Anybody that wondered if the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers were up to the task as underdogs heading in to their respective second round series’ against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets got their answer in a hurry with both teams emerging victorious in Game 1 on Monday.
Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin put up the best stat lines in their respective games on Monday and while only one of them did so in a winning effort, it’s no surprise that we are going back to both of them again for Wednesday night’s action. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Wednesday’s DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
Salary: $8,500
Irving stepped up big time for Cleveland in their 99-92 loss to Chicago, accounting for nearly 33% of his team’s scoring as he finished with a game-high 30 points, six assists, two rebounds, a steal and a three. With Kevin Love sidelined and the Cavaliers facing the possibility of falling behind 0-2 in the series at home, it will be on Irving to step up with another monster performance in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
SG: J.J. Redick, Los Angeles
Salary: $5,000
There is a good chance that Chris Paul will be back for the Clippers in Game 2 if they want him in the lineup but considering they beat Houston by 16 without him in Game 1 and that they will need him healthy and rested moving forward, there is still a chance he sits on Wednesday. Regardless, Redick is a strong fantasy play at the SG spot at just $5,000 as a player that will get a ton of minutes. He will be relied on for his pure shooting ability as Los Angeles looks to outscore a potent Houston team once again. Redick recorded 17 points with two rebounds, two assists, a steal and three three-point shots in Game 1 and it’s reasonable to expect him to at least match that fantasy stat line for Game 2.
SF: Josh Smith, Houston
Salary: $6,300
Smith was somewhat of a disappointment for fantasy GM’s that took him in Game 1 but the Rockets as a team weren’t at their best. A better effort all around should be expected with Houston looking to avoid an 0-2 hole at home on Wednesday. Smith is another strong value play at nearly half the price that LeBron James would cost here and considering he has averaged 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.8 three-point shots in the playoffs, it makes sense to take him here and expect he bounces back in Game 2.
PF: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles
Salary: $10,300
Griffin and Irving are the two players that every winning fantasy lineup for Wednesday’s action should be built around, so don’t be shy about plugging in the most expensive option available in to the PF spot. Griffin stepped up again in the Clippers’ Game 1 win with Paul out as he put up a game-high 26 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and a steal and while those ridiculous numbers might be tough to match, it won’t be a surprise if he posts a similar stat line in Game 2.
C: DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles
Salary: $8,000
Jordan has actually posted a higher average fantasy points total in the playoffs than Dwight Howard, who is the more expensive option. Jordan was very good again in Game 1 when he scored 10 points with 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks. The Jordan versus Howard battle will continue to be a fun one to watch and considering his upside and the fact that we will need the extra bit of cash to use elsewhere, we are very confident plugging in Jordan here.
G: Austin Rivers, Los Angeles
Salary: $2,200
Speaking of saving money to use elsewhere, there is no better value option on the board than Rivers heading in to Wednesday night. Rivers scored 17 points with four steals, three assists, a rebound and four three-point shots with Paul out in their Game 1 win. Even if Paul does return for Game 2, there is still substantial value taking Rivers here at a mere $2,200 price tag that allows us to use more money on the final two positions.
F: Tristan Thompson, Cleveland
Salary: $5,000
Timofey Mozgov slid in to the starting center position for the Cavaliers in Game 1 with Love out but it was Tristan Thompson that played 37 minutes off the bench compared to the 26 that Mozgov played. His performance will warrant him getting the bulk of the minutes again in Game 2. Despite scoring just four points, he grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocks while doing a lot of the dirty work down low. Thompson’s point totals could improve in Game 2 and if he can continue to chip in with quality rebounding and block totals, he should have a solid fantasy stat line in a must-win Game 2.
FLEX: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles
Salary: $4,500
Crawford is the perfect fit to take up the remaining salary we have as he slides in perfectly to take up every last dollar we have available to spend. Crawford is the type of pure scorer that is capable of thriving in this type of high tempo series and he showed it in Game 1 when he scored 21 points with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and three three-point shots in 32 minutes off the bench. Crawford should be poised for another big game especially if Paul happens to be sidelined for the second straight game.
