We have game three of the Western conference finals tonight as the L.A. Clippers host the Pheonix Suns. Pheonix is up 2-0 in the series, so the Clippers are going to start feeling desperate here. The big news for tonight is that Chris Paul is expected to return tonight after contrasting COVID-19. The Suns are in fantastic shape with Paul coming back, but for DFS it does diminish the value of the other Phoenix guys. In consequence, we are more focused on the Clippers for tonight as they have more value with Leonard remaining out. The challenge for this slate will be finding value, as we have a few fantastic stars without an easy path to paying up for them.
Here’s a showdown core For DFS Basketball 6/24/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Captain | P. George | $18,600 | |
| Utility | |||
| Utility | R. Rondo | $2,800 | |
| Utility | |||
| Utility | D. Booker | $10,800 | |
| Utility |
As we mentioned in the introduction, we have a lot more value on the Clippers then the Suns tonight with Paul coming back. For our captain spot tonight, we are looking to Paul George as he is playing without any star quality help. The Clippers are in a two-game hole here and tonight is an absolute must win. We expect to see George play for close to the entire game and take a ton of usage trying to make this happen. George has been great since Leonard got hurt and we have seen a huge opportunity for him every game. George should play the biggest role of anyone on either side tonight, and his upside is the highest. George is an expensive captain at $18,600 but considering the teammates he is playing with we are still prioritizing him.
Typically, a play as risky as Rajon Rondo is not featured in our core lineup, however there is no way to get around taking risks for value tonight. We want to play George alongside at least one of the Pheonix stars, so we need some guys that clear up salary. Rondo is only $2,800 here and we have seen him play an increased role with Leonard out of the lineup. Rondo has played 22 and 17 minutes in the last two games, scoring 25.25 and 18.75 FPTS, respectively. We do not need much from Rondo at all given the price, as he allows us to pay up for our stars. If Rondo can play around 20 minutes again tonight, he should be a strong value play due to the lack of options.
Devin Booker has been our target for captain the past two slates, but we prefer going to George today with Paul returning to the lineup. However, we still really like including Booker in our lineup tonight. Booker is the number one option for the Suns, and we have seen him have some massive games playing alongside Paul. With that said it is likely Paul is not able to play a full minutes load quite yet and we still see Booker carrying the offence. Regardless, Booker should get up a ton of shots tonight and he has some of the best upside on the slate. Booker disappointed everyone last game with only 29.5 FPTS as he was held to five of sixteen from the field. We have no doubt that shooting is an outlier for Booker, so the bad game may just be a chance to get him a little lower owned.
Here’s a showdown core For DFS Basketball 6/24/21 (using FanDuel Values)
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• A few of our favorite studs and value options for the night
• Some general strategy for the night
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Chris Paul – ($9,400 DK) Paul has missed both games this series as he had COVID-19. It is likely that he does not play too many minutes tonight, as he has not played in over a week. However, we are getting Paul for a lot cheaper then the other two stars tonight and his upside is similar. Paul absolutely dominated the Nuggets, scoring 49, 50.25, 52.5 and 54.25 FPTS, respectively. We like trying to fit Paul alongside George and Booker, as those three have much more upside than anyone else on the slate.
Deandre Ayton – ($9,000 DK) Ayton is a nice cheaper stud option who we know can have a massive game. Ayton went for 48 FPTS last time in 35 minutes. If he has one of his big games he will be a pivot you want to make. However, he is a lot less consistent than the other stars we have talked about.
Reggie Jackson – ($7,800 DK) Jackson is kind of in a weird price range here as we are typically looking at more stars scrubs style plays. However, Jackson has been playing a massive role in Leonard’s absence and we have seen some big games from him. Jackson has scored 33.5, 54.25, 39 and 36.25 FPTS respectively in the past four games. He has played 37 or more minutes in each of those outings, and we expect him to see similar run tonight. Jackson is doing a lot for the Clippers right now, so we really like fitting him in if we can.
Luke Kennard – ($2,000 DK) Kennard is a risky play, but we like getting to him here due to his price tag. Kennard played 19 minutes last game and scored 16.5 FPTS. If he is going to see that kind of floor time we really like him for value. However, we have seen Kennard play less then ten minutes in some games.
General strategy
If you are playing Cash games tonight, we recommend using George for captain as that is likely where the ownership will be. However, for tournaments we do not mind getting different with our Captain. We can save a ton of salary by going to someone cheaper, and we will have a big path to winning if George has an off game. Jackson, Ayton, and Paul are solid cheaper captain options tonight, as they allow us to play a few stars without taking as risky value plays.
Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.
