The first round of the NBA playoff matchups is set after the NBA Play-In Tournament wrapped up last night. The Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans have punched their tickets to the playoffs.

We have a four-game NBA DFS main slate on this beautiful April 20th, 2024. In the early matchup tipping off at 1 PM ET, we have Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic taking on Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In Game two, we have a great matchup featuring much star power with Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns traveling to Minnesota to take on Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.

 

 

 

The final two games of the night feature the two Play-In Tournament winners of the 7th seed. Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are battling it out with Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. Then, to wrap up the night in the NBA we have a rematch of the Western Conference finals between LeBron James and the Lakers taking on the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. 

NBA DFS Tools To Dominate Tonight's NBA DFS Slate!

Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

 

 

 

NBA Injury Report For Today, 4/20

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Questionable

 

 

 

Pace Up Spots (Post All-Star Break)

Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.

*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.

Green = Fast Paced team

Blue = Neutral Paced team

Red = Slow Paced team

Notable NBA Game Totals Today, 4/20

 

 

 

Top-Price NBA DFS Core Plays

Nikola Jokic, C Denver Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic is the most expensive player on the slate tonight by $1,000 over Joel Embiid. Should the price gap be that big between those two players? I am not sure about that, but fading Jokic tonight could be an issue because he has absolutely dominated the Lakers this season. In the three games against the Lakers this season he is averaging 29-9-12 for 63 DKP per game. Since the All-Star Break, the Lakers have played at the second-highest pace in the NBA adding to the allure of this matchup.

Joel Embiid, C Philadelphia 76ers

It is another pace-down matchup for Joel Embiid and the 76ers taking on the Knicks. However, that was the case in the play-in matchup against the Heat, and Embiid was still able to get his. He shot just 6-16 from the floor missing a few bunnies he should have finished. Embiid finished with 23-15-5 finishing with 52.25. Embiid played in just one matchup against the Knicks and he finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds back in January. He just has a solid floor no matter the matchup, and if you want to pay $1,000 down from Jokic, Embiid is a great option.

LeBron James, SF/PF Los Angeles Lakers

Playoff LeBron needs to be engaged from the get-go taking on the reigning defensive champ Denver Nuggets. Even on nights, when LeBron struggled to shoot like last game, he finds a way to produce at a high clip on the aspects on the floor. He shot just 6-20 in the last game but grabbed nine rebounds and dished out nine assists. With him being priced at just $9,400 on DK he is being priced at his floor in my opinion. If you are fading Jokic and Embiid, LeBron makes for an intriguing guy to build your roster around.

Jalen Brunson, PG New York Knicks

I like Jalen Brunson tonight as a top-tier option because of the volume of shots he is going to see against the 76ers. Finishing out the regular season Brunson finished with three of his last five games played shooing at least 25 FGA and eclipsing 30 twice.  With how much the ball is in his hands and the shot attempts he is getting Brunson has just a solid floor making him an appealing option tonight even in a game with a slow pace.

Mid-Price NBA DFS Core Plays

Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG Cleveland Cavaliers

I like Donovan Mitchell tonight at his price on both sites. It is a tough matchup against the Orlando Magic who are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA ranking first in defensive rating post All-Star break. However, for some reason Mitchell matchup well against Orlando. In the three games against Orlando, he averaged 50 DKP. Mitchell is also coming off two games playing big minutes and in two games he scored over 50 DKP. He is healthy and ready to make another outstanding playoff run.

Jamal Murray, PG Denver Nuggets

I expect Murray to be unleashed in this game and play over 30 minutes with it being playoff time. In his last five games played in the regular season, he didn't eclipse the 30-minute mark once with him coming off injury. However, he is still priced like he will be playing lower minutes sitting at just $7,600 on DraftKings. When you can get someone who has a 50 DKP upside at that price, you almost have to take and I will be playing Murray in a great matchup.

Josh Hart, SF/PF, Donte DiVincenzo, SG/SF New York Knicks

I like both of these guys at their price tonight even in a slower-paced game. Hart and DiVincezio are both going to play 40+ minutes and they are extremely important to the success of this Knicks team. Hart has created a nice floor for himself scoring over 32 DKP in his last five games. During that span, he grabbed at least seven rebounds in each game and will be matched up with Mitchell at times in this one giving him more steal opportunities.

Donte DiVincenzo on the other hand will probably get the second-highest shot attempts on the team behind Jalen Brunson. With him having 20-shot potential tonight and adding all the other peripheral stats he is very much an option tonight as is Hart. 

Franz Wagner, SF Orlando Magic

Franz Wagner is priced too low today sitting at $6,300 on DraftKings. I expect his minutes to go up in this one and most likely sit between 35-38 as the playoff rotation tightens up. Wagner has gotten up at least 18 shots in back-to-back games so we know he will not be shy in this one against the Cavs. He is also an interesting matchup with the Cavs essentially starting three guards and two bigs, so Wagner should take advantage.

Michael Porter, SF/PF Denver Nuggets

Michael Porter is another guy from the Nuggets who seems underpriced in this fast-paced matchup against the Lakers. We know one thing is for sure with Micahel Porter and that is the fact that he is an absolute bucket. We just have to hope he gives us something in other categories to maximize his ceiling in this one. Porter has also faired well against the Lakers this season. In the three matchups, he has averaged a 21-10 double-double. He will smash his value if he keeps up that pace in this one.

Value-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays

Grayson Allen, SG/SF Phoenix Suns

Grayson Allen has become the most important role player on this roster as we just saw him sign a four-year $70 million contract. Allen will likely match up with Anthony Edwards to try and slow him down. Allen has also become a sniper this season shooting a career-high 46% from behind the arc on just under six attempts per game. He has also faired well against the T-Wolves this season averaging 32.6 DKP in the three matchups.

OG Anunoby, SF/PF New York Knicks

With wanting to play as many top-tier guys today as possible you need to find guys at value who offer a solid floor. OG Anunoby is just that guy. He may not have a 40 DKP ceiling because his offense is limited, but he is a great defensive stopper. He has had at least three steals in three of his past five games, while also scoring double-digit game points in four straight games. At this price tag for OG, it will be very hard for him to bust at his minutes projection. 

Nicolas Batum, PF Philadelphiaia 76ers

I wrote Nicolas Batum up in the Play-in Games Playbook on Wednesday and it worked out. He played 28 minutes and finished with 30 DKP while knocking down six shots from behind the dark. I do not expect that to happen again, but I do expect Batum to be a huge rotation piece for the 76ers this postseason because he is in Nick Nurse's circle of trust. He may not give you 30 DKP tonight, but at his price, he should still hit his value.

Jonathan Isaac, PF/C Orlando Magic

We could finally see Jonathan Isaac fully unleashed tonight against the Cavaliers. Even after all of the injuries, Jonathan Isaac is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He has also been a great fantasy point-per-minute guy throughout his career. Isaac is priced at just 4K on DraftKings and in games in which he played over 20 minutes he scored over 20 DKP. Isaac will play 20+ minutes today and I expect him to be a big part of this Magic rotation throughout the playoffs.

Roster Lock Updates

  • Jonathan Isaac is starting at center making him a roster lock.

Player Pool

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