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Well, here we are. Game 7. It’s going to be a thrilling battle between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers to see who makes the Western Conference semifinals, but after the last couple of games, there’s a clear favorite. With so many stars to choose from in an exciting game, it should be a great contest to play.
Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups.
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Captain
Luka Doncic ($18,600 CP)
Look, there might not be a better option in this entire game than Luka. His usage should be unquestioned, and even though he had a bizarre 32.2% usage rating in Game 6, he managed to post 64.5 DKFP anyway. The shots should be going up all night long, and as long as the Clippers have Reggie Jackson ($11,400 CP; $7,600) on Doncic, he should excel at scoring the basketball. If you’re going to pay up, you might as well get one of the fantasy stars of the season.
Kawhi Leonard ($17,400 CP)
From one of the fantasy stars of the season to one of the fantasy stars of the postseason. Look, you can save money at the captain’s spot if you want to get both of these guys in your lineup — maybe I’d get crazy and take Nic Batum ($9,000 CP) — but you really shouldn’t overthink it. There’s little doubt in my mind that Kawhi will be the top fantasy performer in this game, coming off a game where he took more shots than he has in two postseasons and matched a playoff career-high with 45 points. The Clippers are going to need him to score, and I expect him to take a boatload of shots. He’s consistently given you a great return on investment in this series, so why fade him now with the stakes so high?
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (DAL vs LAC)
Fades
Kristaps Porzingis ($8,800)
Yeah, no thank you. Porzingis hasn’t had a great game in this series since Game 2 when he and all the rest of the Mavericks couldn’t miss from behind the arc. The rest of this series has been a clunker. He hasn’t done much of anything in the rebounding category, and his scoring output couldn’t be lower. The Mavericks aren’t utilizing him at all on that end, so why roster him?
Value UTIL Options
Reggie Jackson ($7,600)
There’s probably no better option in this game than Jackson, who has taken command of the starting point guard role with great pomp and circumstance. He’s coming off a 25-point game and has taken around 15 shots per game over the past two. This is a guy that never needs to be asked twice to shoot the basketball, and those are the type of guys I love playing in DFS. Jackson should continue to get shots up and play upwards of 30 minutes, and with his scoring prowess, good things should happen.
Marcus Morris Sr. ($6,400)
Good things have to happen here, right? Morris has played 42 minutes in each of the last two games, but only has one decent outing to show for it. Without Serge Ibaka, the Clippers should keep using Morris in small-ball lineups, and he’s bound to shoot better than the 1-for-12 he posted in Game 6. I expect ownership to be low enough to make this a great buy-low spot and 35 DKFP are easily attainable.
The Outcome
The Mavericks’ offense has gone missing over the past three games after it came out and hit 50% of its shots from three. The fact is, this team was never good at shooting 3-pointers, ranking in the bottom third of the NBA all season long, and I never expected that to be a reliable part of its offense. Dallas should continue to struggle to find ways to score that aren’t Luka Doncic-related and lose by a bundle on the road.
Final Score: Clippers 112, Mavericks 98
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (DAL vs LAC)
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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.