NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 8/26/20

James Harden leads Wednesday's daily fantasy slate in a crucial Game 5 versus Oklahoma City.

With three games to choose from on today's NBA slate, let's look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Update: The NBA has postponed all three playoff games today.

Point Guard

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,400) -- SGA has played well over the last three games after posting just nine points and four rebounds in Game 1. He scored 31, 23, and 18 over the previous three and double-doubled in Game 4 with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Thunder evened up the series, and he's been responsible for a lot of the success over the last two games, which ended in victories. He's played 44 and 48 minutes in those two contests, and in a series-swinging Game 5, he'll probably surpass 40 again.

George Hill ($3,900) -- Hill didn't wow anybody in the Bucks' previous game, but Eric Bledsoe ($5,800) played so poor that Hill could see a boost in minutes. Hill played only 23 minutes but recorded nine points and six assists with two boards and two steals. He did a little bit of everything, and with a clinching opportunity in front of them, they may rely on the 34-year-old veteran Hill off the bench to provide a spark. numberFire's model projects Hill to post 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, but I think he'll make more of an impact in Game 5 after Bledsoe's horrific game.

Shooting Guard

James Harden ($11,800) -- Harden posted his second double-double of the series with 32 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds in 43 minutes and a loss. He's attempted at least 11 three-pointers in all four games and at least 22 shot attempts in three-of-four games. In his last game, he refused to get to the line with only five free-throw attempts compared to 10.6 in the first three outings. Without Russell Westbrook, keep starting Harden in DFS, and with all the star power on the schedule tonight, he has to be in the majority if not all your lineups.

Terrence Ross ($5,000) -- Ross has scored 18 points or more in three-straight games and has attempted 13 or more shots in all four postseason meetings -- and seven of eight on the entire season. Ross has tossed up 22 three-pointers in his last three games and versus a Bucks defense that ranks last on the season with 39.3 triples allowed per game. He grabbed a series-high eight rebounds and attempted six free-throws in Game 4 versus the Bucks. In every game this series, he's finished second on the team in scoring, and that should continue behind Nikola Vucevic ($9,200).

Small Forward

Danilo Gallinari ($6,300) -- Gallinari is coming off his worst performance of the series versus the Rockets but still put up 10 shot attempts for the fourth-straight game. He extended his streak in this series to a perfect 25-of-25 from the free-throw line, and coming off his series low 29 minutes; he should keep firing away or getting to the line if he's not hitting. Gallinari's shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc in four games and the Rockets have allowed the Thunder to shoot 34% and 45% from three the past two games. Gallinari's averaged 18.8 points and 4.5 rebounds versus the Rockets this series.

Carmelo Anthony ($5,900) -- Melo has played well over the last two games of the series, averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals compared to 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the first two games. The Blazers have lost three straight, and with Damian Lillard ($10,700) exiting Game 4 early, a veteran like Melo can assist in the scoring department. Anthony has shot 40% or better in the last two games and five of his previous eight games total for Portland. numberFire's model predicts Melo to total 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Power Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300) -- Giannis has scored at least 28 points in four-straight games and 15 or more rebounds in three of four. He's carried the Bucks to three-consecutive victories, and for the third time in four tries, he's attempted at least 21 shots. He's visited the free-throw line 35 times through four games and has also dished out 6.7 assists per game in this series in addition to averaging a double-double of 31.3 points and 15.7 rebounds. Along with Harden, Giannis has to be considered the top prospect on the DFS slate.

Robert Covington ($5,700) -- Covington is coming off series-highs in points (14), rebounds (6), shot attempts (11), three-point attempts (8), blocks (2), and minutes (34). The all-around forward has played up and down minutes throughout the four games, but off his high of 34 minutes, he played his best basketball. In Game 5, the Rockets could use more RoCo, and with Steven Adams ($5,500) only playing 26 minutes, it's evident Adams is being exposed defensively when on the floor with Covington and the rest of the small-ball lineup opposite of him.

Center

Hassan Whiteside ($4,900) -- Whiteside only played 17 minutes in Game 4's blowout loss, but he had 11 points, a series-high. Without Zach Collins, Portland is calling on Whiteside to step up alongside Jusuf Nurkic ($8,600). Down 3-1 in the series, anybody on the Blazers could be the one to step up. Whiteside dominated the Lakers in the regular season. He averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds over 33.3 minutes in three games compared to 8.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 22.5 minutes over four postseason meetings.

P.J. Tucker ($4,300) -- Tucker has scored 11 or more points in three of four postseason games and his first double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Game 4. For the third time in four games, he nailed three or more triples, and despite recording four or more fouls in each game, he's played at least 30 minutes. On a short-slate, a player like Tucker could be a real sleeper. numberFire's model predicts Tucker to post 7.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in Game 5, but he's averaged 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the postseason.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.com