Two hours and fifty three minutes. That was the game time of Sunday’s Clippers-Rockets fiasco which was mired in the Hack-a-Shaq strategy employed by Houston coach Kevin McHale. Social media was abuzz during and after the game as most East Coasters were disgusted by what they saw transpire at the Staples Center. Most of the backlash was due to the fact that the East Coast needs to go to sleep earlier than past midnight, but that is neither here nor there. At any rate, considering the rejection of McHale's strategy by many of his players (to say nothing of its complete failure), don't expect DeAndre Jordan to go to the free-throw line as often as he did on Sunday.
We've provided our daily picks throughout the year and we'll continue to push hard during this second NBA season. Below are our favorite FanDuel DFS picks for Saturday May 12th, 2015.
Keep in mind, fantasy basketball is a fickle game when it comes to injured players, so be sure to check all lineups prior to tip-off. If you want to chat about your roster picks, check out the DFS chat room at the bottom of this post.
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The Usual Suspects
Blake Griffin (PF, LAC) - $11,600
He only played 33 minutes in Sunday’s win and finished with 35.1 FDP. That's his second-worst game in the playoffs thus far. With the Golden State-Memphis series headed towards six or seven games, Griffin and the Clippers will want to close out this series as soon as possible to give Chris Paul as much rest as they can. Griffin is due for a monster.
LeBron James (SF, CLE) - $11,600
Who else is going to score for the Cavaliers? No, seriously. That's a real question. Do the Cavs have another scorer that isn’t hurt on their team?
Derrick Rose (PG, CHI) - $8,300
Boy, Rose has looked solid all series. If Kyrie Irving does go, and it looks increasingly likely that he will attempt to play with a bum knee, Rose is going to shred him. And there’s no chance Matthew Dellavedova can D-up Chicago’s point guard.
Joakim Noah (C, CHI) - $5,700
It's hard to roster a big man that has looked so inept for most of the playoffs. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Noah has gotten stronger and more productive as each game has progressed. 35 FDP on the night is a good projection.
The Bracket-Buster Role-Players
J.J. Redick (LAC, SG) - $5,000
J.J. has scored at least 12 points in every game of this series, as Houston has struggled to find anyone that can put a hand up on the sharpshooter. He and Matt Barnes can feel which way the wind is blowing.
Matt Barnes (SF, LAC) - $4,500
The veteran journeyman was terrific in the Clippers’ first-round closeout game. Tuesday should be no different. Expect Los Angeles to come out swinging hard in the first half, and like a shark that smells blood, Barnes will go in for the kill.
Austin Rivers (PG, LAC) - $4,200
If you're Doc Rivers, why even play Chris Paul more than 20 minutes? If he truly is still injured, it makes no sense to risk further injury to that hamstring by giving him a heavy workload, especially if the team is getting this kind of solid production from Rivers. The Clippers’ magical ride continues with Rivers at the helm.
Nikola Mirotic (PF, CHI) - $2,000
Mirotic didn't exactly light it up for his owners on Sunday, but that’s not to say he didn't have his share of scoring opportunities. In the first half, Mirotic had plenty of open looks, but went 1-for-7 from the field. He’s simply too good of a shooter to continue to miss. Look for the same game plan with different (better) results from Chicago and their big man.