The NBA is down to four; only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, and New York Knicks stand a chance at claiming basketball supremacy this season. Excepting the Thunder, it wasn’t a final four that most basketball fans would’ve predicted, and as the conference finals tip off tonight with Game 1 between Oklahoma City and Minnesota, we’ll see what twists and turns the playoffs hold from here.
Here are two budget options from tonight’s game so you can fit either Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($12,000) or Anthony Edwards ($11,600) into your Showdown lineup.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $500K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (MIN @ OKC).
PG Mike Conley, Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder, $5,400
Conley closed out the conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors in dramatic fashion, scoring 11 points and dishing out five assists (23.25 FPTS) in Game 4 before one-upping himself the following game with a 16-point, six-rebound, eight-assist (38.5-FPT) masterpiece two nights later. His minutes increased to nearly 30 per game in each of the final three games of the semifinals as backup Donte DiVincenzo ($6,000)‘s shot has failed him. Despite an efficient performance in Game 5, DiVincenzo has shot just 33.3% from the field and 25.0% from deep so far these playoffs and has scored double-digit points just twice.
There are several reasons to believe that Conley will continue to play a big role for the team moving forward. First, he provides veteran guile against a team that is still young and inexperienced, even with all the talent on its roster. His defense against Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski during the semifinals was strong, and he also guarded Cason Wallace ($3,200) fairly effectively during the regular season while also performing capably against him and against Gilgeous-Alexander on the other end. Also, the Thunder are exploitable on the boards — during the regular season, they allowed the 11th-most rebounds per game — and love to slash, which means that putting Rudy Gobert ($7,000) out there is a must. Conley’s minutes are largely tied to his former Utah Jazz teammate’s.
PG/SG Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, $4,800
Caruso was one of Oklahoma City’s most important players in each of the final four games of the conference semifinals, scoring 10 or more points in each one while making eight of his 19 (42.1%) three-point attempts. He also recorded two or more steals in each of the final two games and 20 or more FPTS in each of the final three. Unlike his teammate, Luguentz Dort ($4,000), Caruso is a somewhat more versatile and consistent offensive player, making him a slightly more reliable fantasy asset. Both players’ contributions will be essential this series, but given that Caruso’s combination of on-ball defense, shooting, and big-game experience, I lean towards him.
During the regular season, the Timberwolves didn’t have much of an answer for the Bald Eagle. They guarded him mostly with Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($2,800), against whom he shot three-for-four from the field and two-for-three from downtown, scoring eight points and dishing out three assists in just 22.8 possessions. That’s not quite as true of Dort, who didn’t even attempt a single shot when guarded by Edwards during 64.9 regular-season possessions. Caruso also has a higher steal percentage and block percentage than Dort, so as long as they play a similar number of minutes — so far these playoffs, Caruso has averaged 22.5 minutes per game and Dort 6.7 — Caruso will put up gaudier defensive stats.
