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We have three Game 5's going on tonight. Brooklyn will try to escort Boston out of the playoffs. Portland is in Denver and the Lakers are back in Phoenix with both series tied at two games each.
Chris Paul will play. His appearance on the injury report is nothing more than a formality. It's looking likely that Kemba will be out for Boston, which is a big blow for them. Anthony Davis did play in Game 4, but was forced to leave after aggravating the groin injury. That's the one we really need to watch. The news on Time Lord is big too, so this is the most uncertainty we've had on any NBA playoff slate so far.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/1/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward, and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle, and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
James Harden, SG – vs. Boston ($11,100)
After a couple of lackluster games to open the series, Harden has responded with 127.4 FanDuel points over the last two games. Game 4 represented just how dangerous of a team Brooklyn is. Harden only scored 23 points, but he handed out 18 assists with both Durant and Kyrie having huge scoring nights. The floor on Harden is almost better when he's the lead distributor in the offense. I'm liking the Beard and the Nets to get the rest of the week off after tonight.
Marcus Smart, SG – at Brooklyn ($6,800)
Smart is the guy that gets the biggest production boost with Kemba out of the lineup. It's not all from scoring, though Smart does a little more of that too. It's the extra assists that make Smart worth playing, in no small part because it makes his floor tolerable. When Smart is mostly relied upon for scoring, things can get ugly.
Payton Pritchard, PG – at Brooklyn ($4,500)
Pritchard put up a solid 20.9 FanDuel points with Kemba out in Game 4. Boston doesn't lean too heavily on Pritchard, but he mostly plays as the lead of the second unit. That leads to some good stats even if he only plays half the game. There are a couple of decent value guards if you want to play roulette with Denver's rotations, but Pritchard is locked into 25 minutes. For this price, I'll take it.
Also consider: Damian Lillard ($10,300), Kyrie Irving ($9,600), Facundo Campazzo ($6,200), Cameron Payne ($5,900)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Jayson Tatum, PF – at Brooklyn ($10,800)
Tatum has scored 90 real points between Games 3 and 4 of this series. That's a welcome sight as Tatum was mostly a bystander in the first two games of this series. With Kemba and Time Lord ailing in Game 4, Tatum went nuts again. His best efforts weren't enough to tie the series in Game 4 and his best effort may not be enough to keep Boston alive. However, I think we get close to another ceiling game from Tatum in this one, win or lose.
Jae Crowder, PF – vs. Lakers ($5,500)
This is why the Suns got Crowder. They were hoping Crowder would provide some nice leadership and some nice numbers in the playoffs. Both have come to fruition. Crowder doesn't often score in double figures, so another game like Game 4 may be too much to ask for. However, I think we'd be happy with his production in Games 2 and 3 for this price. Crowder is a solid value play tonight.
Kyle Kuzma, SF – at Phoenix ($4,300)
Kuzma really hasn't done much in this series aside from a strong game on the glass in Game 3. This is more of a preemptive strike in the case that Anthony Davis is out. If A.D. plays, I'll look elsewhere. If Davis ends up out, I would expect Kuzma to enter the starting five. If he starts at this price, Kuzma should be the best value play on the slate. However, should hasn't meant much when Kuzma is involved this year.
Also consider: Kevin Durant ($10,600), Norman Powell ($7,000), Evan Fournier ($5,500), Paul Millsap ($4,500)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Deandre Ayton – vs. Lakers ($7,800)
Jokic has been all over the board in this series. I refuse to pay that price for anyone as volatile as him based on principle alone. Ayton, while not having anywhere near the ceiling of Jokic, has been a consistent force this entire series. Only once has he fallen short of 40 FanDuel points. Even then, he still has a solid showing at 34.5 FanDuel points. I want this kind of consistency in at least one of my lineups.
Robert Williams – at Brooklyn ($5,500)
Williams was well on his way to a solid Game 2 as well before leaving with an ankle injury that has kept him out since. If Williams remains out, it's an easy pivot to Thompson with the pricing about the same. If both are active though, I want Williams. His floor is very high for someone in this price range. Just make sure he's not limited in any way before taking the plunge.
Also consider: Nikola Jokic ($10,500), Jusuf Nurkic ($7,500), Tristan Thompson ($5,600)
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