DFS Alerts
Update: Kyle Lowry (ankle) active but in locker room; still no official word on if he'll start
Lowry will be active for tonight’s game but it remains unclear if he’ll start. Beat writer Blake Murphy reported Lowry was in the locker room.
As reported by: Blake Murphy
Kyle Lowry (ankle) expected to start tonight
Beat writer Blake Murphy reported Lowry is on the court and it “looks like he’ll go.” Although there hasn’t been official confirmation yet, it appears the point guard will start. There’s still some added risk involved with him given the injury as it seems like the ankle is causing him quite a bit of discomfort. This takes away from Cory Joseph’s value, but he’s still in play as a high-risk GPP option that could earn minutes if Lowry is limited, exits early, or there’s another blowout.
As reported by: Blake Murphy Kyrie Irving's assist rate is up to 50.8% in the second round
After averaging 3.0 assists on a 14.9% assist rate against the Pacers in the opening round, Irving has contributed 10.5 per game against Toronto. What’s most impressive is he’s posted those numbers in 32.6 minutes per game – he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter in Game 2 due to the blowout. Cleveland has put an even larger emphasis on pace and ball movement to overcome Toronto’s tough defense, which seems to be working in Irving’s favor. Usually, he’s a score-first guard, although he had improved his numbers this season; his 29.7% assist rate was the best he’s produced since LeBron James came to back to Cleveland. Against Toronto, he’s taken it to another level while directly cutting into James’ production in the stat as James has fulfilled more of the score-first role (37.0 points per game) and his assist rate has dropped 18.1% from the first round to 19.3%. On the road, James may step back into more of a facilitator role, but what they’ve been doing is obviously working. Even if Irving experiences a slight drop off in assists, he could make up for it with points if the game stays close. He’s averaging 23.0 points per game in those limited minutes and he and James have distanced themselves from Cleveland’s third option, Kevin Love. When Irving has been on the court this postseason, he leads the team with a 37.0% usage rate while LeBron is second at 30.5% and Love is another 8.1% below him in third (22.4%). With Lowry dealing with an ankle injury, Irving’s matchup could be better and he appears to be a better fantasy target than his counterpart.
Patty Mills averaged 0.77 FD ppm during the regular season
With Tony Parker out for the remainder of the playoffs, Mills is expected to join the starting five. In addition to solid fantasy production, Mills posted a usage rate of 20.9%. Not surprisingly, Mills’ experienced a drop in both areas when he shared the court with Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Pau Gasol. His usage dropped 4.8% while his per-minute pace tumbled 0.12 FD ppm. Still, he should be in line for plenty of minutes tonight and his salary is just $3,800 on FD; he remains a solid value option even when he’s a part of the first unit. On DraftKings, his salary is $600 more expensive but it’s not prohibitive on a small slate lacking viable cheap targets. At shootaround this morning, coach Gregg Popovich said he was still contemplating who would start for Parker tonight. Although it’s possible we don’t know before lock, beat writer Jeff McDonald is “still guessing Patty Mills” will get the nod.
As reported by: Jeff McDonald Kyle Lowry (ankle) will be a game-time decision Friday
After suffering an ankle injury in Game 2, Lowry missed practice Thursday. He’ll test it out in pregame warmups tonight to see if he can give it a go. Fortunately, we should know his status prior to lock as Toronto is playing in the first game tonight. If he’s ruled out, Cory Joseph is expected to start in his place. Although he finished with a nice line on Wednesday, 18 of his 22 points were scored in garbage time. We can’t expect the same type of performance on the first team, but he should get plenty of minutes and he produced 0.70 FD ppm across 102.3 minutes alongside DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, and Norman Powell this season with an 18.1% usage rate. He’ll become a solid value option if he gets the nod.
As reported by: Doug Smith Ian Mahinmi (calf) will play tonight
Mahinmi has missed the entire postseason so far, which has enabled Marcin Gortat to earn extra time on the court. Coach Scott Brooks said he would only play in “short spurts” so he isn’t expected to do too much tonight. Although Gortat may lose a few minutes, he should have a relatively secure workload. He’s gotten off to a terrific start against Boston, averaging 15.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. After two games, he’s 11-of-15 within five feet of the basket. The Celtics were 15th in opponent field goal percentage from that area this season (59.4%) so he may continue to be effective, although his volume could drop. Considering Boston was 27th in rebounding (48.5%), he should keep finding success on the glass.
As reported by: Ben Standig Gerald Green will start ahead of Amir Johnson tonight
Green is back in the starting five tonight after being replaced by Johnson in Game 2. Green isn’t someone to trust in fantasy. In his last start, he played seven minutes and he was removed from the rotation entirely last game. When Johnson started on Tuesday, he received five minutes in the first and never returned. While it’s possible Green comes out hot and receives some extra time, it seems more likely coach Brad Stevens will focus on getting Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier time on the court. Regarding the lineup change, Stevens said, “the most important thing was keeping the bench intact.” He loves Smart defending Wall off the bench, and he’s gotten some solid production out of Rozier who posted the best box score plus-minus on the team in Game 2 (plus 25). Green should be used in tournaments only and he may not get enough time to be worth the risk.
