Daily Fantasy Basketball doesn’t take days off. The NBA doesn’t waste a day. There’s always NBA Playoffs action and there’s always a DFS slate at DraftKings. The Dallas Mavericks host the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 6 on Saturday night. Let’s highlight some players to consider for your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (OKC vs DAL)
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks
Captain’s Picks
Luka Doncic ($20,100 CP) — It’s hard to make him fit. That’s good. If it’s easy, then that lineup gets duped. There’s just one game. The options and builds are limited. The goal is to separate from the field with picks and points. At the end of the day, DFS is a game of stats. No one stuff stats like Doncic. His playoff performances don’t compare to his regular season outputs, but that’s not expected from anyone in matchup driven games. In comparison to other superstars in the playoffs, Doncic’s numbers are elite. He is coming off his best playoff performance in Game 5 (67.5 DKFP). It’s not a coincidence that the Mavs won that game. There’s a strong possibility that Doncic replicates that performance or exceeds it and closes out the series at home on Saturday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($18,900 CP) — After a shaky game to begin the post season, SGA has rattled off a string of excellent performances. He’s scored over 46 DKFP in eight consecutive games. That may not seem like a lot for SGA, but this is the playoffs. Expectations must be tempered and standards lowered. This is real basketball. It’s not run-and-gun and have fun regular season action. On this run, he’s eclipsed the 50-point mark six times and the 60 mark twice. The Thunder’s back is against the wall. They’re on the road and they need a win. Their leader must step up.
FLEX Plays
PJ Washington ($8,200) — It’s hard to make him fit with an expensive Captain’s Pick. If he fits, then that should be a unique lineup. Roster construction aside, the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs have been a coming out party for Washington. Months ago, Washington was wasting away as the Hornets lost night after night. He got traded to the Mavs and immediately took on a large role. Washington has improved the Dallas defense and rebounding, but his shooting has been the biggest difference in the playoffs. He always chucked threes, but he’s making them in the playoffs. His 3-point upside makes him a key target on Saturday’s DraftKings Showdown Slate.
Dereck Lively II ($5,400) — Daniel Gafford ($6,600) is still splitting minutes with Lively despite Lively producing better results. The only result that matters for Jason Kidd are wins. The Mavs are winning, so the rotation won’t change. At Lively’s salary, his 25 minutes or so are enough. He’s scored 23, 25.5 and 29 DKFP in the last three games. Lively benefits from coming off of the bench. His matchups are often less difficult than Gafford’s starting-lineup matchup.
Cason Wallace ($2,800) — Savings are in short supply because minutes are in short supply. No one is coming of the bench because the starters aren’t coming off of the court. That’s not going to change in a decisive Game 6 matchup in Dallas. Wallace is getting work. The 10th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft logged a career-high in minutes in Game 6 (27 minutes). It was also his worst playoff game (3.5 DKFP). Sometimes the shots don’t fall, but it’s encouraging that he took them. Wallace has been the wildcard in this series. It’s a not a surprise that the Thunder lost Game 6 when Wallace was laying bricks. The stars of the series will likely neutralize each other. The separation occurs through the supporting cast. Wallace may not be able to push the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals, but an average game could push DFS lineups above the payout line.
Fade
Kyrie Irving ($9,800) — This fade is more than just a glance at the stats. Irving has scored 23.25 and 23 DKFP in the last two games. The more significant numbers are his usage rates — 13.6% and 15.4%. Irving is playing more on-ball offense, and Doncic is playing off-ball. Irving is initiating and the opportunities are going to Doncic. For the most part, it’s working. Irving doesn’t project to be an optimal DFS pick on Saturday’s Showdown Slate on DraftKings.
The Outcome
The Thunder need to limit Doncic and hope a secondary option does not get hot. The latter is likely. The former is not impossible. The Thunder don’t need Doncic to disappear. They just need to challenge his shots and take away a few points. It’s going to come down to the final minutes. The outcome is going to rest on SGA’s shoulders — his shots. SGA sends the series back to OKC on Saturday night.
Final score: Thunder 103, Mavericks 99
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (OKC vs DAL)
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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.
