The NBA two-game play-in tournament should provide an incredibly fun DFS slate tonight. Gone are the days of worrying about players being benched or having their minutes managed. The stars will be out in full force tonight as we look at who to include in our DFS rosters. Who are the Core Plays and best options in the NBA tonight? Let's dig deep into the analysis for the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves. 

 

 

Eastern Conference 7-8 Seed Play-In Game

 

 

Even though the Nets have to make the postseason by way of the play-in tournament, Brooklyn has the second-best odds to win the East in many sportsbooks before this game tips off. Will they be able to withstand the gauntlet of the Eastern Conference if they don't have Ben Simmons and Joe Harris? Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both transcendent postseason players, and the oddsmakers are predicting a relatively easy win for them tonight. The Cavaliers come crawling into the postseason with just a 9-15 record since the All-Star Game. The loss of their frontcourt due to injuries has done severe damage to the once-powerful defense that propelled the Cavaliers to a surprise third in the East. Can they recapture that magic for one night? 

 

Injuries:

 

Player Breakdown: 

 

 

It's the postseason, which means it's officially Kevin Durant SZN. For his career, Durant averages 40 minutes, 29.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in the playoffs. But even those numbers pale in comparison to the 34.3 points per game he averages in 12 career playoff games with the Nets. Over their last 30 games, the Cavaliers have allowed the third-most three-pointers per game to power forwards. It's going to be bombs away tonight for Durant and there is no way Lauri Markkanen or Kevin Love can slow him down. 

 

 

Kyrie Irving has his own playoff swagger and reputation of course. He averages over 23 points per game and almost five assists in the postseason over his career. As they have been torched by opposing frontcourts with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen injured lately, they have actually played point guards well. They allow the seventh-fewest points to the position over the last 15 games. However, Irving averages 46.4 fantasy points in two games against them this season including 22.5 points and 8 5 assists.

 

 

The Cavaliers are the third-worst team against centers over their last seven, and I'm not even sure Evan Mobley returning can get them all the way back to the defensive greatness they had pre-injuries. Andre Drummond has schooled them for 38 fantasy points per game in just 23 minutes on the floor. Imagine if he were to get 30 minutes per night at that point-per-minute rate. He is already on a streak of at least 31 fantasy points in five of seven games and is very affordable at his salaries tonight (DK $6,500, FD $7,100). 

 

 

Darius Garland has had to be Mr. Everything for Cleveland with all their injuries lately. Some of the pressure should be off tonight with LeVert and Mobley back in the fold, but he still will be counted on for massive production and strong defense. He has been giving DFS managers everything they need over the last month. In each of his last 10 games with at least 30 minutes, he has scored no less than 36 fantasy points including over 45 points eight times. He should see 36-38 minutes tonight and the Nets are the sixth-worst team against point guards this year. 

 

 

Evan Mobley looked like he hadn't missed a beat in his two games back from a three-week injury. He averaged 40 fantasy points in just 27.5 minutes over those two games and was back to grabbing every rebound and blocking every shot just like he was pre-injury. The Nets have been very good against centers this year, but Mobley still averages more than 30 fantasy points per game against them in his two matchups. 

 

 

Caris LeVert is also now healthy at the right time, is playing well, and is just the fifth-most expensive shooting guard on a slate with just two games. Considering the lack of options without Sexton, LeVert is a near-lock to play 38 minutes tonight for Cleveland – which means he is WAY too cheap on FanDuel at just $5,400. Even at $6,900 on DraftKings, I will have some exposure. 

 

 

 

Western Conference 7-8 Seed Play-In Game

 

 

Unless we see some kind of Willis Reed-esque entrance for Kawhi Leonard tonight for in this game, Paul George is going to have to put this Clippers team on his back and carry them to the next round on the road. The spread on this game is extremely tight (Minnesota -3), but you can find Clippers with even better odds than that at some places. Los Angeles comes in on a five-game winning streak and George is peaking at the absolute right time. The Timberwolves had a masterful second half of the season, but were unable to make it to an automatic berth so will settle for a home game for the chance to face the Grizzlies. Post-All-Star break, Minnesota has the third-best offensive rating in the league while the Clippers are the ninth-best defense. This game may come down to who controls the pace. Minnesota is number one in pace since the All-Star game and wants to run while the Clippers are ranked 26th and prefer a half-court style. 

 

Injuries:

 

Player Breakdown: 

 

 

Paul George demolishes the Timberwolves just like he demolishes everyone, tuning them up at a rate of 46.8 fantasy points per game this season. Minnesota can try and put Pat Beverley or D'Angelo Russell on him, but his size is just too much for those guards to handle. On the season, the Timberwolves allow the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards. 

 

 

Reggie Jackson is, without a doubt, too cheap on FanDuel ($5,700) and Yahoo ($23) for the role he will have to play tonight and for how he has performed against the Timberwolves this season. Jackson's minutes were managed the last week of the season so that he could be ready to play up to 40 tonight. That's good for DFS managers as he has averaged exactly 1.0 fantasy points per minute against Minnesota this year. 

 

 

Ivica Zubac has taken a slight lead over Isaiah Hartenstein lately for the role of most productive Clippers' center. Zubac is on a streak of four games in a row with at least 33 fantasy points despite never playing over 25 minutes. The Timberwolves rank 26th in rebound rate over their last 15 games, so that could really benefit Zubac in this matchup tonight. 

 

 

Karl-Anthony Towns' relatively poor play against the Clippers this year (35 points per game in 33 minutes) doesn't jive with the fact that the Clippers allow the 10th-most fantasy points to centers on the season. It looks to be completely fluky as Towns' field goal percentage against them (42%) is significantly below his seasonal number (53%). If he can get the shooting touch back tonight, his salary on FanDuel ($9,700) and Yahoo ($39) will look too low for the usage and opportunity he should have tonight. 

 

 

Rostering Anthony Edwards is quite the roller coaster in DFS. Just in the past 10 days, he has games between 29 and 69 fantasy points, just depending on if his three-pointers are falling and he is crashing the boards. The Clippers are in the top half of the league in allowing the fewest points and three-pointers to small forwards and their 34.5% field goal percentage allowed on threes is seventh-best in the league. I'll be rostering some Edwards tonight in case he pops off, but I won't be going crazy with it. 

 

 

D'Angelo Russell is firing on all cylinders as we enter the postseason, shooting 48% from the field and averaging 39.4 fantasy points in the last 10 days. That's caused the salaries to creep up over $7,000 which is tough because he was much easier to roster when he was in the $6,400-$6,800 range. But there is no question about the usage tonight. He has seen over 23% usage in seven of his last nine games and should play 36 minutes in this one. 

 

Dominate your NBA DFS contests today with our Player Projections, Lineup Generator, & Draft Percentage Forecaster 

 
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