Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Lineup Strategy for Jazz vs. Clippers Showdown on June 12

The Utah Jazz took care of business at home to go up 2-0 in the series. It is said that a series doesn’t begin until the road team wins. That’s such a silly phrase because if the Jazz win tonight, the series could be all but over. Let’s see if the Los Angeles Clippers are just being Hollywood and replicating the script they followed in their series with the Mavericks by dropping the first two games, albeit those losses were at home. The Jazz were 21-15 on the road during the regular season while the Clippers were 26-10 at home. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Clippers favored by 4.5 points with the O/U at 223.

This matchup will also be a Showdown contest on DraftKings, so let’s discuss some players to consider for your entries.

Captain’s Picks

Donovan Mitchell ($16,500 CP) - All year long, when Mike Conley ($13,500 CP; $9,000) was unable to play, Mitchell slid down to point guard and handled the primary ball-handling responsibilities. The usage rate was in the high-30% to low-40% range. In the first two games of this series, the usage rate was 43% and 40% and he attempted 30 and 29 shots, which translated to 61.75 and 48.25 DKFP. Conley is questionable for Game 3. If Conley does play, Mitchell is still a good play but if he’s out, then he becomes the best play on the slate. The usage is just unmatched.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mike Conley (hamstring) has been ruled out for tonight’s game vs. the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard ($17,100 CP) - Is Bojan Bogdanovic ($10,200 CP; $6,800) the Kawhi-stopper? Well, his physicality has prohibited Kawhi from getting to the rim at will and he has decent size to bother his shots. In the first two games, he helped limit Kawhi to 47% shooting while keeping him from exceeding the 40-DKFP threshold for only the third time in these playoffs. That said, beep boop bop, the Kawhibot will refresh the cache, recalibrate the guidance system and be more efficient from the field. Yes, Bogdanovic did bother him on plenty of shots, but Kawhi just missed plenty of others. It happens. In an important Game 3, I have full confidence in Kawhi elevating his game. What? Do you think I’m trusting Paul George ($15,600 CP; $10,400)? I like to live dangerously but even that’s a little too much for me.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $450K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (UTA vs LAC)

UTIL Plays

Marcus Morris Sr. ($4,800) - Morris has played 37 and 33 minutes in the first two games and attempted 11 and 14 shots. He only converted four in each game but he still put up 27 and 18.25 DKFP. The volume is there, the minutes are secure and he’s an important piece for the Clippers because he spaces out the floor for Kawhi and George. A positive trend going into Game 3 is that he shot 48% from the field and 54% from downtown in 821 minutes at home. On the road, those numbers were 45% and 40%, respectively.

Joe Ingles ($6,000) - If Conley plays, then abort, abort. If Conley can’t go, then Ingles will slide into the starting lineup and see increased opportunities. In the first two games, he played 33 and 32 minutes, attempted 10 and 12 shots, and contributed 33 and 22.25 DKFP. While he doesn’t contribute much in the defensive categories, he does grab some rebounds, dish out some assists and garnered a usage rate of 19% in the first two games of the series.

Bojan Bogdanovic ($6,800) - As long as he doesn’t get into foul trouble guarding the Kawhibot, Bogdanovic is going to be on the floor for as much as he can handle. He played 39 and 38 minutes in the first two games and scored 25 and 29.25 DKFP. He grabs some rebounds and has notched at least one steal in three straight games. He will jack up at least five 3-pointers per game and will often attempt 14 shots from the field, so a 40-burger isn’t out of the question if things break right.

Fades

Jordan Clarkson ($12,300 CP; $8,200) - Clarkson is a professional hucker and chucker, as he’s hoisted 15 and 18 shots in the first two games of the series. With Conley out, he also sees an uptick in usage rate. That said, he is so points dependent as he doesn’t contribute much in any of the other categories. In addition, he only played 27 and 28 minutes in the first two games. Now, he has the capacity to heat up and go for 40 DKFP on any given night, but there are just so many more paths to a 20-DKFP game that he is bestowed the honor of tonight’s fade.

THE OUTCOME

For full transparency, I’ve been absolutely horrible at predicting outcomes, so you may want to go Costanza on me. If that doesn’t work, then Costanza the Costanza.

I like the Clippers in this one. I expect the Kawhibot to be recalibrated and Morris to shoot better than he has. Coach Lue has also been good with making adjustments in these playoffs and the Clippers are too good of a team to go down 3-0.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $450K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (UTA vs LAC)

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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.

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