As reported by: Gary Washburn Ian Mahinmi (calf) will be a game-time decision tonight
Mahinmi has missed the entire postseason so far, which has enabled Marcin Gortat to earn extra time on the court. If Mahinmi is active, coach Scott Brooks said he would only play in “short spurts” so he isn’t expected to play too much. Although Gortat may lose a few minutes, he should have a relatively secure workload should Mahinmi ultimately suit up. Gortat has gotten off to a terrific start against Boston, averaging 15.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. After two games, he’s 11-of-15 within five feet of the basket. The Celtics were 15th in opponent field goal percentage from that area this season (59.4%) so he may continue to be effective, although his volume could drop. Considering Boston was 27th in rebounding (48.5%), he should keep finding success on the glass.
As reported by: Jay King Other tagged players: Marcin Gortat Tony Parker (quad) out for remainder of playoffs
The point guard ruptured his quadriceps on Wednesday; it looks like he’ll need surgery and as a result, he’ll miss the rest of the postseason. Patty Mills could join the starting five in his place. He’s been on the court with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge for 660.4 minutes this year; not surprisingly, his fantasy production slipped 0.15 DK ppm to 0.71. At the same time, Leonard’s usage rose 2.9% to 36.2% and he turned in 1.36 DK ppm while Aldridge remained even with his normal production.
As reported by: Paul Garcia Other tagged players: Patty Mills, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge Kyle Lowry (ankle) considered questionable for Friday
After injuring his ankle in Game 1, Lowry missed practice Thursday and he’s questionable for Game 2 tomorrow. Cory Joseph ended up playing the entire fourth quarter while Lowry was sidelined and he scored 18 points in the period. He’ll likely start if Lowry misses the game. He’s shared the floor with DeRozan, Ibaka, and Powell for 102.3 minutes this season; in that sample, he produced 0.74 DK ppm on an 18.1% usage rate while DeRozan’s usage dropped 3.5% to 32.8%. Still, DeRozan returned an extra 0.09 DK ppm, increasing his pace to 1.24.
As reported by: Josh Lewenberg John Wall (ankle) and Markieff Morris (ankle) will play tonight, as expected
Both guys are banged up, but they’re ready to roll tonight in Game 2 against the Celtics. Wall was dominant in Game 2, scoring 40 points on 32 shots while adding 13 assists, three steals, and three blocks. Over the past three games, he’s boasted a usage rate of 37.7% and produced 1.37 FD ppm. If Morris can stay out of foul trouble tonight, he’ll be a great target as he’s been playing well. Over the past three, he’s produced 0.99 FD ppm on a 23.5% usage rate. Even on a bum ankle, he racked up 31.7 FD points in 27 minutes on Tuesday.
As reported by: J. Michael Other tagged players: Markieff Morris George Hill (toe) ruled out tonight
Hill will not play in Game 2 as he’s dealing with a toe injury. His replacement hasn’t been announced, although Shelvin Mack seems likely to get the nod. Coach Quin Snyder has been impressed with Mack’s play against Golden State this season, which is why he was Hill’s primary backup on Tuesday. In two of their three meetings during the regular season, Mack scored 16 or more points and returned 25.9 and 31.9 FD points in those contests. Although he only dropped six points on seven shots in Game 1, he managed to pull down seven rebounds and contribute four assists. Including the playoffs, Mack has now produced 0.78 FD ppm against the Warriors on a 26.1% usage rate across 111.4 minutes. He’s the top value play on the board tonight. Gordon Hayward should also benefit from the change as he returned an extra 0.18 FD ppm when Mack and Joe Johnson were on and Hill off, bringing his total to 1.17.
As reported by: Aaron Falk Other tagged players: Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward Norman Powell and Patrick Patterson will start ahead of DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas tonight
Coach Dwane Casey is in search of a more potent offense and he believes removing Carroll and Valanciunas is the way to go. Powell could potentially earn 30+ minutes as he did when he started three games against the Bucks, but this isn’t the same small lineup the Raptors used in the first round. Powell is replacing Carroll instead of Valanciunas. P.J. Tucker has been coming in for Carroll off the bench and pushing towards 30 minutes each night. It’s very likely he gets more time on the court than in Game 1 though (21 minutes). Patterson was already averaging 19.6 minutes a night and he could see a bump as well. He averaged 0.63 FD ppm this season. When he was on the court, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry saw usage bumps of 2.8% and 2.3%, respectively. DeRozan’s per-36 pace increased dramatically to 46.31 FD points, a 6.3-point jump.
As reported by: Matthew Scianitti Other tagged players: Patrick Patterson Michael Grange: lineup changes expected for Raptors, Norman Powell and Patrick Patterson may start
Michael Grange of Sportsnet originally reported that Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll would be removed from the starting lineup tonight in favor of Norman Powell and possibly Jakob Poeltl. Coach Dwane Casey refuted the rumors surrounding Poeltl but Grange still believes Carroll and Valanciunas are out and added his “bet” is Patterson will enter the starting five with Powell. There’s nothing official yet, but this situation is definitely worth tracking as we near lock.
As reported by: Michael Grange Other tagged players: Jakob Poeltl, Norman Powell J.R. Smith (thumb) not on injury report
Smith aggravated his surgically-repaired thumb on Monday, which forced him to exit in the third quarter. He finished wit six points in 22 minutes of action. Although he should return to a full workload tonight, he isn’t a very strong target. With most of the shots going to the big three, Smith has produced just 0.37 FD ppm this postseason. Of course, he is capable of scoring plenty when he gets hot, but he’s only scored more than six points once in the 2017 playoffs – his big games will be few and far between.
As reported by: Chris Fedor