daily fantasy sports articles

NBA Friday (Saturday AEST) brings a 2 game slate of playoff basketball. The major DFS tournaments on offer include:

• $6K NBA Saturday at Draftstars
• $1K NBA Saturday Mini at Draftstars
• $500K NBA Playoff Spectacular at DraftKings ($100K to 1^st)
• $75K Four Point Play (20 Entry Max) at DraftKings
• $20K NBA Pick and Roll at DraftKings (Single Entry)

In case you are new to NBA DFS these articles break down the matchups and highlight the key plays to help you build winning lineups. For more insight into how to utilise our game breakdown data check out our NBA DFS Training Camp Series:

Part 1 – Betting Lines and Totals

Part 2 – Matchup Analysis – Pace and Defence vs Position

Part 3 – Key Statistics in Daily Fantasy Basketball

Part 4 – Trade Analysis – Breaking Down the Jimmy Butler trade

Part 5 – DraftKings Sharpshooter Winning Lineup Recap

Part 6 – Adjusting for Line-up News

Have you seen our new NBA DFS Cheat Sheets? We have added even more information for you to see at a glance, including pace numbers, last 5 scores per player and a new Slate Overview section, which brings you projected pace, projected fantasy score totals and Vegas lines and totals for every team on the slate. The perfect accompaniment to our regular previews and a great starting place for the days we don't cover!

GAME BREAKDOWN

Nothing stands out significantly on this slate. Milwaukee at Boston has the highest total at 220 points, which is just under 5 points higher than Denver at Portland. Both games are expected to be close, which is no surprise at this point in the playoffs.

Boston are the only team that are in a pace up matchup on this slate making them a somewhat attractive target, particularly given they are playing at home. What makes them more intriguing, however, is that their implied total is only -1.4 points below their season average. 

I know we don’t generally look for implied totals to be under the average, but on these small playoff slates where the pace slows down and the defense ramps up we essentially want the best of a bad situation. So while the Celtics are expected to score under their season average, in comparison to the other teams on this slate it is a significantly better prospect than the other three teams.

Injury/Lineup News

The only injury news of consequence to monitor is Jamal Murray is a game time decision. He has personally “vowed” to be ready for game 3 so it is highly unlikely he doesn’t play. That said, it is always worth being prepared and it might be a red flag for how he will perform if he does play.

If Murray was to miss it would be Monte Morris who would likely move into the starting lineup and become the biggest beneficiary. During the 7 games Murray missed this season Morris averaged +8.9 fantasy points from an additional 9.4 minutes of playing time.

VALUE

Gary Harris (DS $8,180, DK $4,900) continues to play over 35-40 minutes per game through the playoffs. I will be going back to the well on him this slate, he has been very consistent in the range of 20-30 fantasy points making him a solid play for all formats. Lock and load in cash games. 

Marcus Morris (DS $9,120, DK $4,600) has been a stand out in this series and in a form run averaging 27.4 fantasy points over his last four games. The Bucks have no real matchup for him, especially while they are starting Mirotic. 

PREMIUM

Kyrie Irving (DS $15,850, DK $8,500) is perfectly priced in comparison to the other stars on this slate. He has been a roller coaster through this series with 50 fantasy points in the first game, followed up by just 21 in game 2. It is rare for players of Irving’s calibre to have two bad games in a row especially as they are coming home for the all important game 3. Irving shot 4/18 in game 2, so a regression to the norm should be due.

Khris Middleton (DS $12,990, DK $6,800) has absolutely lit up the Celtics going back to last years playoffs. During their 7 game series last year he averaged just under 25 points per game and shot over 60% from 3 point range. He has picked up right where he left off in this series averaging over 40 fantasy points through the first two games.

Dragon Team

The Daily Fantasy Rankings "Dragon" has scoured the Australian sports betting markets and found some great value picks for these games. Check out his picks for the day below and click on the links to follow his betting plays!

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