The Milwaukee Bucks surprised the basketball world when they went in to Chicago on Sunday night and pulled out their second consecutive win facing elimination to cut their series deficit to 3-2. It was a good thing for fantasy basketball fans that want to participate in daily fantasy leagues for Thursday night as there is now two games on the slate with Milwaukee returning home to try and fend off elimination again versus the Bulls. Let’s look at the optimal DraftKings NBA lineup for Thursday night’s fantasy leagues.
PG: Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee
Salary: $8,900
Carter-Williams stepped up again in Game 5 versus Chicago when he registered a team-high 22 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal. After the win, he should feel even more confident back in front of the home fans trying to force a Game 7. The fact that Carter-Williams is available for much less than Chris Paul makes him the perfect fit here for the point guard spot.
SG: Jimmy Butler, Chicago
Salary: $6,900
The Bulls didn’t play with the same level of urgency or desperation for obvious reasons in Game 5 but they should bounce back with a better performance as they look to avoid a Game 7 with a win on Thursday. Butler in particular struggled at just 5-of-21 shooting from the field in the 94-88 loss but if he hits even half of those missed shots, he will be in for a monster performance. Butler still registered 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two three-point shots despite his struggles, so you can expect those numbers as the low point for his stat line for Game 6 on Thursday.
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee
Salary: $5,600
We will go back to the Bucks here with confidence taking the best player available in a must-win game in front of the home crowd. Antetokounmpo registered just 11 points in Game 5 but he played a team-high 38 minutes and also filled out the stat sheet with four blocks, three rebounds and two assists. Antetokounmpo should score more points in this game and we feel confident that his fantasy stat line for Thursday will be much better.
PF: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles
Salary: $10,000
If there is one player on the board that every fantasy GM should have for Thursday night it is Griffin, who continued his torrid playoff pace with a game-high 30 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block in Game 5. The Clippers are now facing elimination looking to force a Game 7 back at home and we can expect the very best from Griffin as the top player on the board for Thursday night.
C: John Henson, Milwaukee
Salary: $5,400
Henson nearly split the playing time down the middle with Zaza Pachulia in Game 5 but he finished with the better fantasy stat line as he scored eight points with 14 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Henson isn’t going to carry a fantasy team but the Bucks will need his presence in the paint at the offensive end of the floor and considering the price point and the potential savings, that could be better off spent elsewhere it makes a lot of sense to plug him in here.
G: Patty Mills, San Antonio
Salary: $3,000
It’s amazing that Mills is still available for so cheap despite that he nearly matched Tony Parker’s production from Game 5 in almost half as many minutes played. Mills scored 13 points with four rebounds and four three-point shots in just 15 minutes played and while Gregg Popovich might prefer to stick with Parker despite his nagging injuries and inconsistent play, he might give Mills more time on Thursday – especially if the Spurs find themselves in an early hole against a desperate Los Angeles team.
F: Boris Diaw, San Antonio
Salary: $4,900
Diaw was somewhat of a disappointment for fantasy GM’s that banked on a strong performance from him in Game 5 but even still, he managed to score 10 points with seven rebounds, one three-point shot and one steal. Diaw should feel more comfortable back home and at such an affordable price it makes a lot of sense to go back to him here.
FLEX: Khris Middleton, Milwaukee
Salary: $4,400
It would be impossible to argue against the FLEX play here as Middleton is the absolute perfect fit for the remaining cap space we have after putting up 21 points with four rebounds, four steals, two assists and two three-point shots in Game 5. Middleton joined Antetokounmpo and Carter-Williams with the most minutes played for the Bucks at 38 and he is poised for another big performance on Thursday night.
