NBA DFS Playoff Primer: Friday, May 5
The NBA postseason is finally upon us. We no longer have to worry about players resting, late scratches, and teams trying to lose. For the next couple of months, we get meaningful basketball game after meaningful basketball game. We have decided to combine the Core Plays and the Grind Down into one all-encompassing article for the NBA playoffs. We will break down each slate, sift through the game flow trackers of prior meetings between teams, cover the notable matchups, and provide our favorite NBA DFS targets.
Happy Friday everyone. It’s a good day. The weekend is here and we have two games to break down tonight. The Warriors were able to take care of business in Game 2 against the Lakers to even that series up at a game apiece. If they can continue their consecutive streak of series with a road win, they will be able to steal home-court advantage right back. I’m calling it now, that series is going seven games. If it were up to me, all four of these series would go seven games.
Let’s get into tonight’s games.
Game 3: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia Sixers
- Time: 7:30 PM ET
- Series: Celtics 1 – Sixers 1
Previous Matchups
- Game 1: Sixers 119 – Celtics 115
- Game 2: Sixers 87 – Celtics 121
Notable Injuries
Joel Embiid – Questionable
Boston Celtics Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Smart | $5,200 | $6,200 | 32.1 | -1.0 | 28.6 | -3.8 | 18% | 4% | 0.89 | -0.09 | 0.88 | -0.13 | 33 | 26.8 | 5.16 | 25.8 | 4.17 | |
| Derrick White | $4,900 | $4,900 | 28.3 | 0.2 | 26.4 | -10.8 | 17% | -3% | 0.93 | -0.38 | 0.93 | -0.41 | 32 | 27.7 | 5.65 | 27.0 | 5.51 | |
| Jaylen Brown | $8,300 | $8,600 | 35.9 | -0.1 | 43.5 | -4.6 | 31% | -7% | 1.21 | -0.13 | 1.17 | -0.12 | 39 | 42.1 | 5.07 | 39.5 | 4.60 | |
| Jayson Tatum | $9,700 | $10,500 | 36.9 | -5.4 | 52.4 | -8.2 | 32% | -2% | 1.42 | -0.02 | 1.37 | 0.00 | 39 | 51.0 | 5.26 | 47.7 | 4.54 | |
| Al Horford | $5,300 | $5,700 | 30.5 | -3.7 | 26.1 | -0.2 | 12% | 5% | 0.85 | 0.11 | 0.85 | 0.19 | 32 | 22.9 | 4.31 | 22.6 | 3.96 | |
| Malcolm Brogdon | $5,400 | $5,900 | 26.0 | 3.0 | 28.0 | 5.7 | 22% | 5% | 1.08 | 0.08 | 1.05 | 0.05 | 27 | 25.0 | 4.62 | 24.1 | 4.08 | |
| Robert Williams | $4,600 | $5,200 | 23.5 | -2.8 | 24.2 | -5.5 | 11% | -7% | 1.03 | -0.13 | 1.08 | -0.11 | 23 | 21.7 | 4.72 | 22.6 | 4.34 | |
| Grant Williams | $3,500 | $3,900 | 25.9 | -9.4 | 18.5 | -5.0 | 13% | -2% | 0.71 | 0.10 | 0.70 | 0.09 | 12 | 7.6 | 2.16 | 7.3 | 1.87 | |
| Sam Hauser | $3,000 | $3,600 | 16.1 | -9.6 | 13.1 | -11.4 | 14% | -4% | 0.81 | -0.54 | 0.79 | -0.44 | 3 | 1.6 | 0.54 | 1.5 | 0.43 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this series.
Philadelphia Sixers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | $8,700 | $9,300 | 36.8 | -1.0 | 49.0 | -2.3 | 25% | 10% | 1.33 | -0.03 | 1.26 | -0.02 | 38 | 45.3 | 5.21 | 43.4 | 4.66 | |
| Tyrese Maxey | $6,400 | $7,300 | 33.6 | -0.6 | 31.7 | -0.4 | 24% | 4% | 0.94 | 0.00 | 0.91 | 0.08 | 38 | 30.5 | 4.77 | 30.0 | 4.11 | |
| Tobias Harris | $6,200 | $7,000 | 32.9 | 4.2 | 28.8 | 1.0 | 18% | -1% | 0.87 | -0.07 | 0.87 | -0.07 | 36 | 28.7 | 4.63 | 28.3 | 4.05 | |
| P.J. Tucker | $3,400 | $4,000 | 25.6 | 3.4 | 11.0 | 0.6 | 7% | -3% | 0.43 | -0.03 | 0.43 | -0.01 | 26 | 13.8 | 4.06 | 13.9 | 3.48 | |
| Joel Embiid | $10,200 | $10,800 | 34.6 | -8.0 | 57.3 | -30.0 | 37% | -8% | 1.66 | -0.63 | 1.64 | -0.49 | 35 | 52.4 | 5.14 | 52.1 | 4.83 | |
| Paul Reed | $4,700 | $4,700 | 10.9 | 16.0 | 12.1 | 15.5 | 15% | -6% | 1.11 | -0.08 | 1.20 | -0.15 | 13 | 15.0 | 3.20 | 15.5 | 3.31 | |
| De’Anthony Melton | $4,100 | $4,300 | 27.9 | -6.8 | 23.7 | -5.6 | 16% | 2% | 0.85 | 0.01 | 0.86 | -0.02 | 24 | 18.8 | 4.58 | 19.5 | 4.53 | |
| Jalen McDaniels | $3,000 | $4,200 | 23.9 | -12.0 | 19.9 | -16.9 | 17% | -5% | 0.83 | -0.58 | 0.84 | -0.61 | 16 | 9.9 | 3.31 | 10.3 | 2.45 | |
| Georges Niang | $3,100 | $3,700 | 19.4 | -6.0 | 14.6 | -10.2 | 16% | -2% | 0.75 | -0.42 | 0.71 | -0.46 | 8 | 3.9 | 1.27 | 3.8 | 1.03 | |
| Shake Milton | $3,000 | $4,000 | 20.6 | -12.0 | 17.1 | -6.9 | 18% | -8% | 0.83 | 0.36 | 0.81 | 0.50 | 3 | 2.2 | 0.75 | 2.2 | 0.55 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this series.
Game Analysis
Am I the only one that was surprised Joel Embiid suited up for Game 2? After the Sixers won the first game without him, it felt like the perfect opportunity to get him more rest before heading to Philadelphia for Game 3. Perhaps he had some extra adrenaline after being named the league’s MVP for the first time in his career. While it doesn’t sound like he aggravated his knee injury, he’s listed as questionable for tonight. This is a big game for both teams, as the winner will only need two more victories to move onto the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are listed as 2-point favorites and the game features a 214-point total.
Marcus Smart has been quiet in this series. He has only averaged 31 minutes and 25 fantasy points. He suffered a chest injury in Game 1, but was able to suit up for Game 2. His minutes have been relatively limited so far in the playoffs, but the sites are tempting us with his price point — $5,200 on DraftKings and $6,200 on FanDuel. I’ve never been known to pass up a good deal. Derrick White had some massive outings in the first round and put together a solid second half of Game 2, but he has only averaged 16 fantasy points per game in this series. Much like Smart, the sites have priced him down to a very playable $4,900.