There is nothing better in sports than a Game 7 in the playoffs and while the overall lack of parity in the NBA has been a major talking point this postseason, it certainly didn’t take long for the association to give us a highly anticipated win or go home contest. The Los Angeles Clippers forced a Game 7 against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs with a 102-06 win and one specific statistic made that victory that much more impressive. The Spurs were 7-0 in playoff closeout games at home since 2006, so the fact that the Clippers were able to end that run has to have them feeling extremely confident heading back home for Game 7. There isn’t much to choose from with just the one game but here is a look at the optimal lineup for Saturday’s DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Tony Parker, San Antonio
Salary: $6,300
Chris Paul is more likely to produce the better stat line of the two starting point guards in this game, but he is also that much more expensive from a salary standpoint. The price difference between he and Parker is too much to go with him in this spot – especially considering the Spurs recent playoff history and the potential for their starting point guard to really rise to the next level for this game. Parker had eight points, seven assists and four rebounds in Game 6 but just like with almost every other San Antonio player, we expect a much better performance from him in Game 7.
SG: J.J. Redick, Los Angeles
Salary: $4,300
Redick was excellent for the Clippers in Game 6 when he scored 19 points including a three-point shot and while he didn’t contribute in any other fantasy relevant statistical category, his consistent point totals and ability to hit three-point shots makes him the smart option here. Danny Green has been far too inconsistent for San Antonio and Los Angeles will need to rely on Redick’s shooting ability in order to get the job done in Game 7.
SF: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio
Salary: 7,600
One of the biggest reasons why the Spurs didn’t finish the job against the Clippers in Game 6 was that Leonard had one of his worst games in a very long time when he was just three-of-15 from the field with four turnovers. However, he still managed to put up 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists despite a relatively terrible performance and considering there is every reason to expect him be better in Game 7, it is definitely worth locking Leonard in to the small forward spot here.
PF: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles
Salary: $10,000
If there is one player to build Saturday’s DraftKings lineup around it has to be Griffin, who has undoubtedly been the best fantasy player in this series. He should be primed for another elite performance. Griffin scored a game-high 26 points with 12 rebounds, six assists, four blocks and a steal in Game 6 and if he can even just match that stat line at home in Game 7 it will make him well worth the investment here.
C: DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles
Salary: $7,700
Tiago Splitter is almost not even an option here, so it’s important to commit the necessary cap space to Jordan as the center for Saturday’s DraftKings lineups. Jordan had 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in Game 6 and since he has been the best center on the board in every game of this series by a wide margin it is very important to have him locked in here for Saturday’s Game 7.
G: Patty Mills, San Antonio
Salary: $3,000
Mills is another lock for Saturday’s lineups as the absolute best value option coming off the bench since he has been a very consistent contributor and costs only $3,000. Mills has averaged 10.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.3 three-point shots so far in this series and if he can come even close to those averages on Saturday, he will be the type of sleeper fantasy play that absolutely has to be in winning DraftKings lineups.
F: Boris Diaw, San Antonio
Salary: $4,900
Diaw has also been very good for the Spurs in this series averaging 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists and at under $5,000 it makes the most sense to slide him in to this spot. Leave just enough money to add another solid contributor at the FLEX spot.
FLEX: Jamaal Crawford, Los Angeles
Salary: $5,100
Plugging in Mills and Diaw at the extra guard and forward spots leaves just enough money to acquire Crawford as the best player left on the board that we can fit in. Crawford has averaged 11.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists so far in this series and there is the potential for him to top those averages with a strong performance in Game 7.
