Los Angeles Clippers' Paul George (13) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder's Terrance Ferguson (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 90-88. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
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Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 52.29 DK - 56.86
Trae is a complete bargain on DraftKings for this slate coming at under $10K. He’s likely to play upwards and over 40 minutes if the game stays close, something that didn’t happen at all against Charlotte on Wednesday. But if this one is within 20 points, and it should be, then 40+ minutes is completely in play. He took a whopping 24 shots in just 34 minutes against Charlotte, tallying 24 points and adding 11 assists to boot. The FanDuel price is pushing it in this matchup, though some of the other pricing on this slate for FD makes it a bit easier to stomach.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 49.08 DK - 52.64
For the Cavaliers to advance they are basically going to need 40+ minutes out of Garland to have any hope. He ran 39 against the Nets on Tuesday, jacking up 24 shots (nearly twice as many as the next-closest guy) and scoring 34 points when it was all said and done. In theory, Jarrett Allen returning should help the assist numbers also considering he’ll have a more functional lob threat (though Allen is still dealing with a finger issue). In all, at these prices, it’s tough to fade Garland here considering the number of minutes he’s set to play. The dude is basically their only on-ball creator and as long as the game is close, 42-44 minutes are in play.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 36.9 DK - 38.98
Like we said going into the first play-in game, Jackson’s minutes were some of the ones we could almost definitely trust with this Clippers group. Sure, the usage takes a hit with Paul George around, but that’s somewhat built into the price at this point. RJax ran 39 in the loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, putting up 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He took the second-most shots on the team with 18 and that should look to be the case again here on Friday. The price is a pretty easy play on FanDuel and is solid on DraftKings as well.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 51.54 DK - 52.65
Paul George will be a tough fade on this slate if you choose to go that route. We don’t have any of the traditional big-money guys going here which, in some ways, will make lineup constructions just a bit easier. And we do know that he’s set to run 40+ minutes as long as the game stays close. That was the case the other night against the Timberwolves when he played 41 and took a whopping 24 shots including 12 from three. He finished with close to 60 FanDuel points and could be in line for a similar output here. Because these slates default to more minutes towards the superstars, we need to get as many as possible into lineups.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 33.89 DK - 34.83
Like Reggie Jackson, Levert offers that way to save some in the mid-tier while also trying to ensure you get as many minutes as possible. Because the Cavs desperately need any offense other than Garland, he’s been tasked with playing a lot and the usage has been solid when the run is there. He put in a balanced line against the Nets, scoring 12 points, with seven rebounds and assists each in his 39 minutes. Levert should see similar on-court time against Atlanta who won’t really play him off the court in any meaningful way.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 32.62 DK - 33.62
Zubac ran 32 minutes in the play-in game against the Timberwolves and one would have to think they play him a similar amount in this one considering the Pelicans start pretty darn big on the backline with Valanciunas and Hayes. When given the minutes, Zubac can really crush these salaries, especially the DraftKings price which just looks way too low. He’s a double-double threat here and should see plenty of run. Considering some of the other spend-ups, this is a spot to nab him in the middle tier with a matchup that should favor his size.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 26.56 DK - 25.34
We had Herb Jones as a core cash play on the last two-game play-in slate because it seemed pretty apparent that he was going to run a lot of minutes for the Pelicans. They need his wing defense in a bad way and that’s been able to translate to a bunch of minutes. Jones ended up playing 37 total, the second-most on the team behind only CJ McCollum and put up a complete line with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and four blocks+steals. The ability to get after it on the defensive end is actually what gives him a solid floor and he’s going to see a lot of Paul George in this game on that end of the court.
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 27.5 DK - 28.19
Because we are likely pay up a bit more for the points guards as well as Paul George, finding some lower middler-tier plays is going to be crucial in rounding out lineups. We gave Hunter as a core play for this very reason against the Hornets and he was excellent. Hunter took the second-most shots on the team with 16 and was excellent, scoring 22 points and adding seven rebounds. He ended up only playing 30 minutes but that was because of the blowout. The run should definitely increase here as long as the game stays moderately close.
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