The Bucks face elimination as they take on the Indiana Pacers yet again. So far this series, Giannis is the only consistent presence that Milwaukee can count on night after night. The Pacers, on the other hand, have shown to be fairly deep, with many players who can at least drop 15 points any night. That makes this game a good opportunity for DFS players to pick up some cheap points.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Start Em’
Kevin Porter Jr. (DraftKings Price 5K, FanDuel Price 5.3K)
Porter Jr. had a breakout game the last time these two teams met. This mostly had to do with Damian Lillard being out of commission for most of that game. Since Lillard won’t take the court, though, Porter Jr. will have even more opportunities to score. Milwaukee is certainly hoping that he can have a huge performance so that all of the scoring doesn’t have to come from just Giannis.
Tyrese Haliburton (DraftKings Price 8.5K, FanDuel Price 8.7K)
Another player who benefits from Damian Lillard’s absence is certainly Tyrese Haliburton. Without Lillard defending him, Haliburton will have a green light to shoot whenever he wants. It’s not like he will play like a ball hog, since his passing led to 15 assists in Game 4. He will just be a little more aggressive shooting the ball, hopefully to outscore his 17 points from Game 4.
Miles Turner (DraftKings Price 6.1K, FanDuel Price 6.4K)
Most players who only shoot 1-3 from three-point range don’t end up having good games. That wasn’t the case for Turner, though. He still led the team with 23 points in Game 4. Throughout the series, Turner has been able to shoot from range with some decent consistency. Therefore, if he can improve his accuracy from the three-point range, he should easily eclipse those 23 points.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Sit Em’
Aaron Nesmith (DraftKings Price 4.9K, FanDuel Price 5.1K)
Nesmith had a decent showing in Game 4 with 14 points. Nesmith also played the fewest minutes, though (only 25). This gave opportunities for bench players like Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker to step on the court and do damage. Indiana may go into Game 5 with a similar game plan, especially since they should want Siakam, Nembhard, and Turner to play as many minutes as possible. This puts Nesmith in a weird situation since he either has to hit his shots or get benched quickly.
Brook Lopez (Draft Kings Price 4K, FanDuel Price 4K)
It’s been a rough series for Lopez, who has scored in single digits in all four games. There is no reason to assume Game 5 will be any different, only because with Lillard out, Milwaukee’s game plan will involve feeding Giannis the ball in the paint as many times as possible. That doesn’t mean Lopez can’t fan out and shoot the three-pointer, but those opportunities won’t come easily. It’s more likely that the Bucks rely on his defense more than his ability to shoot the ball.
Kyle Kuzma (DraftKings and FanDuel Price 4.4K)
Kuzma has a unique opportunity to prove why they traded Khris Middleton for him in the middle of the season. So far, that hasn’t happened. It’s not only that he scored nothing in Game 1, but he’s failed to be a scoring presence outside of dropping 12 points in Game 2. He should see the ball more because Lillard is gone; however, so far, that’s only proven to make Giannis drive the paint even more.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Lock
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Draft Kings Price 11.3K, FanDuel Price 11.9K)
Despite his team having a rough series, Giannis has been extremely consistent. Partly this is because Giannis is the only consistent option on offense that the Bucks have at the moment. The fact that he scored 30+ in 3/4 of the games played so far is still impressive. Not having Lillard to rely on will only make him shoot more, so Giannis is almost guaranteed 30 points.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Fade
Taurean Prince (Draft Kings Price 3.2K, FanDuel Price 3.6K)
So far, it seems that the role Prince fills in this option is to get the ball behind the arc and shoot threes. Therefore, going 0-3 from behind the arc is one of the worst stats a player like that can see. Prince won’t let that happen again: Giannis will need shooters, and Prince is more accurate than that usually. He won’t be a strong option for DFS, though, just because he won’t see the ball as much.
