Daily Fantasy Basketball doesn’t take days off. The Magic’s series-tying win on Friday night extended the first-round series to the seventh game. More importantly, the win created an NBA DFS Showdown Slate on DraftKings. The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Orlando Magic for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. Let’s highlight some players to consider for your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Game 7 Special [$100K to 1st] (ORL vs CLE)
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Donovan Mitchell ($17,400 CP) — The Magic play great defense. Not Friday they didn’t. Mitchell dropped 50 points on 22 of 36 shooting. Actually, they did play great defense. The only Cav that scored in the fourth quarter of Game 6 was Donovan Mitchell. All 18 points were Mitchell’s. He’ll have to go back into “Fine, I’ll do it myself mode” again in Game 7. His 50 points might just be a warmup.
Paolo Banchero ($16,800 CP) — Donovan Mitchell wasn’t the only star who stepped up in Game 6. Banchero scored 10 of his own points in the fourth quarter. He finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists. This followed a career-high in points in Game 5 (39 points). During the pivotal games in this series, Banchero has carried his team. Down 0-2 in the series, he scored 61.25 DKFP in 29 minutes. On the road in a one-point loss in Game 5, he had the best postseason game of his career. Facing elimination in Game 6, he scored 44.5 DKFP for a value of 5.4x — that’s a very good return from a top-tier player on a small slate and a small, playoff slate.
Franz Wagner ($10,200) — Is it a Banchero night or Wagner night? For the Magic’s sake it better be both. If it has to be one, it would be wiser to wager on Wagner. Bachero won’t back down, but Wagner has been much more efficient in the series. His playoff Usage Rate is noticeably lower than his regular season average. It’s not an easy matchup and teams match up differently in the playoffs. That being said, he’s scoring and getting to the free-throw line. This is no time to be deferential. It’s Game 7 on the road. Shoot the ball, Franz!
Jonathan Isaac ($4,800) — Is this the end for the 2023-2024 NBA DFS Small Slate King? Isaac was routinely a key NBA DFS value pick on small slates this season. Here we are again. It doesn’t get smaller but the contests don’t get bigger. Isaac is a microwave off the bench. He’s been just as productive as a starter. His role remains uncertain. The Magic have gone Isaac alone, tall with Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr ($5,800) and closed smaller with just Carter in Game 6. The production isn’t the question. It’s the playing time.
Darius Garland ($8,800) — With Jarrett Allen ($9,000) out in Game 6, Garland stepped up. He scored 40.25 DKFP in Game 6 without scoring a point in the fourth quarter. Allen could be out again. At the very least, the big man will be limited. Garland has to step into his ruby red slippers and step up. It’s Game 7 in Cleveland — where the Cavs have won all of their games during this series.
Wendell Carter Jr ($5,800) — He’s hot. Carter scored 31.75 DKFP in Game 5 and 29.75 DKFP in Game 6. There are large asterisks next to each of those totals — 6’9” asterisks. Jarrett Allen missed both of those games. The season is on the line. Allen should be out there. If that’s the case, Carter’s role changes. The matchup is much more difficult.
This has been a sensational series. Two defensive teams have gone back and forth but neither team has won on the opponent’s home court. The Cleveland crowd has been electric. ESPN turned off the broadcast mics for the opening minutes of Game 1 in Cleveland. The roars of the crowd served as play-by-play and it spoke volumes. Cleveland by a billion!
Final score: Cavaliers 107, Magic 98
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $300K Game 7 Special [$100K to 1st] (ORL vs CLE)
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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.