We have a potential series-ending Game 5 on tap Monday night, with the Suns having the golden opportunity of clinching their berth in the NBA Finals on their home floor. Offense has been difficult to come by for both clubs of late in the series, so it will be interesting to see if defense once again carries the winner to victory.
I’ll outline a pair of candidates for each of the three multiplier spots (MVP. STAR and PRO) in FanDuel’s single-game roster format, and I’ll also offer another two players to consider for the two Utility spots that accrue FanDuel points at a non-multiplier rate. Monday’s game should offer a very good DFS environment, considering the stakes at hand.
Read on to see my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/28/21. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS MVP Picks (2x)
Paul George, SF- at PHO ($15,000)
George will once again take the floor without Kawhi Leonard (knee) on Monday, and although his offensive efficiency has certainly suffered without his star teammate alongside him, PG13 should once again boast massive usage and inevitably rack up a strong fantasy night. He’s succeeded in doing so the last two games despite shooting a combined 14-for-46 from the floor in those contests, as he tallied 54.0 and 52.2 non-multiplier FD points in Games 3 and 4, respectively. In fact, he’s been under 40 FD points only once in the series, and given his ability to check off every box on the stat sheet, he’s certainly in play as the top MVP consideration in Monday’s do-or-die contest.
Chris Paul, PG – vs. LAC ($14,000)
Paul has scored 42.4 and 32.3 non-multiplier FD points in his first two games in the series thus far, but his shot has been significantly rusty. The veteran point guard has drained just 26.8 percent of his 41 attempts from that field over that pair of contests, a figure that’s naturally due for a significant boost. It’s not a bad idea to bet on that improvement coming in Monday’s high-stakes Game 5, where Paul will be primed to play major role in potentially vaulting the Suns into the NBA Finals. As evidenced by his previously cited fantasy-point tallies in Games 3 and 4, Paul has still been able to put together a strong fantasy performance while struggling offensively, so what he might accomplish if he can even get his success rate up into the low 40s percentage-wise is enough to make him an excellent candidate for the 2x multiplier.
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FanDuel DFS STAR Picks (1.5x)
Deandre Ayton – vs. LAC ($14,500)
Ayton put together an explosive performance in Game 4, racking up 61.9 FD non-multiplier points across 41 minutes. While that was easily a postseason high for the big man, he’s been highly productive all series, scoring 32.8 to 47.3 FD points in Games 1-3. He’s got a pair of double-doubles already, and he’s now taken double-digit shot attempts in five consecutive contests. With Paul back in the fold facilitating and both teams struggling to shoot against the other, Ayton should once again have no shortage of scoring and rebounding opportunities.
Devin Booker– vs. LAC ($13,500)
Booker was certainly an MVP candidate when Paul was sidelined during the first two games of the series, but the hit in usage he took with his backcourt mate’s return and Booker’s own shooting woes over the last three games make him more of a STAR spot candidate for Game 5. The talented two-guard has drained just 30.5 percent of his attempts in Games 2-4, including just 13.3 percent from behind the arc. That’s led to tallies of 24.3 to 28.4 FD points in those games, and even if Booker does see some slight improvement Monday, his typically modest contributions in non-scoring categories may cap his production to an extent.
FanDuel DFS PRO Picks (1.2x)
Reggie Jackson – at PHO ($12,500)
Jackson logged his fifth 20-point effort of the last six postseason games in Game 4, leading to 26.5 FD non-multiplier points. The veteran point guard has averaged 33.0 FD points over the first four games of the series, and despite a ragged 8-for-24 performance from the field Saturday, he’s still shooting a solid 45.3 percent during the series. Paul’s return hasn’t really slowed Jackson down, either, as he’s posted 33.7 FD points in addition to Saturday’s aforementioned tally in the two games the Suns’ defensive wizard has played. With everything on the line for the Clippers and Leonard out, Jackson should once again be a major source of offense alongside George for Los Angeles.
Ivica Zubac – at PHO ($12,000)
Zubac has risen to the occasion with expanded opportunity over the last three games, averaging 35.1 FD points on the strength of 14.0 points, 13.7 rebounds and 1.0 block across 35.7 minutes during those contests. The big man has only averaged 7.0 attempts during that sample, but he gotten to the line an average of 6.7 times per contest as well and shot 90.0 percent from the charity stripe in the process. Like Ayton, Zubac should have plenty of opportunities on the boards again on either end of the floor in Game 5, given the quality of both defenses.
Utility Spot options to consider:
Mikal Bridges ($11,000); Terance Mann ($10,000); Nicolas Batum ($8,000)