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We’re well into the second day of the NBA playoffs, and the action is heating up. Our basketball on Sunday wraps up with the top seed Utah Jazz playing host to the Memphis Grizzlies, who are red-hot having come through the play-in tournament. With so many stars to choose from, it should be a great slate to play.
Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups for Sunday evening.
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Captain
Ja Morant ($15,000 CP)
I’m unsure of how the guard rotation is going to go with the Jazz, so I’m just going to go with the unquestioned usage that Morant brings. There could obviously be easier defenses to go against, but given how well he played against San Antonio and Golden State he should be more than up to the task here. Morant has played 38 minutes or more in his past four games, increasing his scoring output in each. I think he’ll be heavily featured here.
Jonas Valanciunas ($14,400 CP)
I really don’t think the Grizzlies win this game, but I think they might be the best side to target for fantasy. Similar to Morant, I just can’t get past the minutes and usage that Valanciunas will guarantee. It’s also an added benefit that he’s coming off a bad game which might put a dent in some of his ownership. Rudy Gobert ($9,200) is as good as they come when it comes to protecting the rim, but he’s not very apt at defending post-ups, ranking in the bottom five in points-per-play all season long. This could be a sneaky-good spot.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (MEM vs. UTA)
Fades
EDITOR’S NOTE: Donovan Mitchell (ankle) has been ruled out for Game 1 on Sunday, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Donovan Mitchell ($10,400)
Here’s the thing: No one knows how much Mitchell is going to play here, or even how good he’ll look coming off of a long injury layoff. Jordan Clarkson ($8,400) has looked great, so there’s probably no reason to rush him back to 40 minutes anyway. With all of that said, we also have to look at Mitchell’s performance before he was hurt, which left a lot to be desired from a fantasy perspective. This is too much money for me to shell out.
Value FLEX Options
Royce O’Neale ($4,200)
With so much uncertainty with both teams here, I really just like the security that O’Neale brings given the fact that he’ll play at least 30 minutes here. He’s not the highest-ceiling guy due to his lack of field goal attempts, but he might be able to sneak in on the boards while Valanciunas and Gobert battle. At the very least he’ll be a high-floor guy and perfect for a cash game lineup.
Grayson Allen ($3,400)
Allen has proven himself to be a handy guard and hit some huge shots down the stretch of Memphis’ playoff-clinching win on Friday. At this price, you really are only looking for 12-15 DKFP, which should be more than attainable considering he sees around 25 or more minutes per game on a regular basis. It’s possible Memphis tries to catch lightning in a bottle here.
The Outcome
In what should be a close, grind-it-out affair between two slow-paced teams with great defenses, I think the Jazz will ultimately prevail here en route to a Western Conference Finals run. Memphis should jump out in front early as Utah sorts out its guard rotation, but once Donovan Mitchell gets a feel for this one, the Jazz should pull away.
Final Score: Jazz 98, Grizzlies 92
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (MEM vs. UTA)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.