A jam-packed nine-game NBA slate comes to an exciting conclusion on Saturday night when the Sixers visit the Clippers in Los Angeles as they near the end of their West Coast road trip. Despite missing Joel Embiid, who is out several weeks with a knee injury, the Sixers have remained strong and figure to put on a show with the talented Clippers. Without further ado, let’s get into how to construct your Showdown lineups for Saturday evening.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $120K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st] (PHI vs LAC)
Captain
Tobias Harris ($15,000 CP)
Without Embiid, you’d think that this offense would be all about Ben Simmons ($10,600), but you’d be wrong. While Simmons has played an important role as a facilitator and defensive anchor, Harris has been the more dynamic of the two on the offensive end, filling up the stat sheet with threes and buckets out of post-ups. With Kawhi Leonard ($10,200) questionable, not only does Harris become a more attractive option because of his matchup, but he also could become the best option by default.
Paul George ($14,700 CP)
You also can’t go wrong with PG here, particularly if Kawhi is out again for the Clippers. It’s hard to find good matchups in this game with two solid defenses, but the Sixers rank 23rd in DKFP allowed to opposing shooting guards thanks to Danny Green ($5,400) and his affection for not playing defense. George has been pretty solid with 40.3 DKFP per game over the past five games and should provide a solid base here at captain.
Fades
Reggie Jackson ($5,200)
I’m normally all over Jackson in these Clippers showdowns, but I can’t recommend taking a guy who’s gonna face Ben Simmons for 30 minutes. The other thing making Jackson a great fade is the fact that he’s coming off a monster night in which he scored a season-high in points and will be a popular choice at this price. Jackson’s simply been too volatile, and this defense is too good to be messing with.
Value FLEX Options
Matisse Thybulle ($3,200)
Thybulle’s role with the Sixers seems to grow by the week. He’s an exceptional defensive player and because of his prowess on that end he has been forcing Doc Rivers to find ways to get him on the floor. With 21.2 minutes per game over the past six games and a solid 14.8 DKFP in those games, he should provide a way to get at least 5X for you here at this price, and is of particular interest in a game that should be a defensive battle. I’d think he pushes closer toward 30 minutes than 20.
Mike Scott ($2,600)
Scott is a great speculative play here as the only center the Sixers have right now behind Dwight Howard. He’s actually a pretty great option on offense considering he’s not terrible in the post and can shoot the three pretty well, so as long as he sees 15-to-20 minutes, as should be expected, he should be a really nice value on this slate.
The Outcome
Even though I laid out so many great options on the Sixers, I do think that the Clippers will ultimately emerge victorious in a battle between two pretty great defenses. Without Embiid, the Sixers should be at a slight disadvantage, as they rely on a high volume of 3-point attempts without that option in the post. The Clippers, meanwhile, can lean on George and (maybe) Leonard to find ways through a staunch defense and slip by.
Final Score: Clippers 107, Sixers 103
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $120K Fadeaway [$30K to 1st] (PHI vs LAC)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jetsfan196) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.