The Bulls are out, but Houston staged an incredible fourth-quarter comeback in L.A. to stay alive, with a good chance to become one of the rare teams to win an NBA playoff series after trailing 3-1. Dwight Howard, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer were simply amazing down the stretch.
Yesterday, I suggested LeBron James and seven players from the late game would be a strong DFS lineup. If you used all Rockets and Clippers except for Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert or even Matthew Dellavedova instead of LBJ, congratulations.
The scenes shift tonight and both home teams are desperate. Paul Pierce $5800 taunted “Series!” when he drained a 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds remaining in Atlanta on Wednesday to give Washington the lead. He might have been correct if Al Horford $8200 hadn’t scored on an offensive rebound with less than two seconds left to win it for the Hawks. John Wall $8700 played better with one hand than most men can with two. Bradley Beal $8400 has become a consistent offensive force.
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Many of us underestimated the Wizards. Marcin Gortat $6700 plays much better with Wall on the floor and Otto Porter $5700 has been a huge, pleasant surprise for the entire postseason. Of course, The Truth provides veteran leadership and swagger in addition to his statistics. Nene Hilario $4800 was inconsistent and frustrating until these last three games; all of a sudden he’s a bargain.
Atlanta narrowly escaped defeat on Wednesday. Paul Millsap $8400 had six turnovers, Jeff Teague $7200 committed seven. DeMarre Carroll $6700 had a modest double-double (10 & 10) and Kyle Korver $6000 is in an untimely shooting slump. Dennis Schroder $4600 continues to provide DFS value. While they may summon up a huge effort, it will be no surprise if this one goes the limit.
On Monday night, the Grizzlies were at home with a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. They lost by 17 points. After dropping Game Five by 20, it’s now or never. Memphis may be without Tony Allen $5500 (hamstring) again, and Jeff Green $4200 is not as good defensively. Green starting also weakens the bench, though it makes Vince Carter $3000 a possibility. Mike Conley (face) $6000 played one amazing game and there’s no doubt about his courage, but he’s not going to stop Curry.
The Warriors are a good bet to wrap it up tonight. Stephen Curry $10400 and Klay Thompson $7400 have found the range, and everyone has stepped up the defensive intensity over the last two impressive wins. Draymond Green $7900 is doing a nice job against Zach Randolph $7600 and Andrew Bogut $5300 is preventing Marc Gasol $8500 from taking over. Harrison Barnes $4800 and Andre Iguodala $4200 were bargains on Wednesday; Iggy scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting for his second straight game with 24+ FPTS.
Once again, SF is very thin. Carroll is the top-salaried choice and played better than expected last game. In theory, there are three studs to choose from at PF, but none is red-hot — Nene is at least $3000 cheaper for similar production. Curry is by far the healthiest PG; you could punt that spot with Schroder but I’m using the MVP.
There’s a two-man tossup at SG. Going with Thompson over Beal does save $1000 and remember, there aren’t many ultra-cheap guys with upside. Carter and David Lee $2800 are the only two I’m considering for less that $4200. The toughest call is at C, where all four starters are coming off good performances. The main reason for choosing Horford over Gasol is that Millsap has not been himself, leaving Al to be more aggressive.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10400 | John Wall $8700 | Dennis Schroder $4600 |
| SG | Bradley Beal $8400 | Klay Thompson $7400 | Vince Carter $3000 |
| SF | DeMarre Carroll $6700 | Paul Pierce $5800 | Andre Iguodala $4200 |
| PF | Paul Millsap $8400 | Draymond Green $7900 | Nene Hilario $4800 |
| C | Marc Gasol $8300 | Al Horford $8200 | Andrew Bogut $5300 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.