After a relatively quiet Thursday in the NBA that featured just a single playoff game, the playoff schedule picks up big time on Friday night with three Game 6’s. The Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets are all in position to clinch their series while the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat look to stay alive. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Friday’s NBA Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Salary: $8,200
Injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have completely shifted the outlook of the Trail Blazers’ first round series with the Clippers and after three straight wins Portland is now in position to clinch at home in Game 6 on Friday night. Lillard has thrived in the opening round with 20.8 points, 4.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.6 three-point shots per game in the series and he should be one of two star options to build around for Friday’s NBA fantasy contests.
SG: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers
Salary: $5,100
The Clippers are without their two best players heading in to Game 6 on the road so if there is one player to take a chance on it has to be Crawford. The veteran shooting guard has averaged 14.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game in the series and the potential is there for him to top those averages if he plays big minutes the way he did in Game 5 when he was on the floor for 44 minutes. Crawford is still available at a very reasonable $5.1K so he should be a strong pick for the SG position.
SF: Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Salary: $9,400
George is the second of two players that should be absolute locks in Friday’s DraftKings NBA fantasy tournaments along with Lillard. Indiana is coming off a brutal collapse on the road in Game 5 against the Raptors but George looked nearly unstoppable and he should be in line for a solid encore performance with Indiana facing elimination. George had 39 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, five three-point shots, two steals and a block in Game 5 and if he can even come close to matching that stat line at home in Game 6 he will be worth every penny in DraftKings tournaments.
PF: Patrick Patterson, Toronto Raptors
Salary: $3,700
Patterson might seem like a reach this early on but the reality is that the PF position is extremely thin for Friday night so it actually makes sense to plug in a strong value play in this spot. Patterson has averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 three-point shots and 1.0 assist in 27.6 minutes per game versus the Pacers and we feel comfortable plugging him in here knowing that it allows us to spend more money at other positions on the board.
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors
Salary: $6,700
Valanciunas has cooled off a bit following his monster start to the series but he still has the potential for a big Game 6 performance on the road as Toronto looks to wrap up the series and avoid a Game 7. Valanciunas has averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in the series and he is available at a very reasonable $6.7K at the C position so lock him in for NBA fantasy.
G: George Hill, Indiana Pacers
Salary: $4,400
One of the biggest criticisms that Pacers’ head coach Frank Vogel received following Game 5 was his decision to keep Paul George and George Hill on the bench for as long as he did when Indiana’s lead was evaporating in the fourth quarter. Hill looked nearly unstoppable in that game and the fact that he was on the bench for so long in the fourth quarter was one of the biggest reasons the Pacers fell apart. The veteran point guard has averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 three-point shots and 3.0 assists per game over the last two games so he is an outstanding value play here.
F: Luol Deng, Miami Heat
Salary: $6,500
Miami is in big trouble following three straight losses and now the Heat will be forced to play a must-win game on the road at Charlotte. Deng has been a bright spot for Miami in the series and the fact that he is available at $6.5K makes him a very reasonable option in DraftKings tournaments. Deng has averaged 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.0 three-point shots per game in the series so ride the hot hand with Deng at the F spot on Friday night.
FLEX: Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers
Salary: $5,600
Aminu came crashing back down to earth in Game 5 with just seven points and eight rebounds but the potential is there for him to dominate again with the series shifting back to Portland for Game 6. Aminu averaged 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 3.5 three-point shots in two home games in the series so it’s worth spending a little more money on him at the FLEX position with the hope that he can play at a very high level as the Trail Blazers look to wrap up their first round series against the Clippers on Friday night.
