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Grizzlies vs. Warriors Play-In Game Odds, Daily Fantasy Tips and Live Stream
May 21, 2021
The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies will face off for the second time in five days Friday with the final NBA playoff spot on the line.
Golden State won Sunday's regular-season finale by 12 points to secure the eighth position in the Western Conference standings, which allowed it to host Friday's play-in tournament contest.
Stephen Curry will be the first player chosen in a majority of daily fantasy contests, and it is hard to blame anyone for following that path with how well he has played in May.
Memphis may not have the guards to keep pace with Curry's shooting production, but it could counter the Warriors star with its dominant big man.
Jonas Valanciunas came close to earning a double-double in the first quarter of Wednesday's win over the San Antonio Spurs, and he could be the key to keeping the Grizzlies close on Friday and putting DFS players in the prize positions.
If you roster Curry and Valanciunas, you will need some help from role players on both teams, and the best options could be three-point threats.
Grizzlies at Warriors Odds
Spread: Golden State (-4)
Over/Under: 220.5
Moneyline: Golden State (-178; bet $178 to win $100); Memphis (+150; bet $100 to win $150)
Game Information
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN.com or ESPN app
Daily Fantasy Tips
Roster Stephen Curry
Do not make the mistake of overthinking your DFS strategy: Use Curry as your lineup anchor.
Of course, rostering Curry will not differentiate yourself from other competitors, but it will give you a points cushion to rest on while finding gems on both rosters to complement him.
Curry is five days removed from a 46-point performance against Memphis in which he knocked down nine of his 22 three-point attempts.
Friday's game carries larger stakes than Sunday's showdown, so we should expect Curry to attempt a large number of shots.
In Wednesday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry attempted nine three-pointers, which was only the second time since April 29 in which he did not have a double-digit total in that category.
With a playoff spot on the line, there is a strong chance he ends up as the game's leading scorer.
Curry may not add an abundance of rebounds and assists, but he will likely outscore any other player by 5-10 points. He had 17 more points than Valanciunas on Sunday.
If you run with the chalky DFS strategy, you will need to find other players with lower expected roster percentages to differentiate your lineups from others.
Look at Kyle Anderson, Kent Bazemore Behind Jonas Valanciunas As Supporting Pieces
It would make sense to slot Valanciunas into the star role in FanDuel contests behind Curry as your MVP.
The Memphis big man put up 29 points and 16 rebounds in Sunday's clash at Chase Center and is expected to receive a heavy workload on Friday to take advantage of the size disparity between himself, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.
If you roster Curry with a $15,000 salary and Valanciunas at $14,500, you will have $30,500 left to add three players around them.
Kyle Anderson and Kent Bazemore could be ideal pieces to add around Curry and Valanciunas because of their three-point shooting.
Anderson had five performances with multiple three-pointers in the May regular-season games. He recorded 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in his last meeting with the Warriors.
Anderson will not draw any of Golden State's top defenders, so he could receive more open looks with Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Valanciunas in tougher matchups.
The same can be said for Bazemore, who may be the ultimate boom-or-bust DFS selection. He had 10 points with a trio of triples in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers, but he only had two points on Sunday.
Curry should draw Brooks in an individual matchup, and in times when Andrew Wiggins is not on the court, Bazemore could be the secondary scoring option.
Bazemore will not challenge Curry or Wiggins to be one of the team's top two scorers, but if he gets a handful of good looks, he could add some vital three-point shots to your team's point total.
Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.
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