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There are two games for Sunday’s main DraftKings NBA slate, which starts at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Atlanta Hawks travel to take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game of their second-round series while the Dallas Mavericks travel to face the Los Angeles Clippers for a Game 7. Yippee! DraftKings Sportsbook has Philadelphia favored by three points with the O/U at 220.5, while the Clippers are favored by six points with the O/U at 210.
Let’s break down some of the top studs and values at each position to help you build your DraftKings lineups.
Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers, $11,100 – Doncic has averaged 39.4 minutes and 27.7 field goal attempts per game this series. The usage rate has been 35%, 48%, 46%, 38%, 44% and 32%. He’s a threat to triple-double on any given night and, with this being a Game 7, he will likely play over 40 minutes and garner a usage rate in the 40% range as well. He’s gone for at least 60 DKFP in five of the six games with two over 70. The road team has won every game this series and, if that trend is to continue, Doncic is going to have a monster game.
Other Options – Trae Young ($9,200)
Value
Reggie Jackson, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Reggie Jackson, $5,400 – Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to write that Jackson has been a beacon of consistency, but here we are. He’s scored at least 25 DKFP in the last five games and went for 43.75 DKFP in Game 6. He’s attempted at least 12 shots and converted at least 40% in each of the last five games, with two games at 50% or higher. Jackson only played 21 minutes in the first game and shot 1-for-6 from the field. The Mavericks have boosted the FPPM to point guards by 7.31% above league average all year. The glass slipper can fall off at any minute but ride the wave while it’s there.
Other Options – George Hill ($3,500)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Paul George, Los Angele Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks, $9,000 – George is averaging 40.2 minutes and 17.3 shots per game in this series. The usage rate has been at least 25% in every game. He’s gone for at least 50 DKFP in three games while he’s put up two sub-40 DKFP games. The opportunities will always be there for George. It’s just a matter of if Paul George or Pandemic George shows up.
Other Options – Tim Hardaway ($6,400)
Value
Seth Curry, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks, $5,100 – Curry averaged 28.3 minutes and 11.8 field goal attempts in the series against the Wizards. In two regular-season meetings with the Hawks, he played 26 and 24 minutes, contributing 26.75 and 19.5 DKFP. The 76ers won those games by 44 and 22 points so he didn’t get a full allotment of minutes. Now, Joel Embiid ($9,400) is questionable for this game and the spread is only three points so Curry could be in store for closer to 30 minutes. If Embiid is unable to go, then the usage rate will go up, as he saw a 2.5% increase during the regular season. The Hawks were the most generous to shooting guards during the regular season, as they boosted the FPPM by 28.81% above the league average.
Other Options – Reggie Jackson ($5,400)
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Small Forward
Stud
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks, $9,900 – In the first four games of the series, the Kawhibot produced at least 55 DKFP in each game. Then he got infected with malware in Game 5 and only produced 37.75 DKFP as he shot only 7-for-19 from the field. The software was upgraded and the cache was cleaned out before Game 6 and he went bonkers for 61.5 DKFP, shooting a robust 18-for-25 from the field. The usage rate had been in the 28% to 30% range in the first five games, but it shot up to 34% in Game 6. I expect a similar workload in Game 7 and, as long as malware hasn’t infected the operating system again, Kawhi should have another huge game.
Other Options – Luka Doncic ($11,100), Tobias Harris ($8,500)
Value
Nicolas Batum, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks, $4,800 – Since Tyrone Lue decided to play more small ball, Batum has received 36, 33 and 37 minutes of run, contributing 28.25, 23.75 and 20.75 DKFP in the process. He’s a low usage player and has not attempted more than eight shots in any game, but he contributes a little something in every category. He’s a high floor/low ceiling player but minutes are half the battle and he’s getting plenty of those. Yo, Joe!
Other Options – Danny Green ($4,700)
Power Forward
Stud
Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks, $8,500 – The top of the power forward pool is gross so I’ll settle on Harris. He was great in the Wizards series, putting up at least 45 DKFP in four of the five games with two above 50. That said, the Wizards are not a particularly good defensive team, at least compared to the Hawks. Atlanta was tough against power forwards all season long, negating the FPPM by 11.64 percent below the league average. In two regular-season games against Atlanta, Harris went for 37.25 and 24.25 DKFP. Those games were blowouts, though, and he only played 26 and 24 minutes, respectively. In games that Embiid did not play, Harris saw a 4.5% usage bump increase.
Value
Marcus Morris, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks, $4,900 – Since going small, Morris has played 42 minutes in each of the last two games and attempted 10 and 13 shots. He put up 37.25 and 11.25 DKFP in those contests. He shot 1-for-10 in the 11.25-DKFP game but the opportunities were there. He just had a bad shooting night. Forty-two minutes are 42 minutes and I don’t see why he wouldn’t see a similar workload today since he provides valuable spacing for Kawhi and George.
Other Options – Nicolas Batum ($4,800)
Center
Stud
Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers, $7,700 – It’s highly unlikely that Joel Embiid ($9,400) plays as he hasn’t even made it through a complete practice yet. Even if he plays, he won’t be 100% and there’s a chance he reinjures himself. As a result, I’ll go with the safety of Capela. In the series with the Knicks, he averaged 33.9 minutes, 10 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He was fifth in double-doubles and averaged 1.27 DKFP per minute during the regular season.
Value
Boban Marjanovic, Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers, $3,700 – Boban has started the last two games and produced 24.25 and 17.25 DKFP in 17 and 20 minutes, respectively. We definitely mess with the Boban when he plays because he averages 1.24 DKFP per minute. If he doesn’t start, then pivot but I’m assuming he continues to start and play around 20 minutes. If so, he should have no problem paying off his salary expectation.
Other Options – Dwight Howard ($4,500)
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