Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic shoots free throws during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 60.28 DK - 64.81
The Clippers took game three in one they had to win and the series is now 2-1 in favor of the Mavericks. From a fantasy perspective, Luka is basically everything you want from your top-tier play considering the Mavs can’t take him off the court for long stretches and he continues to put up huge numbers in every category. For the series, he’s averaging 38 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds while also adding two blocks+steals. It’s been complete with only the five turnovers a game dinging him some. But if you need to pay up on this slate, and you probably do, then Luka is the guy to go with.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 40.44 DK - 40.72
The price on Rose has really come up in just a few short games, but so has the opportunity. He’s now firmly in the starting lineup and has played 39 minutes in each of the last two games. Last time out, a loss to the Hawks, Rose dropped 30 points on 13-21 shooting and also added six rebounds and five assists. He’s not going to be a big distributor, but the usage is definitely going to be there in this Knicks’ offense. The price hasn’t come up enough for what he is doing now and how much New York needs his scoring.
Reggie Jackson (FD $4900 DK $4400) should remain in the starting lineup and if that’s the case then he makes a great value on DraftKings especially.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 49.63 DK - 51.84
With Chris Paul banged up the Suns have struggled on offense. And it’s also been easier for the Lakers to focus a bit more on Booker in the offense. But to stay in this series, Phoenix will need everything they can get from their young superstar. In a close game, he’s a near-lock for 40+ minutes and the highest usage on the team. the scoring is actually even down a little over the last two games in which he’s only a combined 1-7 from beyond the arc. I like his prices on both sites, but especially on FanDuel where he’s coming a hair lower than some of the other superstars on this slate.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 34.41 DK - 36.64
It’s been speculated that the Dallas Mavericks would need Kristaps Porzingis to really step up in the scoring department for the team to be able to take on the Clippers. But Hardaway has been the guy instead. He was off in the third game, but for the series is averaging 20 points and four rebounds. He’s also had solid usage in this stretch, taking 14 shots per game and eight from beyond the arc. The Clippers tried to limit him some last time out, but THJ still played 40 minutes. I don’t think the price has moved enough to represent what he means for the Dallas offense right now.
Paul George (FD $9100 DK $8600) is still a great price on DraftKings.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 52 DK - 52.64
There are probably enough lower-tier guys on this slate to jam in three of the superstars if that’s how you want to roll in cash games. And Kawhi is about as good as it gets right now. He’s had a fantastic statistical series so far, averaging 34 points and eight rebounds. But he’s also added four assists per game and has seven steals in the first three games. They moved him a bit more on to Luka on defense last game and have played him 41+ minutes in all three so far. The floor is still very high for Kawhi and the DraftKings price especially is too low.
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 29.66 DK - 29.93
Hunter saw his minutes ramp up to 35 last game which is a great sign for the young wing. He was brought along slowly after an injury kept him out much of the year, but the training wheels appear off now. It’s also encouraging that he took 11 shots in the offense and finished with 11 points while grabbing five boards as well. He’s still a threat to put up some defensive stats and on these superstar-filled slates, finding quality minutes in the lower pricing tier can be tough.
I don’t mind Evan Fournier (FD $5500 DK $6000) here for the Celtics.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 29.18 DK - 30.8
He’s tough to stomach from a cash game perspective but so is the whole power forward position on FanDuel. It’s just a weak group of plays for the most part and I don’t mind paying down and hoping to get just a little lucky with a cheaper dude. Morris is still playing a lot of minutes for the Clippers and will continue to do so as they trend small in this series. He did score 15 points before fouling out in Game 3, but did little else across the box score. Again, we are probably just going for some cheap minutes here in an effort to pay up for some of the other guys in this game.
As for the rest of the position on FanDuel especially where we don’t have the multi-position flexibility things are a little bit wonky. John Collins (FD $5800 DK $6100) is coming cheap but has been some combination of ineffective to downright terrible in this series so far so it’s hard to stomach him even in the middle tier.
Maxi Kleber (FD $4500 DK $4100) and Jae Crowder (FD $4900 DK $4800) should continue to see bigger minutes in their respective series, and both are like Morris in this way. Frankly, it’s probably a toss-up between the three.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 40.38 DK - 41.57
After winning the first game in the series, the Suns might be a bit on the ropes. They’ve needed a lot of minutes out of Ayton so far to content with the massive frontcourt of the Lakers and he’s played more than 40 minutes in each of the last two games. For the series, he’s averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds. He’s been consistent in the opportunity and the Suns really can’t take him off the court for long. The DraftKings price is way too low for how much he’s playing and I think you can easily slot him in there at a great value.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 25.92 DK - 25.86
Robert Williams has a nagging toe injury that just can’t keep him on the court and that’s left Thompson with more minutes at the five for the Celtics. And, from a fantasy perspective, he’s been awesome the last two games. Game 3 saw him put up 19 points and 13 rebounds in the win over the Nets. Brooklyn does allow opposing centers to get on the glass and they allow the second-most second-chance points in the league. Thompson is set up to take advantage of that and has over the last two games.
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