The top seeds in each conference won at home last night in very different fashion. The Hawks needed a late offensive rebound from Al Horford to edge the Wizards 82-81, while the Warriors cruised to a 20-point victory.
Tonight features Game Six in the other two series. The Bulls must win at home, the Rockets face a do-or-die on the road.
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The over/under in L.A. is 27 points higher and the Clippers can wrap up their series at home. Chris Paul $8600, Blake Griffin $10300 and DeAndre Jordan $7900 will at least repeat their Game Five numbers, while Matt Barnes $4600, J.J. Redick $5000, Jamal Crawford $5000 and Austin Rivers $4500 shot a combined 9-for-41 (22%) and can only improve. Forgotten man Spencer Hawes $2600 had 11 points and five rebounds for 20.75 FPTS in 20 minutes — great production for the money.
James Harden $9600 and Dwight Howard $8500 were outstanding as Houston staved off elimination on Tuesday. Trevor Ariza $6100 was a bargain and Jason Terry $4000 keeps paying his way. It doesn’t matter who starts at PF, Terrence Jones $4300 and Josh Smith $5100 are no match for Griffin. Corey Brewer $4500 is playable and Clint Capela $2200 is a non-zero guy at a rock-bottom price.
For DFS purposes, Cleveland is basically a one-man team. LeBron James $11400 (ankle) was amazing again in Game Five — 76 FPTS — and it’s tempting to surround him with seven players from the nightcap.
Derrick Rose $8700 suffered wrist and shoulder injuries on Tuesday while Kyrie Irving $7800 is limping equally on his right foot and left knee. Jimmy Butler $8200 is the most consistent Bull, and probably the healthiest. Pau Gasol $7500 (hamstring) will try to play, sending Taj Gibson $4800 (shoulder) back to the bench and Nikola Mirotic $4000 out of the rotation. Joakim Noah $5900 hobbled around for 41 minutes in Game Five. He’s a big-game player who can outfox Timofey Mozgov $5300. A bargain on his good nights and a cipher at times, Mike Dunleavy $5000 is affordable.
Tristan Thompson $5300 is a safe choice. Iman Shumpert $4600 (groin) rewarded his owners last game; J.R. Smith $5000 would benefit if Shumpert can’t play another 42 minutes. Matthew Dellevedova $2800 is another inexpensive puzzle piece who is a Kyrie misstep from becoming relevant.
At PG, it appears that CP3 is healthy again, just as his salary hits a new low. Harden, James and Griffin are the standouts at SG, SF and PF. There are only two productive centers to consider. The problem is, we can’t afford that level of talent at all five spots. I’m inclined to punt C, and as much as it may backfire to leave out LBJ, Ariza costs $5200 less.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Chris Paul $8600 | Kyrie Irving $7700 | Austin Rivers $4500 |
| SG | James Harden $9600 | Jimmy Butler $8200 | M. Dellavedova $2800 |
| SF | LeBron James $11400 | Trevor Ariza $6200 | Mike Dunleavy $5000 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $10300 | T. Thompson $5300 | Taj Gibson $4800 |
| C | Dwight Howard $8500 | DeAndre Jordan $7900 | Spencer Hawes $2600 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.