This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The winner of the NBA finals won't be decided tonight, but one team will leap to a 3-2 series advantage at the Paycom Center. Indiana stunned the Oklahoma City faithful on their home court in Game 1, but they'll need to summon similar brilliance to upend the favorite. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET, and I have my favorite FanDuel single-game picks available for your perusal.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Before we begin, let's take a look at the winning Game 4 lineup from one of FanDuel's most popular multi-entry contests.
MVP Alex Caruso 59.1
UTIL Pascal Siakam 54.1
UTIL Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 48.6
UTIL Chet Holmgren 38.5
UTIL Jalen Williams 35.9
UTIL Obi Toppin 32.9
While cashing was also possible with SGA or Siakam as the MVP and a Toppin add, those builds most likely lacked the benefit of Williams or Holmgren. Tyrese Haliburton's 31.9 FDFPs were a non-starter for successful lineups after his viable 54.3-FDFP number in Game 3. We managed to cash but whiffed with Bennedict Mathurin, who fell well short of expectations.
MVP CANDIDATES
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP $25,500, UTIL $17,000)
Pascal Siakam (MVP $17,400, UTIL $11,600)
As we mentioned above, I was able to make the money without making a cute Caruso MVP connection, but making wise budget selections would have helped out my SGA MVP build considerably. Although he continues to be a pricey candidate, SGA continues to be a requirement in almost every successful build, and I'm going to give him exposure in the MVP slot once again. Siakam is my runner-up at the position, and he gives us $8,100 more to work with at the utility positions. We get $6,400 per slot to work with in a Siakam/SGA build, which is a bit better than the $5,725 available with SGA at the top.
UTILITY CANDIDATES
Chet Holmgren ($9,000)
Myles Turner ($6,200)
Alex Caruso ($5,400)
Andrew Nembhard ($4,800)
Obi Toppin ($3,800)
Aaron Nesmith ($3,600)
It stings to exclude Williams and Holmgren, but a mix of this quintet is best when working with an SGA MVP build. Using Siakam at the top allows for Holmgren, but we end up with the trend of significant cash left on the table. The $2,800 gap between Holmgren and the rest of the field has been a running trend during this series, and this build lures you into taking Myles Turner ($5,400) over Toppin. With the gap in mind, it's easy to see how there's little advantage to fading SGA's 1.5 multiplier when you can still get Caruso and Toppin. There is one combo where an SGA/Siakam/Holmgren/Caruso/Toppin build can work, and that's by using Aaron Nesmith in the last utility spot. You still have $1,100 available after that build, so believers of Jalen Williams ($12,000) have the option of taking him over Siakam if you think the Thunder star can overtake Indiana's top producer in this series. Our best conservative builds look like this:
SGA (MVP)/Siakam/Holmgren/Caruso/Toppin/Nesmith
SGA (MVP)/Williams/Holmgren/Caruso/Toppin/Nesmith
ALTERNATE BUILDS
Taking Caruso for a repeat will once again be a shrewd way to go, but salary increases won't allow you to copy the Game 4 build. His $8,100 MVP salary will allow for SGA, Williams, Holmgren and Siakam, but you'd be forced to go with Mathurin as your final add due to the salary bumps. You could certainly do worse than Mathurin as a budget punt, but the negative correlation between Mathurin and Toppin has left Toppin as the more productive option. Swapping Caruso for Holmgren at MVP is also a possibility, but you'd be stuck with a Toppin/Mathurin build at the bottom without the benefit of Caruso. While we have little doubt about success from our elite options, the conundrum for our Game 5 build centers around Caruso, Toppin, Nesmith and Mathurin. If Mathurin can find more room to move in Game 5, the Caruso MVP build with the rest of the elites has a good chance to hit. Otherwise, a more balanced SGA MVP build will finish higher with Williams/Siakam, Holmgren, Caruso, Toppin and Nesmith to complement him.
