Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Bucks vs. Nets Showdown on June 5

The microwave is going to busy tonight because it’s going to be a six-bag popcorn night. The Bucks and Nets are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Eastern Conference and the amount of star power in this series is immense. The Bucks won the season series, 2-1, with the totals in those games finishing at 242, 231 and 248. It must be noted that the Nets’ Big 3 did not play together in any of those matchups. In addition, Jeff Green was an important piece for Brooklyn and he is unavailable. The Bucks were second in offensive pace during the regular season while the Nets were 11th. The Bucks were 10th in defensive efficiency while the Nets were 19th, but what the Bucks allow on defense is what the Nets do best. The Nets attempted 36 3-pointers per game and converted at a 39.4% clip, second-best in the league. The Nets allowed 38.4 3-pointers per game and a 38.2% conversion rate, both third-highest in the NBA. The Bucks were 20-16 on the road during the regular season while the Nets were 28-8 at home. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Nets favored by four points with the O/U at 239.5.

Captain’s Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($17,700 CP) - The Nets do not have an answer for Giannis. In the three regular-season games, he went for 65.5, 74.5 and 60 DKFP. The usage rate was 30%, 47% and 42%! He’s a threat to triple-double on any given night and he is the alpha and the omega of this Bucks team. He averaged a whopping 1.64 DKFP per minute during the regular season. Even if the Nets wall off the paint and force the ball out of his hands, he’s going to rack up assists, grab rebounds and accumulate defensive stats. In addition, the Nets like to get up and down the floor so Giannis will have plenty of opportunities to get busy in transition. The floor/ceiling combo is one of the highest in this game.

James Harden ($18,000 CP) - You could choose any of the Big 3 for the Nets and it would be a fine choice, especially since the other two are priced lower than Harden and any of them can go off on any given night. The floor/ceiling combo is just too much for me to ignore with Harden, though. Despite not garnering a usage rate over 30% or attempting 20 shots in any of the games in the Celtics series, Harden still put up 75.5, 63.75 and 70.75 DKFP in the last three games. Imagine if the usage rate does uptick or he takes more shots? I shudder at the thought. He’s a threat to triple-double in any game and the lower shot attempts have been offset by robust assist numbers. Sneakily, he’s also contributed blocks and steals as well.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $450K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (MIL vs BKN)

UTIL Plays

Bruce Brown ($4,400) - Brown is a low-usage player who makes his hay on the glass. That said, he has been getting plenty of cheapies in the paint as teams focus on the Big 3. Brown has been a valuable member of the Nets since Jeff Green went down because of his versatility on defense. He can guard multiple positions so that when they slide Kevin Durant down to center, he can defend any of the other positions and switch with anyone. He played 24 minutes in each of the last two games and put up 27.75 and 26.25 DKFP. Green is out again today, so low-to-mid 20 minutes should be in the cards again.

Bryn Forbes ($5,600) - Forbes is money, right? I’ll be here every Saturday. After Donte DiVincenzo went down with an injury, Forbes started the second half and ended up playing 25 minutes and contributing 28 DKFP. The usage rate was a robust 25% and he attempted 15 shots. He may or may not start but he’s going to be an integral part of the rotation regardless. Even when DiVincenzo was healthy, he played 20 minutes in the two prior games and attempted eight and 12 shots. He went for 30.25 DKFP in one of those games. With the Nets likely to focus their attention on Giannis, Forbes should get plenty of open looks from downtown. He shot 45% from behind the arc during the regular season.

Pat Connaughton ($3,600) - With DiVincenzo out, Connaughton will likely start as he did in the final game of the Bucks’ first-round series vs. the Heat. We need value and he looks like the most viable option in the lower rungs of the price ladder. During the season, he averaged only 0.75 DKFP per minute but he’s played 22, 18 and 19 minutes in the last three games. There’s a chance he sees a small uptick in playing time and he’s gone for at least 20 DKFP in two of the last five games. Is he an exciting option? Definitely not, but he may be the one to unlock the enticing options up top.

Fades

Kyrie Irving ($14,700 CP; $9,800) - I actually don’t want to fade anyone in this game, but I’m contractually obligated to choose someone so Kyrie it is. Sorry, Kyrie, it’s nothing personal. I just think that Harden and Durant are going to be the main cogs in this one with Kyrie playing third fiddle. He’s going to get his, but a ceiling game from him seems unlikely.

THE OUTCOME

For full transparency, I’ve been absolutely horrible at predicting outcomes, so you may want to go Costanza on me. If that doesn’t work, then Costanza the Costanza.

I’m a Game of Death proponent when it comes to the NBA playoffs, in that a team must fight the boss at each level before encountering Kareem. While the Nets are an amazing team with a ton of superstars, this is their first iteration together. The Bucks have gone through the trials and tribulations over the last few years and are hungry and ready for the next level. The Bucks were mighty impressive in sweeping the Heat in the first round and I think they punch the Nets in the mouth and take Game 1 of the series.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $450K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (MIL vs BKN)

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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.

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