Stan Son gives his top NBA DFS lineup advice for Tuesday’s NBA Showdown contest on DraftKings between the Spurs and Knicks.

The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks meet in the finals of the Emirates NBA Cup.

New York entered the tournament as the 3 seed in the East. The Knicks beat the 2 seed Raptors, 117-101, in the quarterfinals and then bested the top seeded Magic in the semifinals, 132-120.

San Antonio was the 3 seed in the West. The Spurs crushed the 2 seed Lakers in the quarterfinals, 132-119, then eeked out the 111-109 win over the 1 seed Thunder. Victor Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence and played 21 minutes. He contributed 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks to snap the Thunder’s 16-game win streak and give Oklahoma City two losses on the season.

DraftKings Sportsbook lists NYK as a 2.5-point favorite over SAS with the total set at 229.5.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K NBA Cup Special [$100K to 1st] (SAS at NYK)

Captain’s Picks

Josh Hart ($11,700 CP): I have some concerns with the most expensive options on this slate. While Victor Wembanyama is a per-minute beast, he only played 21 minutes last game and I have reservations that he sniffs 30 minutes in this one. Wembanyama just missed 12 games and, while this game has importance, his long-term viability for the playoffs is paramount. As for Brunson, he doesn’t provide much in the defensive categories and I think Stephon Castle could give him some issues getting into the paint. Therefore, I’m dropping down in price for Hart. The range of outcomes is fairly wide for Hart because he’s not a high usage player, but he stuffs the stat sheet and has triple-double, 50-FPTS upside.

UTIL Plays

De’Aaron Fox ($9,200): I like Fox to spearhead the offense for the Spurs in this one. He has too much foot speed for any potential defenders the Knicks can put on him and I think he gets into the paint at will. With the Spurs having shooters on the perimeter, it’s a pick your poison situation for New York. Regardless, Fox will either score points or dish out dimes in that scenario. He’s primarily been finishing in the 30 to 40 FPTS range, but he has 50+ FPTS upside and a high of 64.5 FPTS on the season.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,000): Wembanyama could give Towns fits because he has the agility to prevent drives and the length to contest his shots. That said, I don’t think Wembanyama sees a full complement of minutes in this one. So, Towns could do some things against Luke Kornet when they are matched up and abuse the smaller defenders if the Spurs go small. I think the floor/ceiling combo is better for Towns than Brunson in this one.

OG Anunoby ($7,000): Since returning from injury four games ago, Anunoby has seen an increase in playing time every game. In his first game back, he received 23 minutes. Then, he got 28 minutes in the next one, 36 minutes after that and was fully unleashed for 40 minutes on Saturday. Barring injury or foul trouble, Anunoby should play in the high-30s once again. He’s not a great playmaker, but he does work on the glass and on defense while being a threat on offense. Anunoby can hit the open jumper but has the strength to punish defenders down low. Anunoby has four games over 40 FPTS with a high of 54 FPTS.

Fades

Victor Wembanyama ($11,600): When Wembanyama is on the court, I have no doubt he’s going to produce fantasy goodies. I just have concerns that he won’t be on the court that much. He played 21 minutes in his return from a 12-game absence due to injury. I doubt the Spurs fully unleash him in this one, which means high-20s is the likely outcome, which doesn’t make me comfortable as the highest-priced player on the slate.

The Outcome

I think this is a grind-it-out, competitive affair. New York likes to play slow while San Antonio is second in opponent fast breaks per game. But I’m a slave to recency bias, and the Spurs just took down the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder.

Final Score: Spurs 106, Knicks 103