NBA Showdown Playbook February 2: Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Clippers
There is a lot of star power coming at us tonight as the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Milwaukee Bucks in a late-night NBA DFS Showdown Slate matchup. Between Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George there are a lot of high ceiling, and high priced, options available to us. There is a salary cap though, so we do have to take a look at some more cost-effective options as well.
Injuries
Los Angeles Clippers
Marcus Morris – Questionable (ribs)
John Wall - Out
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Probable (knee)
Bobby Portis – Out
NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks
MVP/Captain
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
From a roster flexibility standpoint, Leonard works better tonight and with the forward performing at increased levels of success as he continues to work his way back, it is hard to overlook him. While he certainly is having success on the court, Leonard’s workload is also increasing and the forward is certainly proving to be up to the task. In his last four games, Leonard has been a force offensively with 29.3 points per game while adding six rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
You are certainly paying a premium here to secure Antetokounmpo for tonight, and it certainly becomes a roster construction issue. In his last five games, the forward hasn’t scored less than 50.5 DK points and he is performing at quite the elite level with 37.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game in that stretch. Antetokounmpo is making a mockery of any knee soreness, but we should keep an eye on his status regardless.
Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
Now with Bobby Portis sidelined, there continues to be opportunity for a little extra offense from Holiday and the point guard continues to deliver. Holiday is averaging 7.2 assists per game this year to go along with 19.4 points as he is not letting any increased scoring take away from his playmaking duties.
Utility
Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
George seems to be perpetually dealing with knee soreness, but aside from a little extra rest, it has not slowed him down this season. Leonard has surged past George on most nights offensively, but that is not to say anything bad about George who is also averaging 25.3 points per game in his last four. Perhaps more importantly, as we know he can score, George has 7.5 rebounds and six assists per game in that stretch as well.
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
We are getting there with Middleton as the Bucks ease him back into action, but his minutes and production are both rising faster than his price. He went from 18 to 20 minutes in his last game, and with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists it was his best game yet. Things should only get better from here.
Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers
Powell is, most nights, a strong third option on the offensive side for the Clippers, and they will need him tonight to keep up with the Bucks. The swingman is coming off a 27 point effort against the Bulls in which he also got to the line 10 times while making each free throw. After three rough shooting games in a row in which he made four shots each, it was a good sign to see Powell bounce back.
Dart Throw
Nicolas Batum, Los Angeles Clippers
Batum shouldn’t have any issues finding his way into another 25 or so minutes of playing time tonight and that gives him enough time to fill the box score. While Batum doesn’t particularly excel at anything specific on a nightly basis, he does enough to hit a 4x to 5x return on this price.
Joe Ingles, Milwaukee Bucks
Ingles seems to have settled into a steady role playing about 20 minutes a night for Milwaukee. The issue is that he is only averaging about 4.5 shots per game in that stretch so, while it does limit his value some, he could easily run into a few three-pointers.
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Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.