daily fantasy sports articles

Game Five of the NBA Finals is set to tip off on Monday (Tuesday AEST) as the Golden State Warriors attempt keep the series alive against the Toronto Raptors. With the Raptors up 3-1 in the series and home court advantage in the next game there is the very real possibility that this will be the final game and DFS slate of the 2018-19 season.

There are several major DFS tournaments on offer for Game Five, including:

●        $1.25M NBA California vs Canada Clash ($250K TO 1ST!) at DraftKings

●        $200K NBA Four Point Play (20 Entry Max) at DraftKings

●        $25K NBA High Five (Single Entry) at DraftKings

●        $10K+ NBA Raptors v Warriors at Draftstars

●        $750 NBA Raptors v Bucks $2 Mini at Draftstars

●        $4,000 NBA Finals Raptors vs Warriors Special at Moneyball

Just remember with DraftKings contests they are showdown format, which as we discussed in the last preview means you select a captain whose score counts for 1.5x their total fantasy score.

In case you are new to NBA DFS these articles break down the matchups and highlight the key plays to help you build winning lineups. For more insight into how to utilise our game breakdown data check out our NBA DFS Training Camp Series:

Part 1 – Betting Lines and Totals

Part 2 – Matchup Analysis – Pace and Defence vs Position

Part 3 – Key Statistics in Daily Fantasy Basketball

Part 4 – Trade Analysis – Breaking Down the Jimmy Butler trade

Part 5 – DraftKings Sharpshooter Winning Lineup Recap

Part 6 – Adjusting for Line-up News

Have you seen our new NBA DFS Cheat Sheets? We have added even more information for you to see at a glance, including pace numbers, last 5 scores per player and a new Slate Overview section, which brings you projected pace, projected fantasy score totals and Vegas lines and totals for every team on the slate. The perfect accompaniment to our regular previews and a great starting place for the days we don't cover!

GAME BREAKDOWN

INJURY NEWS

Kevin Durant is once again the biggest news on this slate… and there is an update. After participating in a close practice sessions today he has been upgraded to questionable for game 5. This is the first status upgrade since injuring the calf back in game 5 against the Houston Rockets.

If Durant does suit up to play it will obviously reduce minutes of players such as Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook and Alfonso Mckinnie. Durant most likely would not see his usual allotment of minutes and that combined with rust after such a long layoff would be good reason to fade him.

LINEUP BUILDING NOTES

VALUE

Danny Green (DK $4,400, DS $6,660, MB $5,500) has seen his playing time in this series return to a consistent 28 minutes per game with his lowest being 26 minutes in game 2. His shooting touch has returned going at 40% or better from deep in each game before game 4. He has also been huge on the defensive end playing against Steph Curry so Lowry doesn’t have to.

In his 26 minutes he has been averaging a shade under 21 fantasy points per game and this makes him arguably the safest value play on this slate. He has been getting open looks all series and if he can knock them down 30+ fantasy points is his ceiling as we saw in game 3 when he went 6/10 from deep. Green may get a little more responsibility in this game with VanVleet playing with the face guard after having a tooth knocked out in game 4.

MID PRICED

Kyle Lowry (DK $7,600, DS $11,770, MB $7,000) has been very consistent with the peripheral stats in this series, posting 29 and 28 fantasy points in games 1 and 4 respectively, despite scoring 10 points or lower. If Lowry can find his shooting touch, like he did in game 3, he has a ceiling of 45+ fantasy points. In this close out game I expect Lowry (as the player with the most significant history at the franchise) to be locked in and one of the leaders to carry them there in this game.

PREMIUM/CAPTAIN

Kawhi Leonard (DK $11,800, DS $18,580, MB $12,000) has been my lock and load captain in each of the games in this series. Leonard has been the best and most consistent player in this series averaging 56 fantasy points per game, with two games at 60 or better.

In game 4 he essentially put everyone on his back during patches where the Raptors were struggling and willed them back into the lead. Game 5 will simply be more of the same robotic production as he gives the team whatever it needs and works his way to a minimum 50 fantasy points.

One other positive for Leonard in this matchup is that the Warriors have alluded to the fact that they put some work into their defensive rotations today in practice. If anything this is likely to mean less of the double teams that have been leaving them out of position. If this is the case Kawhi will likely have an easier time scoring in game 5.

Dragon suggested team at DraftKings

The Daily Fantasy Rankings "Dragon" has scoured the Australian sports betting markets and found some great value picks for this game. Check out his picks for the day below and click on the links to follow his betting plays!

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