This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Stephen Curry, GS vs. SA ($8,900): John Wall is the top option on the board for this two-day slate, but Curry may be more appealing given his $2,000 discount, compared to Wall's lofty, $10,900 salary. Even as the Warriors got off to a slow start in Game 1, Curry was fantastic, finishing with 40 points on 26 shots and drilling seven of his 16 three-point attempts. While Curry registered only three assists, he added seven rebounds and three steals, which helped to offset his four turnovers.
Patty Mills, SA at GS ($5,500): Mills was a non-factor in Game 1, finishing with just five points and missing all six of his three-point attempts. He's an obvious bounceback candidate in Game 2 and will likely again see a heavy workload -- 37 minutes in Game 1 -- in the absence of Tony Parker. While his ceiling is relatively low, Mills has been productive throughout the postseason thus far, and he scored in double-figures in each of the final four games of the Spurs' previous series against Houston. If Mills is able to rediscover his stroke from three -- 7-24 3PT over the last three games -- he'll make for an appealing value play.
Jonathon Simmons, SA at GS ($4,700): Simmons' value is somewhat contingent on the status of Kawhi Leonard (ankle), but even if Leonard does play in Game 2, Simmons remains a cheap option at either a guard or forward spot. The former D-Leaguer never looked comfortable in Game 1, losing his footing on multiple occasions and finishing with 12 points in 26 minutes. It's not realistic to expect Simmons to pick up the slack if Leonard sits -- at the very least Leonard will likely be limited -- but in that situation he would be in line for increased minutes, and Simmons has proven capable of returning upwards of 8X value, as he did in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. At that time, however, he was priced at just $3,100.
Kevin Durant, GS vs. SA ($9,900): Sunday marked the third time in four games that Durant put up at least 54 DraftKings points, and while the $9,900 price tag is hefty, Durant is far and away the best option at small forward given Kawhi Leonard's injury. On Tuesday, Golden State likely won't struggle on offense to the degree it did to begin Game 1, and if Leonard is held out or limited, Durant will have a massive advantage over whichever Spurs player is tasked with guarding him. The only real concern is the potential for a blowout, as was the situation in Game 4 against Utah, when Durant played only 30 minutes and finished with 18 points, five assists and six rebounds in a 26-point Warriors victory.
LaMarcus Aldridge, SA at GS ($7,100): With Kawhi Leonard out for most of the second half, the Spurs leaned heavily on Aldridge to shoulder the offensive workload. While he launched fadeaway jumper after fadeaway jumper en route to going 4-of-13 from the floor in the second half, the Spurs didn't have much of a choice but to keep pounding the ball to Aldridge. For better for for worse, that could be the case again Tuesday, depending upon Leonard's status. Ideally, Aldridge won't settle for as many contested shots in Game 2, but he's virtually locked into a lead role offensively, making him a strong value at $7,100.
Bojan Bogdanovic, WAS at BOS ($4,000): Bogdanovic has been a risky play throughout the postseason, but coach Scott Brooks appeared to favor him over Kelly Oubre in Game 6, as Oubre played just seven minutes, compared to Bogdanovic's 17. Bogdanovic translated those minutes into just 8.5 DraftKings points, but he already has games of 21.0 and 38.0 DraftKings points, respectively, in this series. At $4,000, Bogdanovic is worth taking a chance on as the Wizards looked to pull the Game 7 upset on the road.
Al Horford, BOS vs. WAS ($7,100): There's a major gulf between Horford and the rest of the options at center in this two-game slate, with $1,600 separating him from Marcin Gortat, the second-highest-priced player at the position. The Celtics haven't asked Horford to carry a major scoring load, but he's been hyperefficient on offense while dishing out at least three assists in each of the first six games of the series. Horford already has three games of at least 40 DraftKings points in that span, including a 49.75-DraftKings-points performance in Game 1, headlined by his team-high 10 assists.
Pau Gasol, SA at GS ($5,200): The Spurs got virtually nothing out of Gasol in Game 1, as he finished with just five points on 2-of-5 shooting in 16 minutes. Golden State presents obvious matchup problems for the slow-footed veteran, but it's difficult to imagine him being as ineffective in Game 2 as he was Sunday afternoon. While the $5,200 price tag is a bit high for what's admittedly a gamble-pick, Gasol notched four games with at least 29 DraftKings points in the Spurs' previous series, and his ownership figures to be low after the Game 1 dud.
