The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have been going blow-to-blow for five games. The intensity, shot-making, defense and adjustments on the fly have been awe-inspiring.
After the Spurs pounded the Thunder in Game 4 to tie up the series, it looked like they found some things at both ends of the court and were about to knock off the defending champions. But, the Thunder responded how a champion should.
Now the pendulum has swung back in the other direction.
In a pivotal Game 6, will the home crowd enhance the youthful exuberance to force a deciding Game 7, or will experience rue the day?
DraftKings Sportsbook lists San Antonio as a 3.5-point favorite over Oklahoma City, with the total set at 219.5 points.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (OKC at SAS)
Captain’s Picks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($18,600 CP): The Spurs defense has been tough all series, limiting the back-to-back regular season MVP to 40% or lower shooting in four of the five games. SGA has dished out at least nine dimes in four of five games, though, while contributing some rebounds and defensive stats. That’s provided a relatively high fantasy floor, finishing with at least 50 FPTS in all but one contest. OKC found a few things last game to put SGA in better situations offensively so that the Spurs couldn’t smother him in the paint. I like SGA to have a signature SGA game in which he stuffs the stat sheet while producing points in an efficient manner to silence the San Antonio crowd. In 10 career closeout games, SGA averaged 29.5 points, six assists and 4.5 rebounds.
UTIL Plays
Stephon Castle ($8,600): The outside shooting is the big bugaboo for Castle, but he still hoists em up with no hesitation. He’s going to get plenty of good looks and has had games in which he’s tickled the twine, so there’s upside from a points perspective. Why I like Castle so much is because he’s tough as nails, can get to the paint, rebounds, dishes out dimes and rarely gets rattled. He played in tons of high-level games in college and I think he plays with a fury and responds to everything OKC throws at him. He’s put up at least 35 FPTS in four of the five games with two over 40 FPTS. The one game he “missed” was 29.8 FPTS.
Devin Vassell ($6,800): Vassell only shot 2-of-11 from the field in Game 5 but still put up 23.5 FPTS. He’s a good rebounding guard and attacks the glass with reckless abandon. He doesn’t necessarily break down the defense with a handle package, but he makes the appropriate pass and has dished out his fair share of dimes. The defensive contributions have been great with four blocks and nine steals. In the first four games of the series, Vassell attempted double-digit shots three times and converted 50% twice. He finished with at least 29 FPTS in all with a high of 41.2 FPTS. I like him to bounce back from an efficiency standpoint and put up those fantasy goodies.
Isaiah Hartenstein ($5,800): After getting played off the court in Game 1, resulting in only 12 minutes of action, Hartenstein has received 27, 21, 18 and 31 minutes. His size has been needed to clean the glass and make life difficult for Victor Wembanyama. While he doesn’t contribute much in the defensive categories, Hartenstein is an excellent passer and has dished out at least three dimes in each of the last four contests. That’s resulted in 30.8, 20, 24.8 and 38.8 FPTS.
Fades
Victor Wembanyama ($12,800): Wembanyama is going to score fantasy points because he’s awesome and contributes at both ends of the floor. That said, considering the price, I have doubts that he matches salary expectations. I know, I know, and it’s scary fading Wembanyama because he can literally go for 80+ FPTS, but I think OKC has found some things and gotten a little more comfortable dealing with him. After putting up 84 and 62.2 FPTS in the first two games of the series, he’s gone for 41.5, 60 and 38 FPTS in the last three games.
The Outcome
OKC closes it out due to a vintage SGA game.
Final Score: Thunder 105, Spurs 98
