Anybody playing NBA fantasy that had the opportunity to watch Stephen Curry torch the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime on Monday night (and help give the Golden State Warriors a 3-1 series lead in the process) understands just how dangerous he is. The unanimous NBA MVP scored 17 points in overtime to finish with 40 in his return to the Warriors lineup and push Portland to the brink of elimination. Golden State will look to end the series with Game 5 on Wednesday night while the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat head back north of the border with their series tied at 2-2. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Wednesday’s DraftKings NBA Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Stephen Curry, Golden State
Salary: $9,700
It’s understandable that Damian Lillard should be playing with more urgency than Curry with his team down 3-1 in the series heading in to Game 5 but we don’t agree that Lillard should be the more expensive option of the two for Wednesday night’s DraftKings contest. The difference is minimal with Curry listed at $9.7K compared to Lillard at $9.8K but we aren’t about to let that sway us with our pick for this position. Curry returned with a game-high 40 points including five three-point shots as well as nine rebounds and eight assists in Game 4 and if he can even come close to matching those numbers in Game 5 then there is no doubt he will be the top pick on the board regardless of position.
SG: C.J. McCollum, Portland
Salary: $6,900
The Trail Blazers couldn’t match Curry’s production in the extra period but they did have a handful of players deliver solid performances including their young shooting guard. McCollum scored 24 points including four three-point shots with three rebounds, three steals and two assists in the loss. If he can match that production with Portland on the brink of elimination in Game 5 then he will be an exceptional value play at this position.
SF: Joe Johnson, Miami
Salary: $5,100
The Heat and Raptors have played some ugly games in their Eastern Conference second round series and while we expect that trend to continue on Wednesday night Johnson should be counted on to deliver a solid performance. Johnson had 15 points, three assists, three steals, two blocks and two rebounds in Miami’s Game 4 win but he has the potential to top those numbers on the road in a pivotal Game 5.
PF: Draymond Green, Golden State
Salary: $11,800
Lost in Curry’s monster performance was another exceptional stat line from Green, who has been excellent so far this postseason. Green scored 21 points with nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and two three-point shots in Golden State’s overtime win. He is the most expensive option on the board for Wednesday night with a higher price tag than Curry but his ability to put up big numbers combined with a lack of star power at the position makes him an obvious pick to build around along with the NBA MVP.
C: Bismack Biyombo, Toronto
Salary: $4,400
Toronto has had a rough time scoring with consistency in the playoffs so far and it didn’t help that they lost one of their best players in Jonas Valanciunas. The star big man has been ruled out for the series but Hassan Whiteside was hurt as well and that leaves us with Biyombo as the best big man remaining in the series right now. Biyombo had 13 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in his Game 4 start and we expect similar NBA fantasy production in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
G: Cory Joseph, Toronto
Salary: $3,300
With Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggling, head coach Dwane Casey hasn’t been afraid to go to his bench with Joseph playing extended minutes at times. That was the case in Game 4 when Joseph scored 14 points with one assist and one rebound in 37 minutes on the floor. Joseph still needs to do a better job distributing the basketball when he is called upon but at $3.3K it’s impossible to ignore the potential upside of this pick.
F: Luol Deng, Miami
Salary: $6,200
Deng’s production has dipped a little bit in Miami’s last two games but we expect him to bounce back in Game 5 with the Heat looking to take a 3-2 series lead before heading back home to South Beach. The veteran wing has averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.2 three-point shots per game throughout the playoffs and we expect him to at least math those averages across the board on Wednesday night.
FLEX: Amar’e Stoudamire, Miami
Salary: $2,200
With just under $3K left for our final FLEX spot it only makes sense to turn to Miami’s starting center with Whiteside out. Stoudamire had six points with three rebounds and one steal in 12 minutes for the Heat in Game 4 and if he sees even five more minutes on the floor in Game 5 then he will be worth plugging in to this spot in an effort to save more money for players like Curry, Green and McCollum in a very complete lineup for Wednesday’s DraftKings NBA Fantasy Leagues tournaments.
