DRAFTKINGS
Oshae Brissett, PF/C IND ($4,200)
Brissett is likely to play a big role. Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are out and Goga Bitadze and Doug McDermott are questionable. Even if both play, Brissett could still be in play. He has played seven games for the Pacers and played ten minutes or fewer in five of them. In the last game against the Thunder, Brissett played 42 minutes and had 23 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and one assist for 51.5 DK points. In the prior game, he played 25 minutes against the Spurs and had 24 DK points.
Kendrick Nunn , PG MIA ($5,300)
Nunn has been playing well and the Heat will be without Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro . Nunn has at least 30 DK points in three of the last four games and the Bulls struggle to defend point guards. The Heat are coming off a loss in Atlanta last night and are batting to avoid the play-in tournament.
Willie Cauley-Stein , C DAL ($3,100)
Cauley-Stein played 31 minutes in the last game in the same matchup he has tonight against the Lakers. Cauley-Stein had 28.5 DK points. He could see the same amount of minutes, especially if Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber are out.
FANDUEL
Kelly Olynyk , C HOU ($5,000)
The Rockets injury report is one of the keys to the slate. Christian Wood hurt his ankle last night and said he didn't think he could play today. John Wall is out. Jae'Sean Tate also hurt his ankle last night as did Danuel House . Olynyk has played well since coming to Houston. He had 46 FD points against the Clippers last night. He has at least 35.4 FD points in four of the last six games. Olynyk had 36.2 FD points in 27 minutes against Denver on April 16 and Wood played in that one.
Armoni Brooks, SG HOU ($4,200)
The Rockets will be without John Wall and Brooks is going to handle the ball often. Brooks has played more lately with Kevin Porter Jr. out due to health and safety protocols. Brooks has played at least 25 minutes in four straight games, including at least 30 in the last two. He played 30 minutes last night against the Clippers and didn't do much with the Rockets having Wall in the lineup. Brooks has hit at least 24.9 FD points in two of the last four games and Denver has struggled against points guards lately.
PJ Dozier , SG DEN ($3,900)
Dozier is seeing an increased role with Jamal Murray and Monte Morris out and Will Barton left last night's game with a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play. Dozier has at least 23.9 FD points in four of the last five games. He played 29 minutes against the Warriors last night and had 26.9 FD points and gets a great matchup against the Rockets.
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.