It’s been a long NBA regular season and while fans can’t wait for the playoffs to begin, there is one more stop to make as nearly half of the association wraps up its year on Wednesday night. However, before the regular season comes to an end, basketball fans will get one more chance to make a splash with a full slate for DraftKings NBA daily fantasy leagues on Wednesday.
There’s 28 teams to choose from when building your starting five and we’ve narrowed down the five strongest plays for you regardless of budget.
PG: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
The Thunder didn’t get any help from a Minnesota Timberwolves team that was beaten up by the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night but they did receive a stroke of fortune from the NBA. They rescinded what would have been Westbrook’s 16th technical foul of the season and allowed him to play in a 101-90 win over the Portland Trail Blazers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Oklahoma City’s season now comes down to Wednesday night as they need a win over the Timberwolves combined with a San Antonio Spurs win over New Orleans in order to jump over the Pelicans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Westbrook went off for 36 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the Thunder’s win over Portland and with a realistic possibility this is the last time we see him this season, you can expect him to put on an absolute show.
SG: Tyreke Evans, New Orleans
San Antonio won’t be resting in this game as they are still capable of finishing as high as No. 2 in the Western Conference, so the Pelicans will certainly be in tough to pull out a victory and make the postseason. That mean they will need a big performance from somebody other than Anthony Davis.
Evans showed up in a major way when he scored 22 points with five assists and three rebounds in Monday’s win over the Timberwolves and it makes sense to play him here as the less costly secondary option behind Davis heading in to a crucial game. Most of the defensive attention will be paid to Davis, so Evans should have more space to work.
SF: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota
It’s unreasonable to think Minnesota will shock the world and beat a desperate Oklahoma City team that is fighting for its playoff lives but somebody has to score for the Timberwolves. Their young team will want to finish the season on a high note as they continue to build a sense of optimism for the future.
Wiggins has been the biggest reason for that optimism as he has emerged as both a Rookie of the Year favorite and possible future franchise superstar. Wiggins has averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists over the past month of action and will look to end the season with one more memorable performance.
PF: Jordan Hill, Los Angeles
It has been a terrible season for the Lakers and their fans but their lack of star power combined with the fact that they still have to play the game means that somebody has to score for them. That has created a handful of value plays including Hill. Hill is probably the best of them as he has averaged 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists for Los Angeles over the past week of action to rank among the best forwards in the game in terms of fantasy production. As surprising as that is, you have to ride it out as he’s getting minutes and doing lots with them.
C: Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City
The conventional wisdom might be to run with Davis for the Pelicans but he could get suffocated by a tough Spurs defense. However, Kanter is a better value option as a player considering he won’t face much resistance against a crappy Timberwolves defense.
The 21.3 points per game that Kanter has averaged over the last 15 days is actually identical to Davis scoring average over the same period and while Davis has the edge in assists, blocks and steals, it’s Kanter that has averaged nearly three more rebounds per game over the last two weeks.
