FanDuel NBA Picks and DraftKings NBA Picks - Thursday 4/15/21

Good day! Today's slate of NBA DFS games is pretty unusual. We have just 4 games going, and almost all of those games has some serious injury implications. Instead of going position by position, let's break down what you should keep an eye out for in each game.

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Milwaukee at Atlanta

On the Bucks' side of things, everything comes down to the status of Giannis. If he plays, you can still consider anyone in the Bucks' starting line-up in such a favorable match-up. If he sits, guys like Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and Jrue Holiday become must-plays against a Hawks team that ranks in the bottom 10 of defensive efficiency this season.

The Hawks present their own balls of wax. Trae Young is currently listed as questionable, and Brandon Goodwin has filled in admirably in his absence over the last two games. If Young sits, Goodwin will have 100% ownership, and there will be a trickle down effect to the rest of the team as well.

Danilo Gallinari is also questionable, and John Collins has already been ruled out. If Gallo misses the Hawks will lean even harder on Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela, both of who will be great plays here. Solomon Hill started and played 30 forgettable minutes, and I probably wouldn't be interested in rolling him here unless I had to to make the money work on other good plays.

All the Hawks plays get riskier if Giannis plays, since the blowout would firmly be in play, particularly if Trae and Gallo were to miss.

Golden State at Cleveland

The big question marks in this contest come on the Cleveland side, with both Collin Sexton and Darius Garland battling injuries. Garland wound up playing Wednesday night, but there's no guarantee that that means he'll suit up for the second half of the back to back here. Likewise, Sexton missing Wednesday doesn't mean he'll miss here.

You'll also have to keep an eye on the Cavs' bigs, with Nance and Allen both returning from injury on Wednesday as well.

As such, there isn't a whole lot we can say this early. Whoever is left standing could be a solid play, with the caveat that there is serious blowout potential if the Cavs' big guns (such as they are) wind up sitting here.

On the Golden State side, Kent Bazemore, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney were flirting with cash game ownership on Wednesday. On a tiny slate in a great match-up, they are all in play once again. Andrew Wiggins is also around our DraftKings lineups, where he is a little cheaper.

Cleveland represents a great match-up thanks to their bottom 5 defense and injury issues, and you shouldn't be shy about stacking off on Dubs tonight.

Sacramento at Phoenix

Another game riddled with question marks. Let's start with Sacramento.

The statuses of both Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes are very much in doubt here. Hield is questionable with a non-Covid illness, and Holmes missed Wednesday's game after tweaking his hamstring against the Pelicans. I'm writing this before the Wednesday night game, but Holmes' absence could generate a must-play (if Whiteside were to play 20+ minutes) or be a total nonissue if his minutes are spread among Jones, Whiteside, and Metu. Jones drew the start on Wednesday, but we'd be wise to monitor his minutes and production.

If Hield misses this one, guys like Moe Harkless and Tyrese Haliburton become even more attractive. Otherwise, the Kings aren't looking great here.

In spite of the great match-up, our system isn't especially bullish on the Suns' DFS prospects here.

Boston at the Lakers

This game is a lot more sane than the others on the slate, but that doesn't mean it's without value.

Our system loves the Celtics' big three of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kemba Walker. With each of them playing 36+ minute rotations in close games, the floor on each seems outrageously high unless this game gets out of hand. I'd also be down to play Robert Williams, but he's getting a little bit expensive.

The Lakers aren't looking great to our system here, with the possible exception of Andre Drummond if you think he is in line for an eventual uptick in minutes.

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