NBA DFS Playoff Primer: Saturday, May 27
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.
It took four games, but the Celtics were finally able to impose their will on the Heat in Game 4. They shot the ball better than Miami and committed five fewer turnovers, which led to a blowout win for Boston. All of a sudden, things are very interesting. If the Celtics win tonight, they will have all of the momentum heading into Game 6. Could they become the first team in NBA history to comeback from an 0-3 deficit in the playoffs?
Game 5: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
- Time: 8:30 PM ET
- Series: Heat 3 – Celtics 1
Series Matchups
- Game 1: MIA 123 – BOS 116
- Game 2: MIA 111 – BOS 105
- Game 3: BOS 102 – MIA 128
- Game 4: BOS 128 – MIA 120
Notable Injuries
Tyler Herro – Out
Gabe Vincent – Questionable
Miami Heat Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Lowry | $5,600 | $9,000 | 31.2 | -6.0 | 26.9 | -4.7 | 16% | 1% | 0.86 | 0.02 | 0.84 | 0.04 | 38 | 31.3 | 5.59 | 30.1 | 3.34 | |
| Max Strus | $5,400 | $7,500 | 28.4 | 2.0 | 20.9 | -2.9 | 17% | -4% | 0.74 | -0.14 | 0.70 | -0.13 | 36 | 22.4 | 4.14 | 21.1 | 2.81 | |
| Jimmy Butler | $13,000 | $17,000 | 33.4 | 5.1 | 42.2 | 9.7 | 25% | 6% | 1.26 | 0.09 | 1.29 | 0.12 | 42 | 52.2 | 4.01 | 52.7 | 3.10 | |
| Kevin Love | $2,200 | $7,000 | 20.0 | -8.1 | 20.4 | -7.8 | 19% | 0% | 1.02 | 0.04 | 0.97 | 0.06 | 16 | 14.4 | 6.52 | 13.7 | 1.96 | |
| Bam Adebayo | $9,600 | $15,000 | 34.6 | -0.7 | 40.1 | -6.2 | 25% | -4% | 1.16 | -0.16 | 1.16 | -0.18 | 38 | 42.9 | 4.47 | 42.3 | 2.82 | |
| Caleb Martin | $6,600 | $9,500 | 29.3 | 3.7 | 20.9 | 10.1 | 14% | 3% | 0.71 | 0.22 | 0.72 | 0.21 | 34 | 22.0 | 3.33 | 22.1 | 2.32 | |
| Duncan Robinson | $3,800 | $6,500 | 16.4 | -0.9 | 11.1 | 3.5 | 17% | 5% | 0.67 | 0.26 | 0.63 | 0.24 | 16 | 11.0 | 2.89 | 10.1 | 1.56 | |
| Cody Zeller | $1,600 | $6,500 | 14.4 | -2.0 | 13.5 | -4.3 | 18% | -5% | 0.94 | -0.20 | 0.94 | -0.16 | 10 | 8.4 | 5.24 | 8.3 | 1.27 | |
| Haywood Highsmith | $1,000 | $6,000 | 18.0 | -14.8 | 12.0 | -11.2 | 12% | 0.67 | -0.43 | 0.68 | -0.44 | 10 | 5.4 | 5.36 | 5.2 | 0.87 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this playoff series.
Boston Celtics Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Smart | $7,600 | $12,000 | 32.1 | 1.0 | 28.6 | -0.2 | 18% | -3% | 0.89 | -0.03 | 0.88 | -0.05 | 36 | 31.2 | 4.10 | 30.1 | 2.51 | |
| Derrick White | $5,200 | $10,000 | 28.3 | -4.0 | 26.4 | -3.4 | 17% | -1% | 0.93 | 0.02 | 0.93 | 0.04 | 29 | 21.0 | 4.04 | 20.8 | 2.08 | |
| Jaylen Brown | $9,800 | $13,500 | 35.9 | -0.5 | 43.5 | -14.3 | 31% | -2% | 1.21 | -0.39 | 1.17 | -0.39 | 38 | 41.3 | 4.22 | 39.4 | 2.92 | |
| Jayson Tatum | $13,200 | $17,500 | 36.9 | 2.8 | 52.4 | -1.7 | 32% | -3% | 1.42 | -0.14 | 1.37 | -0.16 | 41 | 55.4 | 4.19 | 52.1 | 2.98 | |
| Al Horford | $6,400 | $11,000 | 30.5 | -4.3 | 26.1 | -6.0 | 12% | 0% | 0.85 | -0.09 | 0.85 | -0.06 | 28 | 22.1 | 3.45 | 21.7 | 1.97 | |
| Malcolm Brogdon | $6,200 | $7,500 | 26.0 | -1.6 | 28.0 | -11.0 | 22% | -3% | 1.08 | -0.38 | 1.05 | -0.36 | 22 | 21.7 | 3.51 | 21.0 | 2.79 | |
| Robert Williams | $4,600 | $7,000 | 23.5 | -2.7 | 24.2 | -4.7 | 11% | 5% | 1.03 | -0.09 | 1.08 | -0.10 | 20 | 18.7 | 4.07 | 19.5 | 2.79 | |
| Grant Williams | $2,600 | $8,500 | 25.9 | 1.9 | 18.5 | 3.8 | 13% | -2% | 0.71 | 0.09 | 0.70 | 0.09 | 26 | 16.3 | 6.27 | 16.0 | 1.88 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this playoff series.
Game 5 Analysis
The Heat have already out-performed expectations. They were massive underdogs against the Bucks and won, they were small underdogs against the Knicks and won, and now they are one game away from the NBA Finals. However, the injury bug hasn’t been too kind to them. Tyler Herro was injured early in the first round and now Gabe Vincent is set to miss tonight’s game against the Celtics. He’s been a key piece for them defensively and he’s quietly played well on the offensive end of the floor. Kyle Lowry should slide into the starting lineup and see a major uptick in minutes. He’s arguably the top point-per-dollar option on the board and deserves consideration at MVP on DraftKings.