The lack of parity has been one of most talked about storylines during this year’s NBA playoffs as only one of the series was 1-1 after two games. While the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets are both looking to build on their 2-0 series leads heading in to Friday night’s action, there is some reprieve for basketball fans with the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers tied at one win each after two games in California.
The parity, or lack thereof, should also play a role when it comes to drafting for daily fantasy leagues and one of the key storylines will be whether or not the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks can pull out a win in their respective series. Here is our optimal lineup combination for Friday’s DraftKings NBA daily fantasy league action.
PG: John Wall, Washington
Salary: $9,300
Wall has taken his game to the next level in the Wizards series against Toronto. He is worth investing in for the point guard spot on Friday where he could very well duplicate what he did in Game 2 when he put up 26 points, 17 assists, a steal, a block and two three-point shots. Wall should be even more comfortable at home with Washington up 2-0 in the series and that should lead to another monster performance.
SG: Bradley Beal, Washington
Salary: $6,700
The Wizards backcourt has absolutely torched the Raptors in the first two games and Beal stepped up in Game 2 when he scored a team-high 28 points with five assists, one steal and two threes. Beal is not afraid to pull the trigger and he and Wall should be in for another big fantasy performance in Game 3 on Friday.
SF: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio
Salary: $7,900
The Spurs certainly answered back against the Clippers with an overtime win in Game 2 when they were led by strong performances from both Leonard and Tim Duncan. Duncan might not match his production from Game 2, though, and that will put more responsibility on the shoulders of Leonard as he continues to emerge as San Antonio’s future. Leonard had 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two threes in Game 2. He should be able to at least put up similar totals in Game 3 on Friday.
PF: Amir Johnson, Toronto
Salary: $5,200
Toronto will need to be much better down low to have any shot in Game 3 versus Washington and that means relying on Johnson as their toughest body in the paint. Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds in just 19 minutes off the bench for the Raptors in Game 2 and considering that, he should get more playing time he should have a quality stat line as Toronto tries to slow the game down. They’ll have to attack the paint as they continue to try and find their shooting rhythm.
C: Dwight Howard, Houston
Salary: $9,000
Howard and Josh Smith absolutely tore apart the Mavericks defense in their Game 2 win and while Smith isn’t very reliable, there is every reason to think Howard can have another big performance in Game 3. Howard scored a team-high 28 points with 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks as Dallas had no answer for him in the paint. That makes him worth investing in on Friday ahead of a more expensive option like buying James Harden at the shooting guard spot.
G: Louis Williams, Toronto
Salary: $4,900
The one reliable shooting threat for the Raptors in Game 2 was Williams, who scored a team-high 20 points to go with three steals and an assist. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have really struggled for Toronto and considering Williams’ ability off the bench and his relatively low price point, his addition is a major steal here.
F: Otto Porter Jr., Washington
Salary: $3,000
Porter provided everything Washington needed from him off the bench in Game 2 when he scored 15 points with nine rebounds and a pair of three-point shots. They won’t be shy to turn to him again in Game 3 looking for another strong performance.
FLEX: Patty Mills, San Antonio
Salary: $3,000
Mills joins Porter as another very cheap bargain buy that will come off the bench and provide a spark for his team the way he did in Game 2 when he scored 18 points with three rebounds, an assist, a steal and two three-point shots. San Antonio needs Mills’ shooting ability off the bench and the hope for Gregg Popovich and company is that he will make a similar impact in Game 3. The other factor here to keep in mind is that Tony Parker hurt his Achilles at the end of Game 2 and his status isn’t quite clear. That means they’ll have to lean on Mills even more.
