This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Wednesday's four-game playoff slate will be the last opportunity for the Timberwolves and the Thunder to extend their postseason campaigns as they both face elimination with a loss. In do-or-die situations like these you can count on both teams playing some inspired basketball.
Luckily for the Thunder, they get to keep Russell Westbrook ($10,600) for Game 5 after talk of a suspension by the league, and there's little doubt that he'll be firing on all cylinders to take this series to six games. For this slate, I think you're going to get interchangeable output between Westbrook and James Harden ($10,900), but after playing only 33 minutes in their last game it looks like Houston is only opting to get Harden back on the floor if things get close.
He'll put up a huge game, but I don't think either player will come close to LeBron James ($12,000), who will stay on the floor for the duration of the game in an effort to take a 3-2 lead against Indiana. The other 10K-plus player is John Wall ($10,500), who's the primary reason Toronto hasn't been able to advance. The reasonable price for Wall makes him my favorite in the spend-up category, with James, Westbrook and Harden ranked in that order. Chances are good that I will fade James to make my lower-priced picks a tad more palatable – while 60 points from James is something we would all enjoy, the $1.1-1.8k you save by going to Wall or Westbrook makes things a lot easier.
I'll now feature three players at each position with a couple of non-highlighted selections to consider as well. At least one of the picks at each spot will be a lower-cost budget play.
GUARDS
Donovan Mitchell, UTA at OKC ($8,400): If there was any time for the rookie to excel and cement his place as one of the NBA's premier backcourt players, it would be on Wednesday in this pivotal elimination game where they can put an end to Oklahoma City's playoff aspirations. Ricky Rubio has been the big surprise for the Jazz but Mitchell has kept chugging along, averaging 47 DKFP in the series. Although you've got a lot of quality picks in this range, Mitchell's floor makes him the most attractive way to go.
Jeff Teague, MIN at HOU ($6,000): Unless I hear that Teague's dislocated finger is really hindering his shot, I'll take the risk of blowing up my entire lineup and go with Teague. All the T-Wolves have to do is look at their only win in this series and analyze the box score to realize that when Teague excels, they fare much better against the Rockets. All he needs is the opportunity. The Rockets are definitely vulnerable if they run cold, and I think Teague will dig deep, play past this injury and post a big number.
Gerald Green, HOU vs. MIN ($4,000): If you're of the mind that Minnesota is primed for a blowout, then Green is your guy. He'll likely be under-owned after a poor showing in Game 4, but he went off for 43.5 DKFP in the 20-point blowout in Game 2, and if they pull away in the second half you're sure to see a lot of Green. I would only use him in GPP's though, as his ceiling will depend on how much fight is left in the T-Wolves' tank.
Other guards to consider: DeMar DeRozan, TOR vs. WAS ($8,300); Delon Wright, TOR vs. WAS ($4,500); Kelly Oubre, Jr., WAS at TOR ($4,300)
FORWARDS
Paul George, OKC vs. UTA ($8,000): Even though it's likely he'll return to OKC next year, he really, really doesn't want to see the season end this way. We've seen George's ability to take over a game, especially when he gets hot from the perimeter. While I like Carmelo Anthony ($5,800) as well in this elimination game, George is an excellent cash anchor, especially if you're fading the higher-priced guys.
Bojan Bogdanovic, IND at CLE ($5,200): This game will likely be the most unpredictable in terms of who the eventual victor will be, but Bojan's minutes in the series show that he can outdo his season averages on any given night. If you don't like this look, I think Thaddeus Young ($5,500) has been very impressive in the past three games and has a very persuasive ceiling.
Markieff Morris, WAS at TOR ($4,900): I like Morris' potential as a risk-reward tournament play on Wednesday. Though his stat lines have been all over the place and it's anyone's guess as to who will emerge in the unpredictable Wizards frontcourt, he's been fantasy-relevant when he sees more than 30 minutes of playing time.
Other forwards to consider:Jimmy Butler, MIN at HOU ($7,900); Joe Ingles, UTA at OKC ($7,100)
CENTERS
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,500) vs. Clint Capela ($7,300): I pair these two together in an effort to express that it might be best to avoid them altogether due to the potential variance that could befall both of them. It certainly hasn't been a great series for Towns, who showed up with double-doubles almost nightly in the regular season but has been just average in relation to his potential. This makes Capela a much more attractive option, but only if Minnesota can keep things close. If it looks like a blowout, it's entirely possible that we'll see a lot less from Capela. That being said, his production will be enough to warrant the $7,300 price tag and I'm more inclined to go that way.
Rudy Gobert, UTA at OKC ($7,000): Honestly, I may avoid the Towns-Capela quandary and just land here. I think the lion's share of production will come from our backcourts on Wednesday and a reasonably priced five with a reliable floor looks a lot better in my cash lineups. If you blow a lot of money on Towns I just don't think you'll be getting your money's worth.
Myles Turner, IND at CLE ($5,100): I'm a bit mystified as to how Turner remains this cheap. Domantas Sabonis can eat into his minutes he's averaged 25 DKFP in this series and while that isn't exactly eye-popping, there's been no game-by-game deviation in that average so at least you'll know what you're getting. That's not a bad recipe for a pick in the 5K range.
