Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Dream11 Prediction: Dream11 Fantasy Tips for GSW vs HOU | Game 5 as TSR helps you with Dream11
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Kevin Durant has officially been ruled out of the series against the Houston Rockets and that has thrown this whole series into a toss. In an eery reversal of what happened last year in the series between the two teams, Golden State lost its all-star Kevin Durant in game 5 to an injury but then went on to rally behind the splash brothers and secure a win that was in no way assured as Durant got injured with the lead at 3 and the Rockets at the end of a 22-9 run.
With Durant out the dynamics of the series change completely. There are a lot of people who believe Durant, while making the Warriors unbeatable over a long run of a 7 game series, is actually stifling the flair of the Warriors and their fast style of play. That is not a knock on KD, but after KD went down you could see the instant increase in the aggressiveness of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson which resulted in the win for the Warriors.
For the Rockets, game 5 was a massive missed opportunity. They had come back from being down by 20 to lead the game when Steph and Klay rallied the Warriors. For a team that has claimed it lost the 2018 series only due to the mistimed injury to Chris Paul, it was a perfect opportunity to strike and get a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close out the series in game 6 at Houston. Now Houston has to win 2 back to back games, home and away, but with no KD, it will all come down to whether Klay and Steph keep up the strong performances and if James Harden can stop choking at important moments in the playoffs.
Dream 11 Tips: Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets for Game 6
Steph Curry without Kevin Durant on the team averages nearly 30 points per game to go with 7+ assists and 5+ rebounds. In fact over the last two seasons the Warriors have a much higher win percentage with Steph in and KD out than they do with the missing players being the other way round. With Steph in, KD out, the Warriors win percentage stands at 83%, while the other way round is a paltry 64% (paltry by Warriors standards). Steph showed he can rain fire once the court unclogs and he gets more usage without KD. Warriors will need it and whether they win or not Steph will give them points in bunches without KD.
James Harden, whether he disappears or not in the end, scores an average of 57 Dream 11 points per contest against the Warriors for the season. Without KD he becomes the automatic pick for star player and his points one doubled will be massive. So pick him up and star him, irrespective of whether you think he is a mega flopper and a disgrace to the game.
Austin Rivers has been getting more and more minutes as both teams keep going small. He is hitting his 3s, getting steals and doing a lot all over the court. With KD gone, Rivers will be exclusively guarding Curry and Thompson and if his defense levels are up, it translates to a smoother offense.
Klay Thompson has been slowly finding form, and without KD his numbers go up drastically. His 3pt shot with KD in the team falls at just 35% clip, while without KD he goes nuclear shooting over 50% from the distance. Warriors will look to Curry and Play to win them the games and with high usage for such good shooters, will come points. More than the combined 53 they got in game 5.
Iman Shumpert is the second spark plug off the bench for the Rockets in this series with Rivers. His 3 point shooting and defense keeps him in the game and at his low price of 5 Credits he is a bargain pick even if he averages only 2.2 PPC for the series.
PJ Tucker has been the best player for the Rockets this series. You can fight me over that. Harden may get his points, but without Tucker’s effort on both ends of the court those point would’ve got them straight to a sweep. Tucker is also showing up on the box score with nearly 30 D11 point per contest so his PPC stays high too due to his 12 Credit price.
Draymond Green is going to be the ball handler for most of Warriors possessions now. Curry does take some ball handling duties in a game, but the Warriors are best when Draymond brings the ball up the court and Steph looks for ways to get open. Green has already been averaging 42 D11 points per credit this series. With no Durant and increased need to score and increased playmaking duties, his number will go up.
Andrew Bogut seemed to have been relegated to the bench permanently, but that changes drastically with Durant going out. With Capela on court, the Warriors can no longer afford to play small without the long arms of Kevin Durant. Looney for all his terrific attributes can not go 36 minutes in a game. He is a smart defender, but not a great defender and the Warriors will need better on the defensive end and that is where Bogut (expected to be a starter) will step in and get his minutes, boards and some points. At 4.5 Cr you cant really lose with this pick.
Star Player:
- James Harden
- Steph Curry
- Draymond Green
