RADIO
Happy Thursday, Rotoballers! After the game-winning Valley Oop (we're calling it that, right?), the Phoenix Suns find themselves two wins away from the NBA Finals. It would be the franchise's first appearance since 1993 when they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Bulls in six games. However, if we have learned anything during these playoffs, it's that you can't count out the Clippers in a 0-2 hole. They beat Dallas in seven games after losing the first two, then won four in a row against Utah to win their semifinal matchup in six games. The big difference between this series and the previous two: No Kawhi Leonard.
With only one game on the NBA schedule, we continue to be in showdown mode. It will be this way for the remainder of the playoffs, so we should get used to this format. Six players: one captain earning 1.5 times his usual amount of points and five utility players to round out the squad. Positionless basketball at its finest. I am incredibly excited for Game 3 as a basketball fan, but there's always room to win through some quality DFS lineups.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/24/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
Phoenix Suns (+1, 108.5 total)
Devin Booker - SG (Cpt: $16,200, Util: $10,800)
In Game 2, Booker had his worst game of the playoffs yet still found a way to get to 20 points. The counting numbers in assists and rebounds dropped from Game 1, but we expected that. After all, it was his first career triple-double, and it was maybe a bit prisoner of the moment for us to expect anything close to that in Game 2. While Booker will perform better in Game 3, Chris Paul's return will undeniably impact Booker's fantasy ceiling.
However, he can still be Captain worthy with CP3 as his running mate. In their last six games on the court together, Booker averages 29.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, with .538/.429/.914 shooting splits. I'm going to zag and say Booker is an excellent Captain choice as most DFS managers gravitate towards CP3 in his return and Paul George carrying the workload for the Clippers.
Chris Paul - PG (Cpt: $14,100, Util: $9,400)
The Point God returns for Phoenix and should instantly resume his role as the ball-dominant distributor for the Sun's offense. Unfortunately, this will take Cameron Payne off the table as a primary contributor, but it's great to have CP3 back in the Conference Finals. In Round 1, Paul didn't crack 42 fantasy points in any of their six games against the Lakers. However, it all changed in the Conference Semifinals against Denver.
In a four-game sweep, the 11-time All-Star averaged 25.5 points, 10.3 assists, five rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 35.7 minutes per game. Paul hit 62.7 percent of his field-goal attempts, 75 percent of his threes, and was a perfect 22-for-22 from the charity stripe. If that type of form continues, the Clippers could be staring down a massive 0-3 deficit, and Paul will be one win from his first appearance in the NBA Finals.
Deandre Ayton - C (Cpt: $13,500, Util: $9,000)
Sorry Clipper's fans, but you should scroll down one paragraph while we watch the Valley oop again.
Jae Crowder inbounds it to Deandre Ayton above the rim for the @Suns win in #PhantomCam! #ThatsGame #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/WVNc9xnvio
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2021
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick put an exclamation point on his breakout postseason with a game-winning play to put the Suns up 2-0. But even before his unforgettable tip-in, he was having a great night. In 35 minutes, Ayton recorded 24 points, 14 rebounds, a steal, a block, and an assist for 48 fantasy points. The big man is doing everything right and dominating the frontcourt matchup between himself and whoever the Clippers put out there. Meanwhile, he's being ultra-efficient with his shots and creating history while he's at it. A double-double is his floor, but he has the potential for a 25 point, 15 rebound ceiling with his current form.
Deandre Ayton is the first player in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55 season) with a 70+ FG pct in any 12-game postseason span (min. 100 att).
H/T @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/7jdMh8a9NO
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 23, 2021
Other options: Cameron Payne ($7,600), Mikal Bridges ($7,400)
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Los Angeles Clippers (-1, 109.5 total)
Paul George - SG (Cpt: $16,800, Util: $11,200)
Paul George did a lot of good things in the first two games of this series. He scored, he rebounded, and he distributed enough to have the Clippers this close to stealing a road game. But those two missed free throws at the end of Game 2 will haunt him if Los Angeles can't come back in this series. Game 1 was spectacular, and Game 2 had some bumps in the road, but George is still the best option to get behind if the Clippers want to make this a competitive round of basketball.
Still, we will quickly move onto Game 3, and PG13 remains an option for us in the Captain's spot. Since Kawhi Leonard (knee) went down in the four games, George averages 31.3 points, 8.8 boards, 5.8 assists, 3.3 three-pointers, 1.5 steals, and 56.1 fantasy points. There's not a lot more we can ask of George at this point. He's shown us his ceiling (71 DK points in Game 5 vs. Utah), and it may take another performance in that stratosphere to get the Clippers back in this series.
Reggie Jackson - PG/SG (Cpt: $11,700, Util: $7,800)
On Tuesday, I said, "It's Reggie Jackson's world, and we're just living in it." Well, he didn't score 20 points, but he did accumulate valuable fantasy points thanks to strong secondary numbers. In 39 minutes, Jackson tallied 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, three triples, two steals, and a block for 36.25 fantasy points. It's the fourth game in a row where the guard has scored at least 33 fantasy points and played at least 37 minutes. He's averaging 40.75 fantasy points per game since Kawhi went out and remains a strong candidate for one of your five utility spots in your showdown roster.
Ivica Zubac - C (Cpt: $7,800, Util: $5,200)
It's been a theme throughout the playoffs for Los Angeles for Ty Lue to tinker with his starting lineups on a game-by-game basis. In Game 1, Zubac played 18 minutes, and then, in Game 2, he nearly doubled his playing time with 34 minutes of action. However, the 34 minutes were effective as the big man from Bosnia, and Herzegovina racked up 14 points, 11 rebounds, and a block for a valuable 30.75 fantasy points.
Check back closer to tip-off to see if Lue tips his hand for the starting lineup. If we could guarantee Zubac plays another 30 minutes, he is well worth a roster spot as a wildcard to differentiate your roster. Still, Lue will continue to tinker, and he could limit Zubac to a minutes workload, as we saw in Game 1 at the drop of a hat.
Other options: Marcus Morris Sr. ($6,200) Terance Mann ($5,000)
