What. A. Game .
The Thunder jumped out to a 7-0 lead in Game 1 and led the entire game. Except for the last 0.3 seconds.
What. A. Shot.
The Thunder were the best defensive team all season, and they showed why once again, forcing the Pacers into 25 turnovers. But the Pacers have been one of the best teams at in-game adjustments while being annoyingly stubborn, grinding and grinding and grinding all night until the end.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant in Game 1, finishing with 55.25 FPTS, the only player to top 40 FPTS on the night. Chet Holmgren was a no-show, though, as he shot 2-of-9 from the field and was limited to only 24 minutes. Jalen Williams converted only 6-of-19 from the field.
The Thunder hoisted 16 more shots than Indiana, but only converted 39.8%. I’m expecting a much better shooting performance in Game 1, while adjustments and a beserker mentality on defense are likely.
At the conclusion of Game 1, DraftKings Sportsbook had OKC favored by 10 points for Game 2. That number is now at -11.
You know what’s crazy, though? Indiana won the first two games in each of the prior three playoff series. Two of those were on the road – Cleveland and New York. Cleveland was favored in Game 2 by 7.5 points and lost by one point. New York was favored in Game 2 by 5.5 points and lost by five points.
For Game 1, I liked Lugentz Dort in the CPT slot because he was cheap and thought a ceiling game was within the range of outcomes. He delivered with 36 FPTS. Is he a must-start for Game 2?
Here are three players that are:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($12,400) – He is the fantasy metronome, as he rhythmically and consistently produces fantasy goodies on the regular. During this playoff run, SGA has put up at least 50 FPTS in all but five games. Two of those were due to blowout, while the other three finished in the mid-to-high 40s. SGA is the Alpha and Omega of the OKC offense, garnering a usage rate in the mid-to-high 30s. He can get separation on anyone due to his ability to change speeds and direction at the blink of an eye while being one of the most efficient bucket getters in the game. But that’s not all. He dishes out assists when defenses converge, he grabs rebounds and racks up defensive stats. That is why the floor is incredibly high while a ceiling game is always in play. With the Thunder down 0-1, I have no doubt that the MVP will at least be swinging to the end.
Obi Toppin ($4,000) – As with most of the Pacers early on in Game 1, it took time for Toppin to adjust to the OKC pressure. He turned the ball over three times in the first half. But he didn’t go into the tank and ended up playing well, shooting 5-of-8 from downtown for 17 points, five rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes, good for 27.25 FPTS. He’s an important part of the Pacers rotation due to his size at 6′ 9″ and 236 pounds, while also having the ability to space the floor and make it rain from downtown. The Thunder defend the paint by packing it in, which allowed Toppin to get plenty of open looks. Toppin will never put up the most raw FPTS, but I like what he can provide at the price point.
Pascal Siakam ($9,600) – Siakam is the fourth-most expensive player on the slate. There’s a big drop off after him, so in terms of players that can put up 50 FPTS, I like where he is priced. Siakam has championship experience from his title run with Toronto, so the expected OKC tsunami shouldn’t faze him too much. More importantly, he can stuff the stat sheet while scoring 30 points. In Game 1, he found himself with several mismatches, which he expertly took advantage of. He led the Pacers in Game 1 with 39.5 FPTS. I think he leads Indiana with close to 50 FPTS in Game 2.
