The San Antonio Spurs have made it look easy while taking a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series with the Memphis Grizzlies and that has caught the attention of DraftKings users for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s clear this series will be over very quickly. Second, it’s extremely difficult to trust the Spurs players in Daily NBA Fantasy Leagues because there are no guarantees their star players will play substantial minutes. San Antonio is back in action with Game 3 versus Memphis on Friday night while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks will also both look to take commanding leads in their respective series. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Friday’s DraftKings NBA Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Salary: $7,600
Isaiah Thomas has played at a very high level despite the fact that Boston has dropped each of its first two games against the Hawks. Thomas has averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 block and 2.5 three-point shots through two playoff games and he will have the opportunity to shine with the Celtics returning home looking to fight back after falling in to an 0-2 hole.
SG: J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
Salary: $4,600
The veteran guard was solid in Game 2 against the Pistons with 21 points, five rebounds and seven three-point shots and the Cavaliers’ offense looked that much smoother when he was knocking down his shots. Cleveland needs Smith to have a strong postseason in order to have any shot at contending for an NBA championship and they should continue to get him plenty of looks again in Game 3.
SF: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Salary: 10,500
LeBron has averaged 24.5 points, 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 block through two wins over the Detroit Pistons and there is every reason to expect he will continue to perform at a high level. The Cavaliers are playing with a strong sense of urgency as they look to put away the Pistons as quickly as possible in order to avoid injury and preserve as much energy as possible for a long playoff run so look for LeBron to deliver another strong performance in Game 3.
PF: Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
Salary: $8,600
The fact that Millsap hit just 1-of-12 shots from the field with an 0-for-5 mark from beyond the arc in Game 2 isn’t enough to completely scare us away from plugging him in to our lineup for Game 3 against the Celtics. Instead, we expect him to bounce back and produce a similar stat line to the one he registered in Game 1 when he had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a three-point shot. Millsap has the potential to absolutely dominate at the power forward position and we feel very confident turning back to him for Friday night’s game.
C: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
Salary: $7,300
Horford’s performance also fell off a bit in Game 2 but he still finished with 17 points and he has averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 points, 3.5 blocks, 2.0 assists and 2.0 three-point shots through the first two games of the series. Horford and Millsap both have the potential to perform better from the field in Game 3 but even if Horford produces at the same level he did in Game 2 it will be more than enough to make him the best option available at the center position for Friday night in NBA fantasy.
G: Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs
Salary: $3,400
The one player from the Spurs that we have no problem taking a chance on is the veteran guard Mills, who has provided them with a spark off the bench in both wins over Memphis. Mills has averaged 15.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.5 three-point shots through two playoff games and the fact that he is available at just $3.4K should make him an absolute lock as a value option in every DraftKings lineup.
F: JaMychal Green, Memphis Grizzlies
Salary: $3,400
The one appealing aspect of the Grizzlies returning home down 0-2 in the series is that they desperately have to try whatever they can in order to try and at least keep Game 3 close. Green has struggled at the offensive end but if his shots start to fall at home he could be another sneaky sleeper option for Friday night. Green had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist in Memphis’ Game 2 loss and if his shots start to fall he will be a solid value play in NBA fantasy.
UTIL: Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Salary: $4,500
Smart was absolutely terrible in Game 2 when he shot just 1-of-11 from the field and finished with three points. However, there are still reasons for intrigue because of the fact that Smart couldn’t do any worse and he has averaged 29.5 minutes per game over the first two games of the series. Smart’s shots should start to fall as the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 and that should mean a strong bounce back performance in which Smart emerges as a strong value option in NBA fantasy.
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