NBA DFS Picks & Playbook For Today: 2024 Playoffs, April 30th
Published: Apr 30, 2024
The NBA Playoffs continue with a three-game DFS slate on this beautiful Tuesday night in April. In the first game of the night, we have Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers trying to survive against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.
The second game is the most compelling series in the Eastern Conference. Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic won both games at home to even the series against the Donovan Mitchell-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Lastly, The Indiana Pacers are on the road to try and wrap up the series against the banged-up Milwaukee Bucks led by Khris Middleton.
With all that said, get ready for a huge night in the Association, and let's now dive into the slate with our NBA DFS picks to help you build your DFS lineups!
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NBA Injury Report Today, 4/30
QUESTIONABLE
OUT
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (doubtful)
- Damian Lillard (doubtful)
PROBABLE
NBA Game Totals Today, 4/30
- Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks (-4) Game Total: 203.5
- Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (-4.5) Game Total: 201.5
- Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks (+4) Game Total: 215
- PHI vs. NYK - NYK leads series 3-1
- ORL vs. CLE - Series tied 2-2
- IND vs. MIL - IND leads series 3-1
Top-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays
Joel Embiid, C Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid is questionable heading into this one with a migraine. It is something to monitor up to game time because he missed shootaround this morning. If Embiid plays, he is in play tonight because of who he is.
We can tell that he doesn't have his legs underneath him as he continues to play himself in shape. You can see it in his legs on his jumper as he is just 10-30 from downtown in the series. However, if he plays you know he is going to get his 50-60 DKP, but do not feel like you have to play him.
Jalen Brunson, PG New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson has been great in the last two games while playing almost all of the minutes. The man's usage is crazy seeing it rise to 40% last game while we saw him get up 34 shot attempts finishing with 72 DKP. With that type of ceiling and being able to get him at under 10K on DraftKings, I am locking him into my lineups tonight.
Mid-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays
Pascal Siakam, SF/PF Indiana Pacers
After having two monster games in the first two matchups of the series, Siakam was quiet in Indiana. In the two games in Milwaukee, he saw a 30% usage rate. In the two games in Indiana, his usage dropped to under 20%. Tyrese Haliburton is questionable with back spasms.
With the Pacers having a 3-1 they may take the load off of Haliburton and put more back on the plate of Pascal Siakam in a good matchup. Siakam is not an absolute lock like his teammate below, but he is a solid play.
Khris Middleton, SF Milwaukee Bucks
Khris Middleton got a little banged up during the last game but was able to return and play 40 minutes. With Giannis being out for the entire series thus far and Damian Lillard going down in Game 3 Middleton has seen a jump in usage rate to 40% and 33%. Not only has he scored but he has grabbed 10 rebounds and five assists in back-to-back games. He has seen a price increase, but that hasn't scared me off yet.
Tyrese Maxey, PG Philadelphia 76ers
It really has just been Joel Embiid (36.5%) and Tyrese Maxey (28.8%) handling things on the offense end this series. If Embiid cannot suit up the burden falls even more on Maxey, and we have seen him step up in the past. Even if Embiid plays Maxey is just $8,400 on DraftKings and has a 60+ DKP ceiling as we saw in Game 1.
Bobby Portis, PF/C Milwaukee Bucks
With the absence of Giannis and Lillard in Game 3 we were all over Bobby Portis. Of course, it backfired, as he got ejected seven minutes into the game. Brook Lopez stepped up in his place, but the Bucks lacked the energy Bobby brings. I would expect him to stay in this game and have a big game in this one, similar to what he did in Game 2 when he posted 44 DKP.
Josh Hart, SF/PF New York Knicks
Even with Josh Hart not making a shot, let me repeat that he didn't make a shot going 0-7 from the field he was still able to make an impact on the floor. Hart added 17 rebounds dished out five assists and blocked three shots. Josh Hart is the definition of a Thibs guy, hustling and playing a ton of minutes. With him playing almost all the game, Hart will continue to put up numbers.
Myles Turner, C Indiana Pacers
Myles Turner has quietly dominated this Pacers-Bucks series. He has scored at least 35 DKP in all four games and that number has increased in the last two games, along with his minutes. Turner has played 38 and 42 minutes in back-to-back games, which we have not seen from him.
Myles Turner is also seeing a 24% usage rate which we love to see, as he is a tough matchup for the Bucks frontcourt without Giannis Antetokounmpo. I should have been on Turner earlier in the series, so let's not keep making that same mistake.
Jarrett Allen, C Cleveland Cavaliers
In the two blowouts in Orlando, Jarrett Allen did not play 30 minutes in either game, but he was still fine scoring 26 and 33 DKP. Let's not forget what he did in the first two games of the series posting two monster double-doubles with 18 and 20 rebounds while playing 25 and 39 minutes. If you are looking to save a few hundred bucks, Allen is a fine pivot off Turner.
Value-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays
OG Anunoby, SF/PF New York Knicks
OG has made his presence known in this series the last two games making an impact on both ends of the court. He has played 47 and 39 minutes in the last two games. We know how impactful OG is on the defensive end but if he keeps knocking down shots we can continue to see ceiling games. the $500 price increase makes it tougher to play him tonight, but he is still in play.
Kelly Oubre, SG/SF Philadelphia 76ers
If you are looking to save a few hundred Bucks off of Anunoby, can I interest you in Kelly Oubre? It's not a flashy play, but he is playing a ton of minutes as he seems to be in the circle of trust with Nick Nurse in the last two games. With the minutes increase to 38 and 40 he has scored over 31 DKP in each game. Oubre has a decent floor at a solid price.
Aaron Nesmith, SG/SF Indiana Pacers
Then even cheaper than Oubre, Nesmith is a solid option as well with around the same ceiling as OG Anunoby and Kelly Oubre. He will be locked into Khris Middleton on the defensive end of the floor and has scored double-digit points on the offensive end in three straight games. As long as he knocks down shots, he will bring you value at just over 5K on DraftKings.
Max Strus, SG/SF Cleveland Cavaliers
Max Strus is too good of a shooter to keep shooting like he has in the four games of this series. He is just 3-17 from behind the arc and has not hit more than one in any game in the series. Strus was a huge part in the Heat's run to the NBA Finals so we have to believe we will see that Strus sometime soon, and what better time than tonight?
Andre Jackson, PG/SF Milwaukee Bucks
Andre Jackson is a nice punt play option at just $3,800 on DraftKings. He played 25 minutes and scored 32 DKP doing a little bit of everything for the Bucks posting a line of 6/6/7/3. It's hard to say if the minute's increase was because of Portis being ejected or the Beverley injury or not. But with what he did in those minutes, being one of the only Bucks players in plus of the +/- Category he may continue to get some run making him an intriguing tournament play.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Jalen Brunson  $10,300 |  Pascal Siakam $9,100 |  Joel Embiid $11,800 | ||
| Tyrese Maxey $9,200 | |||||
| Medium |  Khris Middleton $8,900 |  Bobby Portis $8,200 | Myles Turner $8,300 | ||
 Franz Wagner $7,800 | Josh Hart $7,900 |  Jarrett Allen $8,000 | |||
| Low | Kyle Lowry $5,400 | Max Strus $5,100 | OG Anunoby $0 | Wendell Carter $4,600 | |
| Andre Jackson $4,300 | Kelly Oubre $6,400 | ||||
| Aaron Nesmith $6,200 |
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.