The Celtics will be looking to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, but regardless of what happens, we know this will be one of our final chances to play daily fantasy basketball this season. If you're putting together a DraftKings Showdown lineup, we have advice and lineup picks to help you bring home some NBA DFS cash.
In Game 3, Golden State was blitzed from the opening tip by the duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who were the standout stars for DraftKings Showdown contests. Brown led the Celtics with 27 points (9-of-16 FG, 4-of-8 from three-point range), while Tatum added 26 points (9-of 23 FG, 3-of-9 from deep).
Boston also received a boost from Marcus Smart, who had 24 points (8-of-17 FG, 3-of-7 from deep), seven rebounds, and five assists. It was a complete 360-degree change by Smart, who only scored two points in Game 2. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins were the top scorers for the Warriors. While those three players led the way, Golden State didn’t get enough production from Draymond Green or Kevon Looney in the frontcourt.
Below we’ll look at our DFS showdown lineup picks for Friday night’s main slate.
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Celtics vs. Warriors Game 4
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary) SG/SF Jaylen Brown, Celtics ($14,700)
Brown is $2,100 cheaper than Tatum, which provides us more salary cap flexibility, and he’s almost averaging the same amount of fantasy points.
The 25-year-old wing struggled in Game 2 with 29.5 fantasy points but bounced back with 48.8 fantasy points in Wednesday night’s win. It is the second time in the NBA Finals that Brown scored 40-plus fantasy points. He did a little bit of everything in Game 3 (27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists), making him an appealing choice for Captain in a pivotal Game 4.
UTIL SG/SF Klay Thompson, Warriors ($7,200)
After not shooting the ball well in the first two games of the Finals, Thompson had one of his vintage performances in Game 3. The veteran sharpshooter had 25 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 5-of-13 from beyond the arc (39.8 fantasy points). The last time he made five or more threes in the playoffs was in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks (32 points, 12-of-25 FG, 8-of-16 from deep).
If the Warriors want to tie up the series at 2-2 on Friday, they’ll need Thompson to build off his Game 3 performance and help carry the scoring load. He’s averaging 29.5 fantasy points per game in his past five games.
UTIL SF/PF Jayson Tatum, Celtics ($11,200)
Tatum has put together two consecutive solid outings for the Celtics and has them two wins away from an NBA title. The first-time All-NBA forward stuffed the stat sheet in Game 3 with 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds (49.5 fantasy points).
Tatum didn’t shoot well on Wednesday as he did in Game 2, but he’s still finding ways to impact the game. He has scored 40 or more fantasy points in seven consecutive games and averaged 49 fantasy points per game.
UTIL C Robert Williams, Celtics ($6,200)
Williams was a significant factor on both ends of the floor for the Celtics in Game 3. The young center produced eight points, four blocks, three steals, and 10 rebounds (34.5 fantasy points).
The last time Williams recorded 10 rebounds in the playoffs was on May 25 against the Heat, where he also scored 26.5 fantasy points. It will be interesting to see how Williams plays with one day off between Games 3 and 4 as he’s still dealing with left knee soreness. If he’s at least 75 percent, he should have success against Kevon Looney and Draymond Green.
UTIL SF/PF Andrew Wiggins, Warriors ($7,400)
Wiggins is a must-start for Game 4, as he’s been the most consistent player outside of Curry for Golden State. The veteran forward had 18 points (7-of-16 FG, 1-of-6 from three), seven rebounds, and two assists for 36.8 fantasy points on Wednesday.
Wiggins’ points prop has been profitable, as it normally sits between 15.5 and 16.5 points. He’s currently averaging 16.3 points per game and has scored more than 30 fantasy points twice in the NBA Finals. We should look for Wiggins to have another solid outing in Game 4.
UTIL SG Gary Payton II, Warriors (3,300)
Payton will be the final utility selection for Friday night, as he might be more valuable than Jordan Poole. The defensive-minded guard didn't do much offensively for Golden State on Wednesday night with only two points and a rebound in 11 minutes.
If you’re putting Payton in your lineup, don’t expect him to score 20 fantasy points like Thompson or Wiggins. If Payton scores 15.8 fantasy points, which he did in Game 2, that could be the difference between cashing and coming up empty.