NBA DFS Playoff Primer: Wednesday, May 3
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.
After some lackluster games to start the second round, we had two good ones last night. The Knicks managed to claw their way back into the series with a nice fourth quarter comeback against the Heat, while the Lakers pulled off the upset in game one against the Warriors.
We now turn our attention to Wednesday night. The Sixers have a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, while the Celtics are looking to even it up at a game apiece. I could see this being a lopsided affair, but I hope that I’m wrong.
Game 2: Philadelphia Sixers at Boston Celtics
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- Series: Sixers 1 – Celtics 0
Previous Matchups
- Game 1: Sixers 119 – Celtics 115
Notable Injuries
Joel Embiid – Doubtful
Marcus Smart – Questionable
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 | $10,200 | $16,000 | 36.8 | 2.6 | 49.0 | 12.3 | 25% | 17% | 1.33 | 0.22 | 1.26 | 0.22 | 39 | 52.1 | 5.11 | 49.4 | 3.08 | |
| Tyrese Maxey | $7,800 | $13,500 | 33.6 | 2.2 | 31.7 | 7.6 | 24% | 7% | 0.94 | 0.15 | 0.91 | 0.27 | 39 | 39.5 | 5.06 | 38.3 | 2.84 | |
| Tobias Harris | $7,200 | $12,000 | 32.9 | 8.7 | 28.8 | 5.0 | 18% | -1% | 0.87 | -0.06 | 0.87 | -0.03 | 39 | 34.8 | 4.83 | 34.2 | 2.85 | |
| P.J. Tucker | $3,800 | $7,500 | 25.6 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 0.2 | 7% | -5% | 0.43 | -0.12 | 0.43 | -0.08 | 33 | 16.3 | 4.29 | 16.6 | 2.21 | |
| Paul Reed | $7,000 | $11,000 | 10.9 | 26.5 | 12.1 | 22.6 | 15% | -8% | 1.11 | -0.18 | 1.20 | -0.25 | 31 | 33.5 | 4.79 | 35.5 | 3.23 | |
| De’Anthony Melton | $5,400 | $8,500 | 27.9 | -3.3 | 23.7 | 3.6 | 16% | 3% | 0.85 | 0.26 | 0.86 | 0.20 | 25 | 21.9 | 4.05 | 22.2 | 2.62 | |
| Jalen McDaniels | $2,200 | $6,500 | 23.9 | -12.7 | 19.9 | -18.7 | 17% | -8% | 0.83 | -0.72 | 0.84 | -0.73 | 15 | 10.5 | 4.76 | 10.7 | 1.65 | |
| Georges Niang | $1,600 | $6,500 | 19.4 | -6.0 | 14.6 | -8.8 | 16% | -4% | 0.75 | -0.32 | 0.71 | -0.36 | 15 | 9.0 | 5.61 | 8.4 | 1.30 | |
| Shake Milton | $1,000 | $6,000 | 20.6 | 17.1 | 18% | 0.83 | 0.81 | 2 | 1.8 | 1.78 | 1.8 | 0.29 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this series.
Boston Celtics Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | FD | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Smart | $6,400 | $9,500 | 32.1 | 3.2 | 28.6 | -5.3 | 18% | 1% | 0.89 | -0.23 | 0.88 | -0.31 | 33 | 27.3 | 4.26 | 26.7 | 2.81 | |
| Derrick White | $6,000 | $8,500 | 28.3 | -1.2 | 26.4 | -14.4 | 17% | -4% | 0.93 | -0.49 | 0.93 | -0.49 | 32 | 28.7 | 4.79 | 28.5 | 3.35 | |
| Jaylen Brown | $9,000 | $14,500 | 35.9 | 5.7 | 43.5 | -5.5 | 31% | -12% | 1.21 | -0.30 | 1.17 | -0.32 | 39 | 44.2 | 4.91 | 42.2 | 2.91 | |
| Jayson Tatum | $11,400 | $17,000 | 36.9 | 6.9 | 52.4 | 14.8 | 32% | 1% | 1.42 | 0.11 | 1.37 | 0.12 | 39 | 53.2 | 4.66 | 50.4 | 2.96 | |
| Al Horford | $6,200 | $10,000 | 30.5 | -0.4 | 26.1 | 2.4 | 12% | 3% | 0.85 | 0.09 | 0.85 | 0.15 | 33 | 24.1 | 3.88 | 24.0 | 2.40 | |
| Malcolm Brogdon | $5,800 | $9,000 | 26.0 | 7.9 | 28.0 | 0.8 | 22% | 2% | 1.08 | -0.23 | 1.05 | -0.24 | 26 | 24.7 | 4.26 | 24.1 | 2.68 | |
| Robert Williams | $5,000 | $8,000 | 23.5 | -3.7 | 24.2 | -9.5 | 11% | -4% | 1.03 | -0.29 | 1.08 | -0.34 | 23 | 22.5 | 4.51 | 23.7 | 2.96 | |
| Grant Williams | $3,200 | $7,000 | 25.9 | -21.9 | 18.5 | -18.5 | 13% | 0.71 | -0.71 | 0.70 | -0.70 | 8 | 5.3 | 1.66 | 5.2 | 0.74 | ||
| Sam Hauser | $1,200 | $6,000 | 16.1 | -11.5 | 13.1 | -11.6 | 14% | -6% | 0.81 | -0.49 | 0.79 | -0.46 | 6 | 3.3 | 2.78 | 3.3 | 0.54 |
The +/- columns show the difference between season averages and this series.
Game Analysis
I’ll come right out and say it, I didn’t give the Celtics much of a chance in the first game of this series. Joel Embiid was ruled out and the line swung massively in favor of the Celtics. Add the results from the regular season series and how good the Celtics have been at home and it was tough seeing the Sixers pulling off the upset. However, that’s exactly what they did. Based on the betting market and the general sentiment, everyone is expecting Boston to get back in the series with a win tonight. This game features a 10-point spread and a 216.5-point total.