The Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 104-92 on Thursday night to clinch their best-of-7 first round series 4-2. That means there will only be one game on the NBA fantasy schedule for Saturday night so it’s a good thing it’s a marquee matchup. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to open their second round series on the road against the San Antonio Spurs in a matchup that could very well determine which team represents the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Saturday’s DraftKings NBA Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
Salary: $11,000
Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban’s assertion that Westbrook isn’t a superstar was followed by an absolutely dominant performance by Oklahoma City’s point guard in the series clinching Game 5 win. Westbrook scored a game-high 36 points with 12 rebounds, nine assists, three three-point shots and one assist and there really is no doubt about his status as one of the best players in the NBA. Westbrook is the most expensive option on the board for a reason and if he even comes close to matching his production from Game 5 against the Mavericks he will certainly be worth the price tag.
SG: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio
Salary: $4,500
Ginobili provided a spark off the bench for the Spurs in their opening round series and we expect him to have an even bigger impact in the second round against a better team in the Thunder. Ginobili has averaged 7.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game so far in these playoffs but at such a reasonable price it makes sense to take a chance on him for Friday night’s DraftKings competitions.
SF: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
Salary: $10,000
Durant had 33 points in the Game 5 win over Dallas and has matched Westbrook with a team-high 26.0 points per game in these playoffs. He has also chipped in with 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.2 three-point shots so far in these playoffs. Oklahoma City will rely heavily on its two superstars as they try to upset San Antonio in this series and we love the idea of having both of them in our lineup for Saturday night.
PF: Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City
Salary: $6,000
Ibaka has quietly had a solid opening round with 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.6 three-point shots and while it’s tempting to take LaMarcus Aldridge in this spot it’s hard to argue against Ibaka at this price. The Thunder’s starting power forward will need to step up big time in this series and we like him to deliver a solid performance to help set the tone in Game 1.
C: Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City
Salary: $5,400
The fact that four of our first five players come from the Oklahoma City roster has a lot to do with the fact that Durant and Westbrook are the best two players on the board from a fantasy perspective and a lot to do with the fact that Ibaka and Kanter are available at such excellent prices. Kanter has averaged 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds so far this postseason and he is an excellent value option in this spot.
G: Patty Mills, San Antonio
Salary: $3,500
Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard were both considered earlier but after opting to roll with the tandem of Westbrook and Durant we have no problem turning to some quality value options from San Antonio’s roster. Mills has averaged 10.5 points, 1.8 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game so far in these playoffs and the fact that we can plug him in at just $3.5K makes him an absolute steal for Saturday night.
F: Boris Diaw, San Antonio
Salary: $2,900
Diaw has been another intriguing value option from the Spurs as he averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game in the opening round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. Diaw has the potential to top those averages against the Thunder and we like him as the best value for this spot at under $3K.
FLEX: Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
Salary: $4,800
With a ton of money left over for our FLEX position and limited options we will turn to Parker with the hope that he can top the averages he put up in the opening round. The fact that the Spurs had such an easy time with the Grizzlies didn’t help his numbers as he played only 22.3 minutes per game. Parker should get more minutes in this series so look for him to top his averages of 9.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.0 rebound so far this postseason.
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