NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals DFS Preview

NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals DFS Preview

This article is part of our Category Strategy series.

Warriors vs. Trail Blazers

Regular-Season Series: 2-2, GS +15

Warriors' Top Fantasy Performers

Playoffs

Kevin Durant (50.5 FP, 39.1 MIN)

Draymond Green (39.9 FP, 37.8 MIN)

Stephen Curry (39.8 FP, 36.4 MIN)

Regular Season vs. Blazers

Kevin Durant (50.9 FP, 36.5 MIN)

Stephen Curry (47.6 FP, 36.8 MIN)

Klay Thompson (37.7 FP, 34.4 MIN)

Blazers' Top Fantasy Performers

Playoffs

Damian Lillard (46.9 FP, 40.6 MIN)

C.J. McCollum (40.1 FP, 39.7 MIN)

Enes Kanter (30.0 FP, 32.7 MIN)

Regular Season vs. Warriors

Damian Lillard (42.7 FP, 36.6 MIN)

Jusuf Nurkic (37.4 FP, 30.1 MIN)

C.J. McCollum (27.0 FP, 34.1 MIN)

Al-Farouq Aminu (25.0 FP, 27.9 MIN)

Analysis

The Warriors are expected to be without Kevin Durant (calf) for the first two games of this series, which should open up more usage for Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala. That was the case during Golden State's Game 6 win over Houston without KD, as Curry took 20 shots for 33 points, Thompson took 20 shots for 27 points and Iguodala took 11 shots for 17 points. In the playoffs as a whole without KD or DeMarcus Cousins on the floor, Curry has seen the biggest bump in usage. It jumps 12.7%, and he averages 50.3 FP per 36 minutes under that condition.

Portland will continue to be without the services of Jusuf Nurkic, though that hasn't slowed them up to this point. The Blazers didn't play the Warriors during the regular season once Kanter was available, but Kanter still played against the Warriors twice as a member of the Knicks. In those games, he averaged 10.0 PPG on 47.6 FG%, 14.5 RPG and 2.0 APG across 22.7 MPG. He'll see more run than that here, so it's possible he has a monster series on the glass. One concern for Portland should be the play of C.J. McCollum. During the regular-season series, he shot just 36.6 FG% and 30.0 3P%. As evidenced by his 40.1 FP/game in the playoffs, his shot-making ability has been crucial to the Blazers' run thus far. If he struggles, Portland could fall fast.

Bucks vs. Raptors

Regular-Season Series: MIL (3-1), +26

Bucks' Top Fantasy Performers

Playoffs

Giannis Antetokounmpo (53.3 FP, 31.5 MIN)

Khris Middleton (33.5 FP, 32.7 MIN)

Eric Bledsoe (29.5 FP, 27.4 MIN)

Regular Season vs. Raptors

Giannis Antetokounmpo (57.9 FP, 34.9 MIN)

Khris Middleton (31.6 FP, 33.1 MIN)

Eric Bledsoe (30.6 FP, 30.6 MIN)

Raptors' Top Fantasy Performers

Playoffs

Kawhi Leonard (49.1 FP, 37.4 MIN)

Pascal Siakam (37.5 FP, 35.9 MIN)

Kyle Lowry (32.0 FP, 37.3 MIN)

Regular Season vs. Bucks

Kawhi Leonard (47.9 FP, 36.9 MIN)

Serge Ibaka (43.5 FP, 33.9 MIN)

Pascal Siakam (41.4 FP, 33.8 MIN)

Analysis

The Bucks have lost just one playoff game, and they'll come into this series as the fresher squad. Toronto didn't do a great job of containing Milwaukee during the regular season, as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe all played up to standard, with Giannis even averaging 15.3 RPG. However, the Bucks haven't faced the Raptors once Marc Gasol joined the team, so it's possible coach Nick Nurse tries something new defensively. Still, it's likely he'll guard Brook Lopez. In two matchups against the Bucks as a member of the Grizzlies this season, Gasol racked up 78 defensive possessions against Lopez, limiting him to nine points on nine shots. The added presence of Malcolm Brogdon for the Bucks should help keep the offense from becoming stagnant, which it did at times against the Celtics in Round 2. During the regular-season series, he averaged 27.7 FP against Toronto.

Kawhi Leonard is putting on an absurd playoff showing for the Raptors, and it often feels like he's dragging the team with him. He'll meet stiff competition against Milwaukee, however, and it's a team that's guarded him well. While he averaged nearly 50 FP against the Bucks in the regular-season, he shot just 42.6 FG% and 30.3 3P%. Serge Ibaka's regular-season numbers can essentially be thrown out the window, as he's been limited to 21.3 MPG in the postseason. Pascal Siakam found a ton of success, though. He shot 64.5 FG% against the Bucks and could be worth a shot in DFS as a high upside, mid-cost play. Someone worth avoiding might be Kyle Lowry, who shot an atrocious 23.3 FG% against the Bucks, and had a less-than ideal ratio of 4.0 TOV/game to 8.3 APG.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
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