This Western Conference semifinals series between the Nuggets and Suns heads to Denver Friday for Game 3, which tips off at 10:00 PM EST. As usual, DraftKings is offering up a huge Showdown contest for this game, and below I give you some of my favorite options to attack for the format.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (PHO vs DEN)
Captain’s Pick
Nikola Jokic ($18,300 CP) - The Suns have embarrassed the Nuggets so far in this series, but Jokic has still produced 49.5 DKFP per game. Now in desperate need of a win, down 2-0 in this best of seven, Jokic should put his team on his back after he receives his MVP trophy in front of his home crowd Friday. Throughout Jokic’s career, he has always been a better fantasy asset with the Denver faithful cheering him on, and this season has been no exception. The center has supplied five more DKFP per game at home this season, and his minutes should be north of 40 with so much at stake Friday.
Despite getting blown out in the first two games of this series, Denver is favored by 1.5-points on DraftKings Sportsbook for Game 3. When he and the Nuggets have been at home and the spread has been less than five points this year, Jokic has led the way with 61 DKFP per game. The MVP isn’t cheap, but no player in this contest brings a ceiling even close to Jokic’s tonight, and he is well worth the large investment at captain.
Chris Paul ($13,500 CP) - The small break between the first and second round was huge for Paul and his shoulder. After struggling with only 26.25 DKFP in 25.5 minutes per game for the final two tilts vs. the Lakers, the veteran has looked fully healthy vs. the Nuggets, scoring 49.6 DKFP in 32.8 minutes per game. The absence of Jamal Murray (knee), who ranked second in real defensive plus-minus at his position before tearing his ACL, has made the Nuggets an excellent spot for opposing point guards, and in five matchups vs. Denver this year, Paul is generating an outstanding 46.9 DFKP per game.
Barring he aggravates his shoulder, Paul’s inspiring play is going to continue in Denver, and I think he should be included in every showdown lineup you build tonight, captain or utility ($9,000).
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UTIL Plays
Facundo Campazzo ($6,600) - His final score of only 13 DKFP on Wednesday wasn’t ideal, but Campazzo still led Nuggets guards with 29.1 minutes, which ranked second on the team behind Jokic. In Game 1, which was a far more competitive setting, Campazzo collected 32 DKFP in 36 minutes, and that’s type of workload he should garner in this very small spread for Game 3.
So far this postseason, the 30-year-old has scored over 30 DKFP in half of his starts. While others will gamble on Monte Morris (CP $9,300; $6,600) or Austin Rivers (CP $6,300; $4,200) at cheaper salaries, Campazzo is my preferred guard to attack from the Denver backcourt.
Mikal Bridges ($6,000) - Coming off his slightly disappointing 19.5 DKFP in Game 2, Bridges’ price has been cut by $800, making him one of the top utility values available Friday. In his last 20, the forward is averaging 27.7 DKFP per game and has been strong vs. the Nuggets this year, scoring 31.9 DKFP per game in five matchups.
The lackluster fantasy score from Game 2 could depress his ownership, and Bridges is my favorite mid-tier target for this showdown slate.
Torrey Craig ($2,200) - Craig spent the first three seasons of his career with the Nuggets, and he has loved playing against his original team in this series, contributing 23 DKFP per game off the bench. He is only going to see 15-20 minutes a night, limiting his true upside, but anything over 10 DKFP would be a win at this low of a salary.
In his past 20 contests, Craig has cracked double-digit DKFP 14 times, going above 20 DKFP in six outings, and the savings he provides is very valuable if you want to roster Jokic as your captain.
Fades
Michael Porter Jr. ($8,400) - Porter Jr. has a long history of back injuries. After tweaking his back in Game 1, he was available for Game 2 but wasn’t very effective. In 27.4 minutes of work, the forward recorded only 19 DKFP and shot a miserable 23% from the field. Porter Jr. was clearly uncomfortable. If that was a regular season game, there is no chance he would have suited up. Only two days later, it’s hard to imagine Porter Jr. will be much of a factor again Friday night. Even if he was fully healthy, this is a brutal matchup for him, facing off against Jae Crowder (CP $9,600; $6,400) and Bridges.
While the idea of Porter Jr. coming with little ownership for this single-game format is appealing from a GPP perspective, he isn’t worth considering at this price.
The Outcome
The Suns have obviously been the superior club so far, but I just can’t imagine the Nuggets going down 3-0 on their home floor Friday. The crowd is going to be electric after watching Jokic receive his well-deserved MVP honors before tipoff, and Denver is 16-4 over their last 20 in the Ball Arena. I still like the Suns to get the job done in this series, but Jokic and company should steal one tonight and cover this 1.5-point spread on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Final Score: Nuggets 110, Suns 104
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st] (PHO vs DEN)
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