This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.
Welcome to another edition of Around the Association. Here is all of the fantasy-relevant news that you need to know.
Wednesday Recap
Holiday Season
- Jrue Holiday strung together a pair of clutch defensive plays to go with a crucial three-pointer down the stretch to help rally the Bucks to a 110-107 road win. The 31-year-old ended with 24 points (9-24 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one steal across 41 minutes while Milwaukee moves ahead 3-2 in the series.
- Holiday hasn't been the most efficient player for the Bucks, but the veteran point guard is still averaging 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.4 steals over the first five games of the matchup.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo was incredible in the victory, posting 40 points (16-27 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-10 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal across 40 minutes. The Greek Freak has been unstoppable thus far in the series, averaging 33.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
- Jayson Tatum could not find his outside shot in the loss, but still finished with a solid 34 points (12-29 FG, 2-11 3Pt, 8-9 FT), six rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 42 minutes. After not reaching the 30-point mark throughout the first three games of the series, Tatum has now done it in back-to-back outings.
- Jaylen Brown: 26 points (9-19 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-6 FT), eight rebounds, six assists and one block over 35 minutes.
Whoopsie Warriors
- The Golden State Warriors may have come into Wednesday's Game 5 with a bit too much confidence as Memphis crushed them 134-95 -- at one point in the third quarter, Memphis stretched its lead to 55 points. It was a great team effort for the Grizzlies without Ja Morant (knee) as Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones and Jaren Jackson each tied for a team-high 21 points. Memphis is now 21-6 without Morant in the lineup.
- Speaking more on Tyus Jones, the 25-year-old guard has exceeded expectations over the past two matchups with Morant on the sidelines. Jones averaged 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while filling in for Morant across Games 4 and 5.
- This was a top-to-bottom ugly performance for the Warriors, perhaps their worst of the season even. Klay Thompson ended with a team-high 19 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and one steal across 25 minutes, but he did most of his damage in the first quarter before the game was out of reach. Regardless, this was a good bounce back from his 0-for-7 day from beyond the arc during Game 4.
- Jonathan Kuminga took advantage of Golden States' big loss, posting 17 points (7-16 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three rebounds and two assists across 24 minutes. The rookie played only five minutes during Game 4 and didn't even score, making him a very high-risk DFS player to trust.
Previewing Thursday Night
Player Prop Corner
- Tyrese Maxey: Over 19.5 points (+100 at DraftKings)
- The Kentucky product has been a different player at home during the playoffs this series. Maxey is averaging 19.5 points on the road while putting up 22.4 points per game in Philadelphia this postseason. With the 76ers' backs against the wall, I am expecting an all-hands-on-deck performance and will gladly take Maxey to reach 20 or more points at plus odds.
- Luka Doncic: Over 33.5 points (-105 at DraftKings)
- A 33.5 points line is obviously high, however, if you look back at Doncic's performances during elimination games, this doesn't seem too bad. The 23-year-old has appeared in two elimination games throughout his career and has averaged 42.0 points on 29.0 field goal attempts per game. Yes, a small sample size, but there is no reason not to expect more of the same from the young star.
DFS Corner
- Stud of the Slate: Luka Doncic ($11,700 FanDuel Salary)
- As I mentioned right above, Doncic has been a cheat code during his two career appearances facing elimination. The guard is by far the most expensive player on the slate, but you do not want to miss out on him tonight. Doncic is yet to fall below 47.5 FanDuel points in a game during the playoffs.
- Value of the Slate: Reggie Bullock ($4,600 FanDuel Salary)
- Bullock has had some interesting home/road results in the postseason thus far. The veteran forward is averaging 20.5 FanDuel points per game on the road in the playoffs but is recording nearly five more points at home with a 25.22 average. I like pairing the cheaper Bullock with Doncic's lofty salary on tonight's slate.
- Spero's Wildcard of the Slate: Shake Milton ($3,500)
- Coming in a minimum salary, Milton is someone who could sneak up and surprise people here in Game 6. The 6-foot-5 guard saw some opportunity during Game 5's blowout loss and played fine with nine points (2-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, one assist and two steals over 20 minutes. With Philadelphia's on the ropes, it wouldn't be too crazy to see Doc Rivers try something new with more Milton action tonight.
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