After a huge third quarter in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat were able to notch a road win and they lead the series one game to none heading into game two tonight against the Boston Celtics. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field last game with the difference being the Heat winning the shooting percentage battle from downtown sinking 51 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. Miami hasn’t won a game two this postseason and we saw Boston bounce back nicely in game two in their last series against the Philadelphia 76ers after losing game one. Boston has opted to go with a bigger starting lineup which is smart because Bam Adebayo has been very productive against them, and Miami has also been a feisty team on the boards. The Celtics are favored by nine and a half points and the game total is 215. Don't forget to check out NBA Daily Projections and Vegas Odds for this game. Here are tonight’s prioritized NBA DFS plays for the NBA Playoffs. 

 

Miami Heat Injuries

-Tyler Herro-Out

-Victor Oladipo-Out

-Omer Yurtseven-Questionable

Boston Celtics Injuries:

-Danilo Gallinari-Out

NBA DFS MVP/Captain

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

It’s hard to not pick Butler for the top spot. He continues to perform at a high level and not only did he hit the 20-shot mark for the 3rd time in 5 games, but he also shot 48 percent from the field and dropped 35 points. Butler has hit over 52 percent of his shots throughout the postseason. He was completely locked in when it came to his scoring, and he doesn’t even have a strong perimeter game. The way he works the elbow is incredible. He hits hard shots and draws a lot of contact. He’s taken at least 10 free throws in 5 of his last 6 outings. Butler has also been a helpful playmaker dropping seven dimes or more in three of his last four battles. The offense runs through him and if he’s off, the entire team will be off. Butler continues to be the Heat’s backbone and we’ve even seen him help on the glass and he’s logged 12 steals total over his last 4 games. He hit the 53-point mark on DraftKings in 3 games during that span. He’ll continue playing 40-45 minutes and he’s been the 3rd leading scorer throughout the playoffs (not including Kawhi Leonard who only played 2 games). 

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Expect Tatum to take more shots as it was a bit surprising seeing him take fewer than 20 last game. He’s hit 52 percent of his field goals in both of his last 2 contests and we should see Tatum take more three-pointers. He’s scored over 28 points per game during the playoffs. He hit the 30-point mark for the 3rd time in his last 4 games and he’ll continue being the Celtics prioritized scorer. Tatum will play 40-45 minutes and with the expectation that he’ll play more on the ball tonight, his assist-potential rises. Tatum has dropped five or more dimes in five of his last six contests. He also posted three multi-steal contests during that span. The Jimmy Butler matchup is going to be hard for him, but we still saw Tatum have success. He’ll have to protect the ball a bit better as he turned it over four times and the Heat grabbed twice as many steals as Boston did. If Boston is going to tie up this series with it getting ready to shift to Miami for a couple of games, Tatum will have to be on point. 

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

The Heat continue to set Adebayo up more in the post and not have him bring up the ball as much and then stand off to the side. He’s had a lot of success against Boston and game one wasn’t any different. He hit nearly 70 percent of his shots and scored 20-plus points for the 3rd time in his last 4 playoff games. Adebayo has moves in the post and Robert Williams isn’t the same defender we’ve seen in the past. Both centers were having their way in the post and we even saw Adebayo drop five dimes. A lot of the focus when it comes to the CPT/MVP spot will be on Butler and Tatum, but seeing how successful Adebayo has been and seeing the shot volume rise for him as much as it has over his last couple of games, we can put some trust into him. He’s grabbed no fewer than eight rebounds in 10 straight games. He’ll play 35-40 minutes and we’ve even seen him steal the ball in each of his last 4 matchups. He’s also blocked shots in four of his last six contests. He’s been excellent at running the floor and he’s able to keep up with the Heat’s speed on transition and until the Celtics figure out how to limit Adebayo, which they haven’t, for the most part, we can keep relying on him.  

  

NBA DFS Utility Top Plays

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

When looking for spots of consistency regarding Brown, DFS players will have to rely on points and boards from him and it was encouraging seeing Brown take 21 shots last game. He’s shot no lower than 44 percent throughout the playoffs and he’s pulled down at least 6 rebounds in 4 straight games. Brown will have to continue calling for the ball more and he has strong driving ability. His three-point shooting has been a bit up and down, but we should see him take 16-22 shots and play over 40 minutes. He’ll continue to not draw Butler as much on the defensive end as Tatum continues to be the priority. Brown also had major problems with turnovers as he logged six of them in game one. The Celtics will have to do a better job when on offense because the Heat are good defenders, and they’ll constantly go for steals. They can't make too many mistakes against Miami and have to protect the ball. The Heat are very aggressive on defense. He’ll continue being the Celtics second prioritized scorer and with the shot volume being what it’s been for him, we can still start him in DFS.

Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

Smart didn’t take many shots last game, but he still produced a double-double and played 34 minutes. He gets banged up a lot but tends to stay in the game and shake it off. Smart dished 11 assists last game and we should see him play 35-40 minutes tonight. He gives the Celtics a boost on both sides of the ball and he’ll have to sink some high-percentage three’s tonight to keep the Celtics in the game if the Heat are as hot shooting from the floor this game as they were last time out. He hasn’t shot lower than 40 percent in four of his last five outings. Smart normally is a bit more reliable on the boards and he only pulled down one last game. Smart has also blocked shots in his last two and posted multi-swipe games in two of his last three battles. In the past, Smart would resort to taking stupid lower-percentage shots, but he’s matured and if he’s not getting the looks, or if he’s having an off night shooting, he’ll start passing off a lot more and with how easily Robert Williams was able to get inside last game, Smart should be able to contribute a good handful of assists once again. On defense, he’ll have to keep an eye on Kyle Lowry who has made a strong impact throughout the postseason on the perimeter and in the paint.  

Kyle Lowry, Miami Heat

Lowry will continue coming off the bench, but he should play around 30 minutes tonight. He’s been more helpful than Gabe Vincent and the offense just flows a little better with him on the floor. Lowry’s defense has been strong and that keeps him in the game as well. He’s recorded blocks in six of his last seven and stole the ball in four straight outings. He should grab three-to-five rebounds tonight as he’s always been good at placing himself at the elbow so he can grab long rebounds that bounce hard off the rim. He’s also dished four or more assists in six of his last seven games. When shooting, he’s been reliable lately and seeing him take 12 shots last game is very encouraging when it comes to his production ceiling. Lowry doesn’t only rely on his long-range shooting, but he’s also a banger who will fight inside against bigger players so he can keep plays alive for Miami. When it comes to his outside shooting though, Lowry has hit at least 50 percent of his three-pointers in 4 of his last 5 games. Lowry has also been good at managing the shot clock and he’ll dribble the ball back out to the key if the lane is clogged and try to find a better shot for himself or another teammate and use as much time remaining on that clock as he needs. 

  

NBA DFS Dart Throws

Max Strus, Miami Heat

Strus has provided consistency when it comes to his scoring and he continues to take double-digit shots regularly and he should once again play around 35 minutes tonight. The problem with Strus is that he’s become a bit scoring dependent. He’s pulled down at least three rebounds in five straight battles, but he doesn’t help consistently when it comes to assists or steals. The minutes give him a bit of safety when it comes to his production, but for us to get maximum value, he’s going to need to produce assists. The Heat haven’t had a lot of reliability shooting the basketball since Tyler Herro went down, but Strus continues to help fill the void and his shots are protected. He wasn’t shooting to start the game, but once the second quarter started, he became more involved on offense. He’s hit over 45 percent from the floor in 6 of his last 7 battles. He’s a strong outside shooter and a starter and with Miami not expected to have as strong of a shooting night, they’ll have to rely on Strus a bit more for consistency. 

Malcolm Brogdon, Boston Celtics

Despite dealing with a minor arm injury, Brogdon should still be in line for 30-35 minutes tonight and we’ve seen him take 14 shots in back-to-back games and he’s hit at least 50 percent of his field goals in 2 of his last 3 battles. Brogdon continues to be Boston’s spark-scorer off the bench and he’s not in there to run the offense. His main mission is to score as often as possible when he’s out there. This is what makes Brogdon a bit of a risky DFS play because he doesn’t help in other areas consistently outside of scoring and three-point shooting. We have seen him log at least three rebounds in five of his last seven games, but often when he has the ball in his hands, he’s not looking for the cutter which could take down his assists. He’s looking to take advantage of a slower defender or fake out his defender to get a better look at the basket. Brogdon is very selective about his long-range shooting, and he’s hit 50 percent of his three-pointers in 6 of his last 7 games. The minutes he gets and his shot volume makes him an appealing player for DFS because we know he’ll get a sizable piece of the Celtics offensive pie, but, we also need him a bit more active on the glass to increase his production ceiling. 

Robert Williams, Boston Celtics

The Celtics are starting Williams and he should play 25-30 minutes tonight and he’s Boston’s best chance at limiting Adebayo because Al Horford isn’t quick enough. Williams has more size to keep Miami out of the paint. We saw Williams cut to the basket very successfully last game. It was puzzling because the Heat have done a good job of locking down the paint, but Williams took advantage of low-block openings, and he was able to score 14 points in game 1. He hit all six of his shots last game. Williams also pulled down seven boards and he’s hit that mark twice in his last three and he blocked a shot for the fifth time in his last seven basketball battles. He’s been staying out of foul trouble and if he can body-up Adebayo and somewhat limit him, he’ll be given more minutes. Williams isn’t the slowest-moving big man, but if the Celtics are having success on offense by quickly getting down the court, they’ll opt to use a small faster lineup. With Williams in the starting rotation, more control is in his destiny, and we’ll have to see if the Heat adjust on defense to watch the low post a bit more. They may choose to not cover it as much in order to have another defender free in to step up on Tatum or Brown when they have the ball.