Saturday, July 3, changes venues, with the Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals back in Atlanta. Let’s look at the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Don’t forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content, including the FREE NBA Deep Dive — the most in-depth article in the industry. Also, be sure to check out Awesemo’s YouTube channel for daily fantasy basketball advice.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Saturday, July 3
Yahoo Play of the Day — Khris Middleton: Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 47.69 | DraftKings: 50.61
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 80.5% | FanDuel 68.0% | DraftKings 75.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $37 | FanDuel $15,000 | DraftKings $10,400
For a second straight game, Milwaukee has ruled out Giannis Antetokounmpo with a hyperextended knee. Unfortunately, we have seen Antetokounmp miss enough games now over the last two seasons that we are familiar with this drill. Khris Middleton moves to the front of the pecking order as the primary scoring option. Middleton is averaging 1.00 Yahoo fantasy points per minute in 475 postseason minutes on the court with Antetokounmpo. In 151 minutes without him, that rate elevates to 1.32 Yahoo fantasy points per minute. Middleton is a core option in all formats tonight.
Jrue Holiday: Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.91 | DraftKings: 50.05
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 70.5% | FanDuel 62.7% | DraftKings 76.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $33 | FanDuel $14,500 | DraftKings $9,600
Utilizing NBA WOWY we can see that Jrue Holiday produces 0.90 Yahoo fantasy points per minute when he and Giannis share the court. Without him, Holiday sees his production leap to 1.28 fantasy points per minute. Not only will Holiday be the primary facilitator, but he also shoulders more of the overall scoring responsibility.
Brook Lopez: Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 31.02 | DraftKings: 29.98
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 40.5% | FanDuel 36.8% | DraftKings 43.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $21 | FanDuel $10,500 | DraftKings $7,200
In Game 5, Brook Lopez absolutely demolished the Hawks in the paint. Not only did he lead the team with 33 points on 14 of 18 from the field, but he also had seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals. While that is likely the highwater mark, even if he manages just 80% of that tonight without Antetokoumpo, he is a fantasy steal.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Milwaukee Bucks
- Bobby Portis, $17: This is no longer a discounted salary for Portis. However, he still does have some attainable upside value. The most impressive thing we have seen from him this series is actual, honest-to-goodness defensive effort. That makes it much easier for coach Mike Budenholzer to justify playing him heavy minutes, which in turn allows Portis to rack up the points and other counting stats as a DFS darling.
- P.J. Tucker, $11: It is hard to count on Tucker seeing heavy minutes and double-digit rebounds again. However, he did his part filling in for Antetokoumpo, and with his static salary, he is by far the best punt option from the Bucks.
- Pat Connaughton, $10: Ugh, the Bryn Forbes opportunity was a waste, and while Connaughton was not much better, he at least has an established role in the rotation.
Atlanta Hawks
- Lou Williams, $13: We likely will not know the status of Trae Young until much closer to tipoff. If he is out, Williams is an excellent option, and we should pencil him in for something in the 22-27 Yahoo fantasy point range. It is unlikely he gets to 40+ fantasy points as he did in Game 4. However, 30 fantasy points are within the reasonable outcomes as long as Young sits or is extremely limited.
- Cam Reddish, $11: Once again, Reddish played around 23 minutes after missing the better part of four months with an Achilles injury. Even if Young returns, Reddish should be in line for 16-18 minutes, and he is firmly in play on Yahoo for his near-minimum salary.
- Danilo Gallinari, $12: Looking at the every other game theory, this will be something in the low-teens from a fantasy perspective for the 10-year veteran. Okay, that simply is not true. However, it is a reminder that Gallinari is a bit of a scoring-dependent wildcard who seems to have equal chances of disappointing his backers as being a tournament difference-maker.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Saturday, July 3 Slate
Have realistic expectations on the single-game slates, and while the giant tournaments are fun, the smaller-field contests can be lucrative with fewer lineup duplications. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
