The NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers is tied 2-2 and Game 5 of this best-of-seven will be in Oklahoma City on Monday. DraftKings is offering some huge Showdown contests for this matchup, and below, I dive into two of my favorite captain plays for this Showdown slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $800K Finals Shootaround!
PF/C Chet Holmgren, Thunder ($13,200)
After a quiet start to the NBA Finals, Holmgren was outstanding in Games 3 and 4 in Indiana, with the big man posting back-to-back double-doubles of 38.5 and 39.25 FPTS. Holmgren received at least 34 minutes in each of those past two contests and he should continue to see heavy volume in Monday’s pivotal Game 5, as he is leading the Thunder in plus/minus during these NBA Finals.
Holmgren is amassing 1.3 FPTS per minute with a 22% usage rate this season and the Pacers are a prime matchup for the former lottery pick. This season, Indiana ranks eighth in pace and the club is giving up the seventh-most points in the paint. A third straight double-double of near 40 FPTS is very possible for Holmgren in Game 5 and rostering him at captain should naturally make your Showdown lineup contrarian.
PG/SG Alex Caruso, Thunder ($10,200)
Rostering Caruso as your captain won’t be a popular strategy and will open up endless possibilities for the rest of your Showdown lineup. The 31-year-old has been awesome for the Thunder in this series vs. the Pacers, scoring 29.4 FPTS per game while shooting 54.5% from the field and averaging 4.0 defensive stats per game.
While Caruso comes off the bench, he has been playing starter-like minutes in the NBA Finals, logging 29.5 minutes per game, which ranks fifth for Oklahoma City. Caruso has topped 30 FPTS twice in this series and the savvy veteran brings that type of upside Monday.
