DraftKings
Blake Griffin , PF/C BKN
Brooklyn is without Kevin Durant , Nicolas Claxton , Alize Johnson and LaMarcus Aldridge retired, leaving them three guys in their front-court tonight, Griffing being one of them. In two-of-three games, Griffin has topped 26 minutes and has given us 23 and 32.5 DKP in those outings. The Nets will need his output to stay competitive here and he’s matching up against a subpar defensive front court that has recently brought Jabari Parker into the equation.
Davis Bertans , PF WAS ($4,300)
Both Rui Hachimura and Deni Avidja are out, giving Bertans the green light to all the minutes he can handle. He’s played well of late scoring 16+ actual points, hitting four or more three’s and notching 27+ DKP in three straight games. The minutes have been key as well topping 28 in two straight games with both of those aforementioned guys out. OKC is very bad against power-forwards, ranking 28th according to DvP this year.
Daniel Gafford , C WAS ($3,800)
We saw Gafford’s minutes restriction rise and he stepped on the court and played 24 minutes and honestly, he dominated. He notched a 19-point double-double while blocking three shots. He’s better than Alex Len and Robin Lopez if they were combined into one player, Robin Len, at this point, so why not continue giving the guy the run? Gafford has averaged a robust 1.44 FP/min since arriving in Washington.
FanDuel
Aleksej Pokusevski, PF OKC ($4,800)
I mean, we’re getting such a good price tag on Poku here. Whether Lu Dort plays or not, Poku is underpriced. Poku has a 20.5% USG and averages .88 FP/min with SGA and Al Horford off the floor this season. We’ve recently seen what the ceiling can look like from Poku when he put up 41 FDP and maybe that wasn’t even the ceiling because he barely made any of his field goal attempts. He does a LOT of really good things when he’s on the floor. WAS is a bottom-five defense in the NBA.
Armoni Brooks, SG HOU ($4,200)
Houston has a problem and it’s with their health. Kevin Porter , Eric Gordon , Sterling Brown , D.J. Augustin and David Nwaba are all out. Brooks is likely going to start once again and approach 30 minutes again as well. He’s grabbed four or more rebounds in three-of-four games and has a steal or block in three straight, really boosting his output on FanDuel. If the scoring can come around like it did against Orlando on the 18th, good things are to come.
Raul Neto , PG WAS ($3,600)
With Rui Hachimura and Deni Avidja out, Neto has been getting his opportunity, none like the other night though playing 36 minutes. Those minutes were alongside Beal and Westbrook as the Wizards are using Beal as their starting SF these days. Put up 35 FDP in that game and if his shot is falling again, the assist machine that is Russell Westbrook will continuously find him.
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.