Collectively, the streets of Manhattan turned into a party last Friday night when the New York Knicks finished off the Boston Celtics to advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. It’s hard to imagine what New York will look like if the Knicks manage to do what they couldn’t in 2000 and oust the Indiana Pacers. While we’re a long way from that, Game 1 will take place at 8 p.m. tonight at Madison Square Garden.
As you’d expect of two teams still alive this late in the playoffs, both teams are star-studded. DraftKings is offering a Showdown contest for the big game. Here are three players who need to be in your lineups, whether as a Captain or a UTIL.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $500K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (IND @ NYK)
PG Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers, $11,000
With the exception of a Game 4 duel against Jayson Tatum in which he scored an efficient 39 points and dished out 12 assists (66.25 FPTS), Brunson didn’t have the greatest conference semifinals by his lofty standards. In Game 2, he scored just 17 points (33.25 FPTS) and he fouled out of Game 5 after just 22 points and six assists (31.75 FPTS). It’s mostly a question of usage; after leading the league with a 36.4% usage rate in last season’s playoffs, he’s had a more modest 31.9% figure so far these playoffs and his advanced numbers have gone up across the board. And although fantasy basketball relies on box score, not advanced stats, even a slightly more modest Brunson is the best option on the board, given how egalitarian the Pacers’ offense is.
After dealing with two of the league’s smartest perimeter defenders in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White last series — each held him to 25 points on sub-40% shooting in roughly 100 possessions — Andrew Nembhard ($7,000) and Aaron Nesmith ($6,000) will surely feel like a respite. That’s not to underestimate Nembhard, who played stifling defense on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell in Indiana’s surprising five-game upset and held Brunson to three-for-eight shooting during the regular season, but the Canadian isn’t much of a rim protector or corner defender, and Brunson can score from every spot on the floor.
C Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks, $8,000
A few weeks ago, after the Los Angeles Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs, I wrote about their free agency center options and noted that sign-and-trading Rui Hachimura for Turner would be the dream scenario. After the Pacers upset the Cavaliers in such convincing fashion and Turner played so well in the series, I can no longer see a scenario where Turner doesn’t wear an Indiana uniform next season. During the conference semifinals, Cleveland shot just 61.9% inside the restricted area — the second-worst mark of any second-round participant — in large part because of Turner’s presence. He also made at least one three-pointer in every game of the series and blocked at least two shots in four of the five.
New York is in the conference finals in large part because its defense has played significantly better than it did during the regular season, but that’s mostly because of wings Mikal Bridges ($8,200), OG Anunoby ($7,600), and Josh Hart ($8,800), not center Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,800). Towns can be a bit slow-footed, especially in drop coverage, and just isn’t a very good rim protector. The Celtics shot 68.5% in the restricted area during the conference semifinals, and of the 57 players to guard five or more shots within six feet per game so far these playoffs, opponents have shot the ninth-best percentage against Towns. He’s also the league’s most foul-prone player, and Turner is a 77.8% free throw shooter.
SF/PF OG Anunoby, New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers, $7,600
Anunoby is probably the best defender on the Knicks’ roster and will likely make an All-Defensive team. During the conference semifinals, he held Tatum to five-for-17 shooting from the field and Jaylen Brown to nine-for-23 accuracy, and it’s likely that his presence will be able to keep Pascal Siakam ($8,600) largely stymied. His offense came and went throughout the second round — he had a 29-point (42.0-FPT) masterpiece in Game 1 and also scored more than 20 points (28.75 FPTS) on two other occasions, but suffered through three single-digit scoring outings — which is why he has a lower DFS salary than Bridges or Hart.
Still, it’s worth choosing Anunoby because his scoring ceiling is higher than either Bridges’ or Hart’s. During the regular season, Anunoby scored 25 or more points 16 times, while Bridges only got there 14 times and Hart just twice. Plus, during the regular season, Anunoby played excellent defense on Siakam while also scoring nine points on three-for-six shooting against him on the other end. Given Siakam’s importance to Indiana, Tom Thibodeau might feed the ball to Anunoby to make the Pacers star work harder on the defensive end.
