NBA DFS Showdown Playbook: Clippers vs Jazz
Published: Dec 15, 2021
Los Angeles Clippers & Utah Jazz
Spread: Jazz -8
Total: 215.5
Injuries:
Los Angeles Clippers:
Paul George – Questionable (Elbow)
Kawhi Leonard – Out
Nicolas Batum – Questionable (Ankle)
Serge Ibaka - Out
Utah Jazz:
None
**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.
MVP/CPT
Paul George, SG/SF (LAC) – This is obviously contingent on George returning after missing the last three games with an elbow injury, but if he does, he will be very busy working to keep the Clippers in the game. George is averaging 25 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game and we can expect him to take at least 20 to 25 shots tonight.
Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG (UTA) – Mitchell has found his offensive stroke as of late and continues to pace Utah on a nightly basis. While the rebounding (3.8) and assist levels (five) per game could be better, it’s hard to match his upside in the scoring department. If George is out tonight, Mitchell is the best player on the slate, but this might be a night to spend down in the captain seat for a more balanced lineup.
Marcus Morris, SF/PF (LAC) – If George is out tonight then Morris might be my top option here as he went for 24 points and 11 rebounds on Monday against Phoenix. Of course, there is the risk of a blowout if George doesn’t play and the Clippers are careful with Morris’ minutes, but the forward will have a key role tonight regardless as he generally plays around 30 minutes per game. In five of his last six games, Morris is averaging 20.6 points per game as we selective exclude the two-point effort in between.
Reggie Jackson, PG (LAC) – Jackson has benefited from Batum and George being out, but the point guard is pretty involved in the Clippers’ offense regardless. I want to see more than four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, but if Jackson is going to continue taking 15 to 20 shots a game, he is certainly worth a look here at the price point.
Util
Rudy Gobert, C (UTA) – Generally Gobert would find himself in the captain tier, and while I don’t a have problem with going with the Utah center there, I think this is a better fit for him. There is nothing wrong with Gobert averaging 15.1 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, and there is 50 fantasy point upside here, but playing time could be an issue here if Utah goes up big and I’m not sure there is enough here to warrant 1.5x price tag here.
Luke Kennard, SG (LAC) – Kennard has been benefiting from the Clippers’ injuries from a volume perspective, but it’s really just one game (against Orlando) in which he took 16 shots that I’m questioning if George and Batum make their way back. The shots have been falling for Kennard at close to a 50% rate these days, with a lot of that production coming from downtown, and the rebounds have been a nice bonus.
Bojan Bogdanovic, SF/PF (UTA) – Bogdanovic can get hot quickly and score in bunches as evidenced by his 16.8 points per game. He is on the one-dimensional side, but there’s generally enough offense to get us to where we need to be.
Ivica Zubac, C (LAC) – With 10 points and eight rebounds per game, Zubac gets us to a solid place on a nightly basis and the price is right. We get the occasional double-double for a little more upside, but Zubac gives us a nice floor here.
Mike Conley, PG (UTA) – Conley isn’t going to score 29-points every night, but he has been a consistent double-digit scorer while averaging 5.5 assists per game. If the dependable point guard fits into your lineup, he’s a solid option tonight, but not someone who I’m completely targeting either.
Dart Throws
Royce O’Neale, PF (UTA) – O’Neale starts and plays around 30-minutes a game so that generally puts him on our radar here. With just 10 points in his last two games, O’Neale has struggled offensively and we aren’t getting the rebounds either. Prior to that, we were getting solid production out of the forward, so I’m not sure we should overreact over two rough games.
Isaiah Hartenstein, C (LAC) – I’m perfectly fine playing both Los Angeles centers tonight, and it’s hard to miss what Hartenstein did on Monday with 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two blocked shots. It might be a little heavy to chase from a performance perspective, but there’s no reason not to expect 20 fantasy points tonight.
Hassan Whiteside, C (UTA) – Talk about efficiency. In his last two games, Whiteside has played a combined 35 minutes and has 77.5 DK points. Whiteside is scoring and rebounding at crazy levels on a per minute basis, and at the price, I’m comfortable chasing a third straight game with that performance. If Utah jumps out to a large lead, it’s possible Whiteside gets a little more playing time tonight, but even still, he has proven he can do a lot with 15 to 20 minutes of playing time.
Player News
Josh Giddey logged 40 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, scoring 25 points (9-of-21 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs) with 10 rebounds, four assists, one block and two three-pointers.
Giddey’s first season in Chicago ended disappointingly, despite him recording a double-double. Unsurprisingly, being defended by Bam Adebayo to begin Wednesday’s game was problematic for the Bulls point guard, who was also dealing with a hand injury. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported before the game that Giddey has a torn muscle in his right (shooting) hand, something he’s dealt with for the past month. Losing on Wednesday means he can get that taken care of, and restricted free agency will be interesting. Giddey’s likely raised his value after this season; how much are the Bulls willing to play, especially after handing Lonzo Ball an extension a few months ago? Returning to Chicago would make Giddey a far more valuable player in fantasy basketball than he was with the Thunder.
Andrew Wiggins accumulated 20 points (8-of-20 FGs, 0-of-2 FTs), nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers in 35 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls.
Wiggins was impactful on both ends of the floor, supplementing Tyler Herro’s 38-point effort with 20 of his own while recording a complete stat line. Since joining the Heat, Wiggins shot nearly 46 percent from the field on 14.8 attempts per game, averaging 19.0 points. While those numbers are solid, the Heat will need more from him to extend their season. Miami visits Atlanta on Friday, with the winner advancing to face one-seed Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.
Bam Adebayo amassed 15 points (6-of-16 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one three-pointer in 36 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls.
Adebayo is one of the NBA’s best and most versatile defenders, and the Heat used that to their advantage on Wednesday. He began the game guarding Josh Giddey, which may have thrown off the Bulls’ starting point guard. Adebayo didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, but his rebounding and defense helped lead the way as Miami held Chicago to a season-low 90 points. The Heat visit Atlanta on Friday, with the winner advancing to face Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.
Tyler Herro shot 13-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, tallying 38 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and three three-pointers in 37 minutes.
Herro was scalding hot to begin Wednesday’s game, as he shot 8-of-8 from the field and scored 23 points in the first half. The damage was done with the Heat holding a 71-47 lead at the intermission. The Bulls should be happy that Herro committed seven turnovers on the night; things could have been worse. With Wednesday’s result, Miami has beaten Chicago in the Play-In tournament three consecutive years. Next up for the Heat is a matchup with the Hawks on Friday in Atlanta, with the winner receiving the eighth seed in the East.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Mavericks are optimistic Kyrie Irving (knee) will return to action by January.
Irrving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, ending his season. He has a player option worth $44 million next season, but Charania reported that the Mavericks would like to tear up that deal to give the point guard a three-year extension this summer. That approach would align Irving with Anthony Davis and GM Nico Harrison regarding the remaining years on their respective contracts. With Spencer Dinwiddie being a free agent this summer, whoever else is in the Mavericks’ point guard rotation may have higher value to begin the season due to Irving’s injury.
Brandon Williams (oblique) is available for Wednesday’s game against the Kings.
Injured during Sunday’s regular-season finale in Memphis, Williams is available for Wednesday’s play-in game. He’ll provide additional depth off the bench, with Jaden Hardy possibly falling in the Mavericks’ perimeter pecking order.