NBA DFS Playoff Primer: Monday, May 22
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.
They say when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. However, the lemons we were given for the Conference Finals have been bitter and far too sour. No amount of sugar makes these lemons taste good. The Celtics have won the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals in convincing fashion and now have a chance to closeout the Celtics at home in Game 4. The Nuggets are looking to do the same against the Lakers tonight in Los Angeles. The basketball in these games has still been good, but it has been one-sided in both series. No team has ever come down from an 0-3 deficit in the NBA playoffs, but perhaps the Celtics or Lakers can make some history.
Game 4: Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
- Time: 8:30 PM ET
- Series: Nuggets 3 – Lakers 0
Series Matchups
- Game 1: LAL 126 – DEN 132
- Game 2: LAL 103 – DEN 108
- Game 3: DEN 119 – LAL 108
Notable Injuries
None
Denver Nuggets Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamal Murray | $10,400 | $15,000 | 32.8 | 7.6 | 37.1 | 23.8 | 26% | 4% | 1.13 | 0.38 | 1.09 | 0.40 | 41 | 46.6 | 4.48 | 44.7 | 2.98 | |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | $6,400 | $9,000 | 31.3 | 0.7 | 22.1 | 3.3 | 14% | 4% | 0.71 | 0.09 | 0.72 | 0.06 | 34 | 21.7 | 3.39 | 22.1 | 2.45 | |
| Michael Porter | $7,200 | $11,000 | 29.0 | 5.7 | 29.0 | 7.0 | 22% | -6% | 1.00 | 0.04 | 0.96 | 0.00 | 36 | 31.3 | 4.35 | 30.5 | 2.77 | |
| Aaron Gordon | $6,800 | $8,500 | 30.2 | 5.5 | 32.2 | -13.5 | 21% | -7% | 1.07 | -0.54 | 1.07 | -0.56 | 33 | 26.2 | 3.86 | 26.6 | 3.12 | |
| Nikola Jokic | $13,600 | $17,500 | 33.7 | 7.2 | 59.1 | 9.1 | 26% | 1% | 1.75 | -0.09 | 1.67 | -0.10 | 40 | 69.1 | 5.08 | 66.0 | 3.77 | |
| Bruce Brown | $6,600 | $10,000 | 28.5 | 1.6 | 25.0 | 2.8 | 17% | 0% | 0.88 | 0.04 | 0.89 | 0.05 | 30 | 26.8 | 4.06 | 27.4 | 2.74 | |
| Jeff Green | $2,200 | $6,500 | 19.5 | -0.9 | 13.9 | -7.1 | 17% | -8% | 0.71 | -0.35 | 0.71 | -0.37 | 20 | 9.8 | 4.44 | 9.9 | 1.52 | |
| Christian Braun | $2,000 | $6,000 | 15.5 | -8.8 | 10.3 | -8.4 | 13% | -4% | 0.66 | -0.39 | 0.68 | -0.36 | 7 | 3.6 | 1.81 | 3.7 | 0.62 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D’Angelo Russell | $7,000 | $8,000 | 32.5 | -6.2 | 33.9 | -16.9 | 23% | -4% | 1.04 | -0.40 | 1.00 | -0.36 | 21 | 19.4 | 2.77 | 18.7 | 2.34 | |
| Austin Reaves | $7,400 | $12,500 | 28.8 | 10.5 | 23.4 | 15.9 | 15% | 4% | 0.81 | 0.19 | 0.79 | 0.15 | 39 | 33.1 | 4.47 | 31.7 | 2.54 | |
| LeBron James | $12,000 | $14,500 | 35.5 | 5.5 | 52.6 | 3.5 | 32% | -6% | 1.48 | -0.11 | 1.43 | -0.09 | 41 | 50.1 | 4.17 | 48.0 | 3.31 | |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | $2,600 | $6,500 | 24.1 | -10.6 | 23.5 | -18.9 | 14% | -5% | 0.97 | -0.64 | 0.99 | -0.64 | 14 | 10.4 | 4.01 | 10.8 | 1.66 | |
| Anthony Davis | $11,600 | $16,500 | 34.0 | 7.5 | 51.7 | 7.5 | 28% | -2% | 1.52 | -0.09 | 1.54 | -0.09 | 41 | 53.0 | 4.57 | 52.9 | 3.21 | |
| Rui Hachimura | $4,600 | $7,500 | 23.3 | 7.4 | 19.6 | 4.4 | 19% | -1% | 0.84 | -0.06 | 0.84 | -0.05 | 32 | 25.4 | 5.52 | 25.0 | 3.33 | |
| Dennis Schroder | $4,400 | $7,000 | 30.1 | -1.2 | 24.2 | -11.4 | 18% | -7% | 0.80 | -0.36 | 0.79 | -0.36 | 26 | 17.3 | 3.93 | 17.2 | 2.45 | |
| Lonnie Walker | $3,000 | $7,000 | 23.2 | -6.1 | 17.7 | -6.9 | 20% | -6% | 0.76 | -0.13 | 0.75 | -0.11 | 17 | 11.1 | 3.69 | 10.9 | 1.56 | |
| Mo Bamba | $1,000 | $6,000 | 15.7 | 16.4 | 17% | 1.04 | 1.06 | 9 | 8.2 | 8.18 | 8.3 | 1.39 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and the playoffs.
Game 4 Analysis
I have far too many Lakers fans in my life. You wouldn’t think I would be surrounds by so many fans of the purple and gold since I live in Utah, but they are all around me. Every single one of them are taking solace in the fact that the Celtics are losing to the Heat. It’s funny how fandom works. If your team can’t win it all, you can still enjoy watching the team you dislike the most lose. As for tonight, the Lakers are facing elimination at home in Game 4. They nearly won in Game 1 and had a sizable lead late in Game 2, but didn’t put up much of a fight in Game 3. They are listed as 3-point favorites tonight, as they look to avoid getting swept.