A crucial Game 6 showdown is on tap tonight between the Celtics and the Knicks. A New York win ensures a date with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Should Boston extend this series, the two teams will meet at TD Garden for Game 7 on Monday night. Heading into this primetime battle, which players should fantasy managers target for DFS?
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (BOS @ NYK)
PG Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks ($16,200)
It’s easy to over-analyze a fantasy basketball pick, especially on a one-game slate. So let’s keep this simple: Jalen Brunson has ice in his veins. New York’s face of the franchise is no stranger to pressure-packed contests, dating back to his college days at Villanova. In the NBA, the guard has been nothing short of phenomenal in these situations. Through four career Game 6’s with the Knicks, JB is averaging 38.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists.
Give some credit to the Celtics; they’ve held Brunson to a good, not great, 44.25 fantasy points per game this series. Still, you can only keep a superstar down for so long. In the last contest at Madison Square Garden, Game 4, the two-time All-Star dropped 39 points, 12 assists and five rebounds (66.25 FPTS). Brunson doesn’t need to have a performance quite as good on Friday, but 30+ points and a handful of dimes are a reasonable expectation.
PG/SG Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics ($10,800)
Jaylen Brown stepped up for Boston in Game 5, leading the team in scoring (37) and assists (12). Derrick White was also fantastic, dropping 34 points of his own. Outside of those two, the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics are lacking a third option on offense. Enter Payton Pritchard; the 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year. In this series, the guard has posted 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game (23.25 FPTS). Most impressive has been his shooting, knocking down 37.8% of his three-point attempts.
On a Celtics squad that loves swinging the ball around, there will be several open looks tonight. That’s especially true against a Knicks defense that has issues defending the perimeter. This season, opponents have knocked down 36.4% of their three-point attempts vs. New York, the ninth-worst mark in basketball. As everyone knows, Boston is willing to live and die on its shooting from beyond the arc. Assuming that play style continues on Friday, Pritchard could be a major beneficiary.
C Luke Kornet, Boston Celtics ($6,600)
Health issues have rendered Kristaps Porzingis largely ineffective during this series. Al Horford, at 38 years old, can’t guard New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns for 30+ minutes. Fortunately for the Celtics, they roster one of basketball’s best backup centers. Luke Kornet has proven to be a major bench piece for Boston, offering terrific defense and rebounding for a smaller front court. In Game 5, the veteran made the most of his postseason-high 26 minutes. Kornet recorded ten points, nine rebounds and a whopping seven blocks (38.75 FPTS).
A repeat performance on Friday is unrealistic, but another good game certainly isn’t. Considering Porzingis’ mystery illness, there’s a strong chance Kornet receives another 20+ minute workload. In an elimination game scenario, it’s also likely this becomes an intense, low-scoring affair. Should that be the case, it would behoove head coach Joe Mazzulla to leave his best rim protector on the floor. At just $6,600, Kornet is someone most fantasy managers should be targeting for tonight’s contest.
