Tonight, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals is set to tip off between the Pacers and the Knicks. Game 5 saw New York put together a commanding 111-94 victory to extend this series. Now, these two rivals are set to battle once again on Saturday. In a matchup loaded with star power, which lesser-known names are poised for a big game?
Ahead of tonight’s NBA playoffs clash, here are two players being slept on in fantasy basketball DFS contests.
Set your DraftKings NBA Showdown fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $500K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (NYK @ IND)
SG/SF Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers ($6,600)
Almost every Pacers player had a letdown game on Thursday. The lone exception? Bennedict Mathurin. Indiana’s sixth man was ice-cold to start this series; even Reggie Miller was calling him out on TNT. However, the 22-year-old has gotten back on track over his last two games. Since Game 4, the wing has averaged 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on 61.1% shooting (29.63 FPTS). On Thursday, he was the only member of Indiana’s roster to score more than 20 points.
The knock on Mathurin is his consistency; the guard is an extremely erratic player. With that being said, on a hot streak he’s someone to target in your fantasy basketball lineups. The sharpshooter hasn’t had the most reliable workload, hovering between eight and 25 minutes in this series. However, he led Indiana with a +8 plus/minus in Game 5, playing well on both ends of the court. If that continues tonight, Mathurin is set up for a third straight standout performance.
SG/SF Landry Shamet, New York Knicks ($3,000)
It’s no secret that the Knicks have had depth issues this postseason. Part of that is due to head coach Tom Thibodeau, normally content to play his starters 40+ minutes. That hasn’t been the case in the Eastern Conference Finals; Indiana’s breakneck tempo has forced New York to tap into it’s bench. That’s meant more minutes for the likes of Delon Wright ($2,400) and Landry Shamet. The latter of the two has had a noticeable impact, compiling a +22 plus/minus since Game 3. Known for his shooting prowess, the veteran has given the ‘Bockers a much-needed boost on defense as well.
At this point, Shamet has earned 10+ minutes in Game 6. Still, the wing’s statistical contributions don’t exactly jump off the page. In this series, he’s recorded 3.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, shooting 44.4% from the field. Still, the seventh-year pro has managed to average 8.25 fantasy points during that time. That’s not much, but it’s also not nothing at his current dirt-cheap salary of $3,000. In tonight’s do-or-die contest, there’s also a chance Thibodeau sticks with Shamet if he’s playing well. As far as dart-throws go, fantasy basketball managers could do worse on Saturday.
