the basketball world on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers will try to pick up the pieces in a pivotal Game 5 against the Utah Jazz. With injuries on both sides, this should give us plenty of opportunities to find value on the DraftKings slate, making it a fun challenge.
Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups.
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Captain
Paul George ($15,600 CP)
George is my pick to lead the Showdown slate. He’s been arguably the most consistent performer in this whole series, managing to produce in all categories even when his jumper isn’t working. Over the past two games, though, he’s hit 10 of 20 threes and filled it up in the scoring column with a pair of 31-point outings, and even dating back to Game 2 he’s been a menace for Ty Lue. George helped lead the Clippers back in that game, shouldering the load in most of the big minutes in the second half with Kawhi on the bench in foul trouble. Obviously, he’ll be going against the first unit, but George has proven to be up to the task of carrying LA. He can do it again here, and he’ll absolutely be asked to.
Nicolas Batum ($8,400 CP)
If you want a less-trendy pick, can I interest you in Nic Batum? The Clippers have ramped up his minutes and usage in the last two games, and without Kawhi, he should see even more than the 32+ minutes and 8+ shots per game he’s seeing. Dating back to his days with the Blazers, we know Batum is a fantastic shooter and gives you length on the defensive end, so you’d be hard-pressed to find a better replacement for Leonard on the roster. I expect a big game.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (LAC vs. UTA)
Fades
Jordan Clarkson ($8,000)
Sorry, this is still too much money for me to pay for a guy who’s been abysmal shooting the basketball all series long, even if Mike Conley remains out. Clarkson has gotten progressively worse over the past two games, going from 30.25 DKFP to 25.75 DKFP all the way to 16.75 DKFP with just an eight-point outing in Game 4. Clarkson’s not even seeing monster minutes to begin with, so it’s unlikely you feel guilty for not taking him.
Value UTIL Options
Marcus Morris Sr. ($5,200)
Put bluntly, this is a bargain. Morris was priced before Leonard was ruled out, and even then, I’d still have given him a look off of the game he had. The wing has seen 33 or more minutes in three of the four games in this series, and has put up 22 threes. It was only in Game 4 when they started falling; his bad shooting has masked the huge role he has in this offense. Look past the 18.25 DKFP and 12 DKFP nights and dream about how many points he could score here without Leonard in the lineup.
Patrick Beverley ($2,000)
I hate to recommend all Clippers, but that’s where the value is on this slate. Beverley has no business being $2,000 with the role he’s carved out over the past three games, seeing 19 minutes on average. He’s mainly in there for his defense, but he’s managed to tack up some counting stats in those departments and always remains a threat to score 10 points. The thing here is that you’re looking for so little at a price this low. It seems likely Beverley gets you 12 DKFP on a night where there is more usage to go around, and with that you’ll definitely pay $2,000 for him.
The Outcome
The Clippers are down bad, but I don’t necessarily think they’re worthy of being underdogs of this magnitude. George is more than capable of giving LA a puncher’s chance in this one, and the depth of this team should be on full display here in Utah. I still think the Jazz pull out the victory, but with the health of Donovan Mitchell also a question here, I think this game could be unpredictable.
Final Score: Utah 104, Los Angeles 98
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (LAC vs. UTA)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.