NBA DFS Core for June 20 2021

We have a tale of two series tonight. The Pheonix Suns host the Los Angeles Clippers for game one of the western conference finals, and later the Atlanta Hawks had to Philadelphia for the game seven of there back and forth series. We have a lot to break down for today, as the first game of the series is always toughest to predict. The main injury news we have to work with is the absence of Chris Paul which opens up a lot of opportunity on Pheonix. We have a few absolute priorities from Suns tonight, whom we will cover in our core lineup. We are still high on the Clippers here, but some guys have been priced up significantly so we must tread carefully.

Our favorite play on DraftKings tonight is Cameron Payne. Payne is only $4,000 here and he typically see’s the minutes when Paul cannot be on the floor. We expect Payne to start tonight but he should be in for a ton of run regardless. We saw Paul playing under 30 minutes often due to injury against the Lakers in the first round, Payne consistently thrived in those opportunities. He scored over 25 FPTS four games in a row when Paul was dealing with injuries in round one, and Paul was still playing around 25 minutes those games. Payne should be in for around 30 minutes tonight, which makes him a no brainer at this price.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 6/20/21 (using DraftKings Values)

After Payne, our second favorite play tonight would probably have to be the other Suns guard in Devin Booker. Booker has been balling this playoffs and showing some great upside, so it is quite warranted that he has been priced up to $8,900. With Paul out tonight, Booker is a priority for us as we expect him to take on some ridiculous usage. The Suns really lack offensive creators outside of there star guards, so Booker should be trying to do everything tonight. 

We really want to find the salary to pay up for Joel Embiid tonight, as we expect him to see a lot of floor time in tonight’s game seven. Embiid has been good this series and has showed upside north of 70 FPTS. He has the best upside on this slate as he is the only bona fide superstar. Embiid has played 39 and 38 minutes respectively in the past two games, and we expect him to play around 40 minutes tonight. Embiid averaged over 50 FPTS per game this season, the next highest of the healthy guys tonight was only 44. 

We still really like getting to the Clippers tonight, as a few guys have seen a massive role without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Reggie Jackson was phenomenal last time out, as we expected him to see a huge role. Jackson is one of the only guys left on the Clippers who can create offence, which is what led to his 54.3 FPTS in the last one. Jackson played over 37 minutes last time out, and we expect him to see a lot of time on the floor again tonight.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 6/20/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Point Guard

Trae Young – PG (10,100 DK) Young is expensive here, but the price tag is well deserved. He has been on an absolute tear lately, scoring 61, 56.75 and 66.25 FPTS respectively in his past three games. Young has also played 40 minutes in each of the past three, and we expect him to play even more then that with elimination on the line tonight. Young has some of the best upside you can get tonight and looks great if you can get him alongside Embiid.

Patrick Beverly – PG (3,900 DK) Beverly has a low floor tonight as we can never be sure how many minutes he is going to play. With that said, Beverly saw 27 minutes last game and scored 32.5 FPTS. We do not have a ton of value options tonight, so Beverly is a solid dart throw. If he ends up playing more minutes this series then the last, he could be a strong value at this price. 

Shooting Guard 

Paul George – (10,300 DK) We still like paying up for George, as he has shown a massive role for the Clippers without Leonard. However, he has gotten even more expensive, and we would prefer to play Embiid for game seven. Regardless, we saw Geroge go for over 70 FPTS a few games ago, and that is the upside he has with Leonard off the floor.

Seth Curry – (5,800 DK) Curry has gotten to a slightly uncomfortable price here, as he is no longer a value play. However, he has some fantastic upside and is clearly playing a huge role for the Sixers. Curry is one of the most important Sixers right now, as he brings the lions share of there shooting. He has been one of there top scorers lately, and we have seen him go for over 50 FPTS. He should play a ton of minutes in game seven tonight and there will be room for another big game.

Small Forward 

Marcus Morris – (5,500 DK) It was somewhat surprising that Morris did not play more then 29 minutes last game, but we still want to roster him with Leonard out. We do not have a lot of forwards available here, so we are extremely high on the Clippers guys in Morris and Batum. Morris went for over 35 FPTS in two of his last three games, and the upside for a big game is there tonight.

Nicolas Batum – (5,700 DK) Batum has been priced up significantly here, but we still like him as he is a lock to see a lot of floor time. Batum went for 39.3 FPTS in 39.5 minutes last time out, and he has scored over 30 FPTS in three of his last four games. He has been showing a high floor lately which is what we are looking for from are forward options tonight, which are generally weak.  

Power Forward 

John Collins – (6,400 DK) Collins does not look as strong as he did a few slates ago, but we do like him here as we really lack options at this position. Collins has been playing over 35 minutes every night recently, so we expect him to play around 40 minutes tonight. He is yet to show his upside this series, but we have seen him easily go for 40 FPTS. 

Center

Clint Capela – (6,900 DK) Embiid is our only priority for center tonight, but we have some interest in Capela at this price. Capela has not showed a big outing this series, which is not surprising given the matchup with Embiid. However, he should play a ton of minutes tonight, so there is upside.

General strategy 

We want to talk about how to manage all the stars tonight, as we have three guys past $10,00 who look rather good. For cash tonight, we really want to get to Embiid and Booker. However, we want exposure to all the studs we talked about for tournaments. Getting to more midrange guys like Capela could be a nice way of getting different on a very top-heavy slate.

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.