The New York Knicks kept their season alive in improbable fashion on Sunday night, making their third 20-point comeback of the playoffs to just pip the Indiana Pacers in a must-win Game 3. New York can even up the series and reclaim home court advantage tonight, when Game 4 tips off at 8 p.m. ET.
The temptation will be to put Jalen Brunson ($11,600) and Tyrese Haliburton ($11,000) in your lineup for tonight’s DFS showdown contest, and if you choose to do that, you’ll need to find some cheaper options to produce. Here are my two favorites:
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $500K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (NYK @ IND).
PG T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, $4,000
The Pacers made a charge between the end of the first quarter and the middle of the second quarter to build a 20-point lead, thanks in large part to McConnell, who had 10 points in the first half as part of a 12-point, three-rebound, three-assist (19.25-FPT) performance. He’s played an important role for this Indiana team; although he has only averaged 14.7 minutes per game across the first three games of the series, he has scored double-digit points (17.5 or more FPTS) in each one because he owns the team’s highest usage rate. His steady hand has kept the Pacers afloat in minutes in which Brunson is on the floor and Haliburton is off.
So far this series, McConnell has played solid defense on Miles McBride ($2,800), holding him to six points on two-for-five shooting in the 36.5 partial possessions that he has guarded him. He’s always displayed a knack for hitting tough shots, and this series has been no exception, as he’s made eight of his 12 field-goal attempts with the nearest defender between two and four feet away. His shot diet has been fairly efficient, as 16 of his 25 shot attempts have come inside the paint. Plus, though he hasn’t yet recorded a steal this series, he’s one of the league’s most dangerous inbound-pass threats and the Knicks have been sloppy from set plays this series.
SG/SF Landry Shamet, New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers, $1,000
Shamet hadn’t seen the court outside of garbage time since the first round, but with New York’s back against the wall, Tom Thibodeau opted to trust his veteran on Sunday night, giving him 11 minutes. His statistical impact wasn’t massive during that time — three points, two assists (six FPTS) — but given that he has the same DFS salary as MarJon Beauchamp ($1,000), who hasn’t played at all these playoffs, it’s effectively free points. Plus, the Shamet minutes worked; he was a team-high plus-12, and his run between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth ultimately proved key in the comeback. He held Andrew Nembhard ($7,000) without a shot attempt and forced Obi Toppin ($3,600) into a turnover. With Thibodeau, it’s no guarantee that he’ll play, but given the fact that the Knicks won a game in which Brunson struggled badly, he should stick with the formula for Game 4. Shamet has usurped Cameron Payne ($1,400) as New York’s go-to backup scoring guard.
