NBA DFS Playoff Primer: Sunday, April 23
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.
Saturday’s slate was a fun one. The Sixers completed their sweep of the Nets, while the Heat and Lakers took 2-1 leads in their respective series. We also saw the Suns survive a scare from the Clippers to take a 3-1 lead over LA heading back to Phoenix for Game 5. We’ll see what Sunday’s 4-gamer has in store as an encore. The Nuggets have a chance to sweep the Timberwolves, while all of the Knicks, Kings, and Celtics will look to take commanding 3-1 series leads.
Game 4: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
Previous Matchups
- Game 1: NY 101 – CLE 97
- Game 2: NY 90 – CLE 107
- Game 3: CLE 79 – NY 99
Notable Injuries
Quentin Grimes (Questionable)
Jericho Sims (Out)
Dylan Windler (Out)
Cleveland Cavaliers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darius Garland | $7,400 | $7,600 | 35.5 | 1.9 | 39.4 | -6.5 | 26% | 1% | 1.11 | -0.23 | 1.06 | -0.20 | 40 | 36.4 | 4.91 | 34.1 | 4.49 | |
| Donovan Mitchell | $9,200 | $9,800 | 35.8 | 4.4 | 44.7 | 6.4 | 31% | -3% | 1.25 | 0.02 | 1.21 | 0.04 | 40 | 45.8 | 4.98 | 43.9 | 4.48 | |
| Caris LeVert | $5,100 | $5,700 | 30.2 | 0.9 | 25.4 | -3.0 | 18% | 4% | 0.84 | -0.12 | 0.83 | -0.17 | 35 | 25.8 | 5.06 | 25.0 | 4.39 | |
| Evan Mobley | $7,000 | $7,300 | 34.4 | 3.4 | 36.0 | -6.2 | 20% | -4% | 1.05 | -0.26 | 1.07 | -0.28 | 38 | 37.3 | 5.32 | 38.5 | 5.27 | |
| Jarrett Allen | $6,800 | $7,500 | 32.6 | 5.6 | 33.1 | -1.7 | 16% | -7% | 1.02 | -0.19 | 1.03 | -0.16 | 38 | 34.2 | 5.03 | 35.3 | 4.70 | |
| Cedi Osman | $3,300 | $3,700 | 20.1 | -0.9 | 15.4 | -4.1 | 18% | -2% | 0.77 | -0.18 | 0.74 | -0.16 | 18 | 13.1 | 3.98 | 12.4 | 3.36 | |
| Isaac Okoro | $3,200 | $3,600 | 21.7 | -9.1 | 13.5 | -6.1 | 12% | 6% | 0.62 | -0.04 | 0.64 | -0.12 | 14 | 7.4 | 2.30 | 7.5 | 2.09 | |
| Danny Green | $3,100 | $3,600 | 12.6 | 3.3 | 9.8 | -0.8 | 19% | -10% | 0.78 | -0.21 | 0.74 | -0.12 | 14 | 9.4 | 3.02 | 9.3 | 2.58 | |
| Ricky Rubio | $3,000 | $3,500 | 17.2 | -11.7 | 14.9 | -11.7 | 17% | 4% | 0.87 | -0.28 | 0.88 | -0.38 | 3 | 2.4 | 0.80 | 2.3 | 0.65 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this series.
New York Knicks Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Brunson | $7,600 | $8,300 | 35.0 | -0.4 | 39.9 | -0.8 | 27% | 4% | 1.14 | -0.01 | 1.11 | 0.06 | 38 | 42.8 | 5.64 | 41.3 | 4.98 | |
| Quentin Grimes | $3,900 | $4,400 | 29.9 | -9.1 | 21.3 | -8.7 | 14% | -4% | 0.71 | -0.11 | 0.69 | -0.03 | 24 | 13.3 | 3.41 | 13.3 | 3.01 | |
| RJ Barrett | $6,200 | $6,500 | 33.9 | -2.2 | 31.1 | -2.9 | 26% | -6% | 0.92 | -0.03 | 0.87 | 0.04 | 32 | 24.4 | 3.93 | 23.3 | 3.59 | |
| Julius Randle | $7,700 | $7,900 | 35.5 | -2.3 | 46.3 | -11.8 | 29% | 3% | 1.31 | -0.27 | 1.23 | -0.27 | 36 | 41.7 | 5.42 | 38.8 | 4.91 | |
| Mitchell Robinson | $5,000 | $5,800 | 26.9 | -1.0 | 25.9 | -4.8 | 10% | -2% | 0.96 | -0.15 | 1.04 | -0.11 | 28 | 25.2 | 5.04 | 27.0 | 4.66 | |
| Josh Hart | $5,400 | $5,600 | 32.3 | -2.9 | 28.1 | -3.9 | 12% | 1% | 0.87 | -0.05 | 0.87 | -0.09 | 28 | 22.1 | 4.10 | 22.1 | 3.94 | |
| Immanuel Quickley | $4,900 | $4,700 | 28.9 | -5.6 | 28.2 | -13.7 | 20% | -3% | 0.97 | -0.36 | 0.96 | -0.37 | 23 | 19.6 | 3.99 | 19.0 | 4.04 | |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | $3,800 | $4,500 | 19.9 | 2.2 | 17.4 | 1.1 | 11% | 2% | 0.87 | -0.04 | 0.92 | -0.05 | 20 | 17.7 | 4.67 | 18.7 | 4.16 | |
| Obi Toppin | $3,800 | $4,000 | 15.7 | -0.9 | 13.8 | 3.4 | 19% | 4% | 0.88 | 0.28 | 0.85 | 0.41 | 12 | 9.6 | 2.53 | 9.4 | 2.35 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this series.
Game Analysis
The Knicks won Game 3 handily, thanks in large part to a stellar effort from Jalen Brunson. The Cavs, meanwhile, mustered a paltry 79 points in that game on 38.8% shooting from the field. This series was always going to be a grind with a couple of defensive-minded teams squaring off, and today’s Game 4 has the lowest total on the slate by a sizable margin.