NBA DFS Playoff Primer: Wednesday, April 12
The NBA postseason is here! We no longer have to worry about teams resting players, teams trying to lose, and late scratches. 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 didn’t take long for the NBA postseason to provide us with some drama, as the Lakers made a furious second-half comeback against the Wolves. They were able to tie the game and ultimately get a huge three-pointer from D’Angelo Russell in the corner with only a couple of seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Anthony Davis fouled Mike Conley on a three and he calmly knocked down all of his free-throws to send the game into overtime. The Lakers still had the momentum and were able to advance as the seventh seed in the Western Conference, but it was a much tougher fight than expected.
The first game of the night was a bit surprising as well. The Hawks had lost seven games in a row in Miami, the Heat had dominated the regular season series, and there were trade rumors flying about Trae Young in the upcoming offseason. Atlanta was able to put all of that behind them and were able to beat the Heat pretty handily, largely thanks to securing 22 offensive rebounds. The Hawks will now square off against the Celtics in the first round, while the Heat will await the winner of the Bulls/Raptors game tonight.
We have two games on the schedule tonight and they both feature 5.5-point spreads. This is a win-or-go-home situation for all four teams, so we can expect condensed rotations and good effort all around. Let’s dive into the first game.
#10 Chicago Bulls at #9 Toronto Raptors
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- Season Series: 2-1 for Toronto
- Scenario for Winner: Will travel to Miami to play the Heat for the #8 seed
- Scenario for Loser: Eliminated
Previous Matchups
- CHI 104 at TOR 113 (11/6/22)
- TOR 97 at CHI 111 (11/7/22)
- CHI 98 at TOR 104 (2/28/23)
Bulls Notable Injuries
None
Bulls Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
Note: The +/- columns show the difference between season and series averages
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Beverley | $4,400 | $5,000 | 27.1 | 2.1 | 18.4 | 6.4 | 11% | 3% | 0.68 | 0.17 | 0.69 | 0.15 | 28 | 19.2 | 4.37 | 19.7 | 3.95 | |
| Alex Caruso | $3,900 | $4,200 | 23.5 | 5.3 | 17.8 | 12.9 | 11% | 3% | 0.76 | 0.31 | 0.81 | 0.30 | 24 | 15.4 | 3.94 | 16.1 | 3.84 | |
| Zach LaVine | $7,300 | $8,200 | 35.9 | -0.9 | 39.0 | -2.9 | 28% | 0% | 1.09 | -0.05 | 1.05 | -0.04 | 39 | 40.4 | 5.53 | 38.1 | 4.64 | |
| DeMar DeRozan | $7,700 | $9,200 | 36.2 | -0.3 | 40.5 | -14.5 | 27% | -10% | 1.12 | -0.40 | 1.12 | -0.40 | 39 | 41.6 | 5.41 | 41.3 | 4.49 | |
| Nikola Vucevic | $7,400 | $8,500 | 33.5 | 0.4 | 39.8 | 0.1 | 22% | 2% | 1.19 | -0.01 | 1.15 | -0.08 | 35 | 40.8 | 5.51 | 38.9 | 4.58 | |
| Coby White | $5,300 | $4,700 | 23.4 | -0.4 | 19.5 | -5.0 | 17% | 0% | 0.83 | -0.20 | 0.81 | -0.22 | 24 | 20.6 | 3.88 | 19.4 | 4.14 | |
| Ayo Dosunmu | $4,000 | $4,800 | 26.2 | 2.1 | 18.0 | 5.5 | 15% | 5% | 0.69 | 0.14 | 0.69 | 0.11 | 17 | 10.3 | 2.57 | 10.2 | 2.12 | |
| Patrick Williams | $4,800 | $5,300 | 28.3 | -3.4 | 20.7 | 2.1 | 16% | 2% | 0.73 | 0.18 | 0.75 | 0.21 | 24 | 16.1 | 3.35 | 16.2 | 3.05 | |
| Derrick Jones | $3,400 | $4,000 | 14.0 | 0.8 | 11.0 | 3.6 | 14% | 6% | 0.78 | 0.20 | 0.83 | 0.28 | 6 | 4.4 | 1.28 | 4.4 | 1.11 | |
| Andre Drummond | $3,300 | $4,800 | 12.7 | 3.8 | 16.8 | 4.2 | 20% | -1% | 1.33 | -0.05 | 1.35 | -0.08 | 6 | 6.8 | 2.07 | 7.0 | 1.45 |