PG: Jrue Holiday: The Bucks are missing a few players and Malcolm Brogdon isn’t the best defender. Holiday see’s over a five percent usage bump with Anteokounmpo and even Khris Middleton is banged up and may not play. He’s taken 15 or more shots and scored 20 or more points in 3 of his last 5 games and he should take 18-20 shots this evening. He’s been shooting outstanding from the field lately hitting at least 50 percent of his shots in 4 of his last 6 contests. He’s been grabbing over four boards and dishing over six dimes per outing. Holiday himself isn’t a great defender but he is good at grabbing steals in the lane and has recorded 1.4 swipes per game.
SG: Darius Garland: Garland continues to log heavy minutes and the Rockets are a bottom-five team at defending guards. Garland has taken 16-plus shots in 3 of his last 4 contests and he’s shooting over 46 percent from the floor. The Cavs frontcourt generates a lot of their offense because their immense size is tough for any team to match up against, but Garland leads the team in scoring putting up nearly 19 points per game and he takes the most shots on his team. Garland leads the Cavs in assists and steals as well. He’s coming off of back-to-back three-steal games. Garland has also dished 12 or more assists in 2 of his last 3 games.
SF: Josh Hart: Hart has broken through the Pelicans rotation and we don’t know when we’ll see Zion Williamson back and while Hart hasn’t been taking double-digit shots regularly, he’s been making up for it with his defensive production. Hart has played 32 minutes or more in 4 straight games and scored in double figures in 3 of those contests. The Pace works in the Pelicans favor and the Thunder rank 29th in the league at defending mid-courts. Hart has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 3 of his last 4 battles and he grabs about a steal per game.
PF: Domantas Sabonis: With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, Sabonis has a much easier matchup this evening and the guy has produced seven straight double-doubles. Sabonis has hit the 20-point mark in scoring in each of his last 4 games with 2 of those games being 30-point performances. He’s even dished five or more dimes and blocked a shot in three of his last four outings. Sabonis shoots 59 percent from the floor and he’s taken 13 or more shots in 3 of his last 4 battles. Sabonis has even posted three multi-steal games in his last five contests. He’s produced over 50 DraftKings points in 3 of his last 4 battles.
C: Nikola Jokic: Jokic is at the top of the price chart tonight and he’s worth every penny because Karl-Anthony Towns is a very poor defender and he’s put up over 72 points on DraftKings in 3 of his last 4 games. He’s exceeded his 26.5 scoring average in all 3 of those contests. He’s grabbed 13-plus boards in 3 straight and has even dished 8 or more assists in 5 straight games. He produced multiple triple-doubles in his last five outings. The pace heavily favors the Nuggets and Jokic has been a five-category producer. He’s swatted away shots in his last three games and he’s posted steals in his last five contests with three of them being multi-steal games.
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Alex Caruso shot 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers, accounting for 20 points, three rebounds, one assist and four three-pointers.
Caruso has been Oklahoma City’s most productive reserve in the NBA Finals, which makes some sense due to him being the lone player on the roster with a championship ring. After recording 11 points and a complete stat line in Game 1, Caruso was more lethal as a scorer in Game 2. A double-digit score in three of his last four appearances, the 20 points are the most Caruso has tallied in a game since Game 1 of the Thunder’s second-round series against Denver. Given the matchup, he should continue to hit the high-20s in minutes, which raises Caruso’s ceiling on both ends of the floor. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Aaron Wiggins finished Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers with 18 points (6-of-11 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and five three-pointers.
After only scoring 28 points in Game 1, Oklahoma City’s reserves were more impactful in Game 2, finishing with 48. Wiggins helped lead the way, as the 18 points were the most he’s scored in a game since the Thunder’s Game 1 win over the Grizzlies in the first round. Expecting production of this caliber from Wiggins consistently would be a bit much. Still, he’ll need to be a factor, especially if Oklahoma City continues to start Cason Wallace (4/3/1/2/1 in 24 minutes). Sunday’s rout was a reminder of what Wiggins is capable of offensively.
Jalen Williams tallied 19 points (5-of-14 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs), five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers.
After shooting 6-of-19 from the field in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Williams was better in Sunday’s victory. While the percentage still has room for growth, J-Dub attempted nine free throws after getting just four on Thursday. Add in the rebounds and assists, and Williams managed to bring more to the table following his disappointing Finals debut. Oklahoma City outscored Indiana by a 33-21 margin in the second quarter, and Williams was a factor, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and scoring nine points. That’s the level of offensive aggression the Thunder will need J-Dub to bring to the table consistently if they’re to win the series. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Chet Holmgrem accumulated 15 points (6-of-11 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, one assist, one block and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers.
While Holmgren’s point total wasn’t much to write home about in Game 2, it represented a marked improvement over what he brought to the table in Game 1. Having scored six points in the opening game of the NBA Finals, Holmgren exceeded that number in the first quarter of Game 2 by putting up nine points. He was held in check for the rest of the night, but other Thunder players stepped up to help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoulder the offensive workload. If the Holmgren who showed up to begin Game 2 is the norm, Oklahoma City’s chances of winning the franchise’s first NBA title increase substantially.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 34 points (11-of-21 FGs, 11-of-12 FTs), five rebounds, eight assists, four steals, one block and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 win over the Pacers.
While Gilgeous-Alexander did score 38 points in Oklahoma City’s Game 1 defeat, he shot below 50 percent from the field. The NBA’s Most Valuable Player was more forceful in Game 2, and the approach led to SGA attempting 12 free throws while also shooting over 50 percent from the field. And Gilgeous-Alexander made some history during the victory, becoming the 12th player in league history to score at least 3,000 points in a season (regular season and playoffs). Putting up high point totals should not be an issue in this series, even with the Pacers’ ability to use multiple defenders on SGA. The key will be how he gets those points, and how often the Thunder point guard can get to the foul line. Game 3 is on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Pascal Siakam accumulated 15 points (3-of-11 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs), seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one three-pointer in Sunday’s Game 2 loss to the Thunder.
The Pacers finished Game 2 with seven double-digit scorers, but none scored more than Tyrese Haliburton’s 17 points. As for Siakam, his point total was salvaged by an 8-of-9 night at the foul line. Spicy P only scored 19 points in Game 1 but was far more efficient, and he also finished that game with a double-double. Oklahoma City boasts an elite defense, and they were far better across the board on Sunday. Siakam and the Pacers will look to regain the series lead when they host Game 3 on Wednesday.