In game one of the NBA Playoffs between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia walked into Boston and stunned the Celtics without NBA MVP Joel Embiid on the floor. Both teams shot well from the field but the Celtics didn’t have an answer for James Harden who dropped 45 points. Tyrese Maxey was a major help in the second half and scored 26 points. Jayson Tatum did what he could by contributing 39 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in game 1 and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points off the bench. Embiid went through shootaround this morning but it’s still uncertain whether he’ll play. Reports from just a couple of days ago said that Embiid was having trouble running. If Embiid sits it will be up to Paul Reed again to guard the middle of the paint and he produced a double-double in the first game of this series. Marcus Smart is also listed as questionable for tonight’s game with a sore chest. Here are a few players to look to use for DFS NBA showdown tonight.

Philadelphia 76ers Injuries:

-Joel Embiid-Questionable

Boston Celtics Injuries:

-Marcus Smart-Questionable

 

NBA DFS MVP/CAPTAIN Picks

Jayson Tatum

Tatum put up big numbers last game and his shot volume shouldn’t change throughout the series. He’s hit the 30-point mark 3 times in his last 4 battles and notched a double-double in both of his last two games. He continues to be a multi-category producer and even during the regular season, he was very successful in posting boards and dimes against Philadelphia. The Sixers were good at defending forwards throughout the season and have had success limiting Tatum’s scoring, but Tatum is a bright player who knows that if the shots aren’t falling, he’ll focus less on creating low-percentage shots from long-range for himself and he’ll either try to set up his teammates or operate more in the post and play in the paint to keep plays alive. Tatum has also blocked seven shots total over his last four games. We know that he’s going to play 40 minutes as the Celtics fight to avoid being down two games going on the road. There’s no reason to think he won’t take 20-25 shots tonight. He’s even swiped the basketball in his last two games. Tatum sits with a usage percentage north of 33 and he’s a safe option to lead our DFS teams tonight.  

Joel Embiid (If Active)

If Embiid is out there, he’s going to get the volume but we don’t know about his mobility and we saw the Sixers have a lot of success with him off the floor. Embiid can produce offensively away from the rim. He can hang more at the elbow where footwork isn’t as critical as it is when he’s posting up trying to get position in the paint. There are ways in which he doesn’t have to move around a lot and can still be productive but then when Philadelphia tries to speed up the pace a bit, if Embiid isn’t moving well, then he won’t be able to make it back down the court to keep up with the offense. We’re seeing props for him on the books which could be another indicator that he’ll be on the court tonight and if he’s out there, we can’t expect his minutes to be limited. About a month ago Embiid dropped 52 points on the Celtics and in the game before that one he scored 41 against them. Embiid produced multiple double-doubles against Boston this season including the last two games he played in against them and he’s posted double-doubles in both of his last two contests in the playoffs.  

James Harden (If Embiid Sits)

If Embiid plays, Harden’s production ceiling takes a hit and he’ll focus more on setting up Embiid wherever he’s positioned. Expect a boost in assists though and he can still score 20-25 points but it’s unlikely that he scores 45 with Embiid out there because the offense runs through Embiid. Embiid has 38 percent usage rate and Harden took 30 shots last game. If Embiid sits, it’s Harden to the moon tonight and we can expect him to take a very heavy volume of shots. His shooting has been up and down throughout the playoffs. Harden has had a lot of success against Boston this season despite the Celtics being good defensively on the perimeter. Marcus Smart hasn’t shut the perimeter down as much. Harden put up two double-doubles against the Celtics during the regular season. If Embiid plays, Harden will be looking at 15-19 shots tonight. He’s also grabbed steals in four of his last five battles. If Embiid plays, he’s more of a utility option to consider for DFS NBA showdown tonight because his scoring ceiling certainly drops if that’s the case. Embiid just spends too much time with the ball and it takes away from everyone on the Sixers, especially Harden.

Jaylen Brown

If you’re looking to be a bit different, Brown should absolutely be in consideration for our DFS team's top spot. Tatum is the prioritized scorer and he’ll draw more ownership in DFS tonight. Brown has shot extremely well from the field hitting at least 52 percent of his shots in each of his last 4 contests. He’s knocked down three or more three-pointers during that span and if the 76ers gameplan is to try to limit Tatum as much as possible, Brown could be set up for more shots. Tatum was shooting very well last game and Brown shot just 10 shots in game 1. He still scored 23 points and if Boston is going to avoid dropping another game at home, especially with it looking like Embiid is returning to action, they’ll have to get Brown going and we should expect him to take around 20 shots tonight. Brown has also been a bit more helpful on the glass and setting up teammates as he’s pulled down six-plus boards and dropped four or more dimes in two of his last three contests. Brown had success scoring a high volume of points against Philadelphia during the regular season. Brown should look to take a few more shots from the outside as well especially if Tatum is trapped with the ball at the perimeter. When the defense collapses on Tatum, Al Horford or even one of the guards should try to set an immediate screen for Brown in order for him to get open. 

 

NBA DFS UTILITY Picks 

Tyrese Maxey

Somehow, some way when Embiid plays, it tends to not impact Maxey as much. When Embiid gets trapped sometimes on the perimeter, he’ll pass off to Maxey who will then take advantage of the lane being open and he’ll often drive with success. Maxey will be looking at 15-20 shots if Embiid plays, he’ll thrive when Embiid and Harden are off the floor. When the Sixers have their second unit playing, he'll often be the prioritized scorer. Maxey has also committed six steals combined over his last two games. His three-point shooting has gone a bit cold lately, but with his lane-driving ability and court vision, he compensates for it when he struggles shooting from downtown. Maxey will also fight to keep plays alive and we’ve seen him have games during the playoffs in which he’s grabbed more rebounds than he averages and he does a good job of crashing the boards when the shot goes up and often takes advantage of lazy defenders in the post who don’t box out while the shot is bouncing on the rim. When Maxey catches Malcolm Brogdon as his matchup during the game, he’ll have an easier time finding success.

Tobias Harris

We can’t ignore the success Harris has had throughout the playoffs. He matched up against the good defensive Nets wings at times including Dorian Finney-Smith and Harris still succeeded. Harris has hit 50 percent of his shots or more in 5 of his last 6 games. He’s posted blocks and steals consistently and if Boston is hot shooting the basketball, Harris is the type of player that should get more looks considering how reliable of a shooter he’s been this year. He shot over 50 percent from the field during the regular season and nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc. He can still take 15 shots even if Embiid plays tonight. Harris tends to stay at the elbow and arc, but he does have strong attacking ability and on plays where Embiid is isolated on the perimeter, Harris should try cutting to the basket or immediately posting up because either Embiid or Harden will constantly draw an extra defender. Teams are used to seeing Harris hang at the arc, but he can do damage from the low block as well.  

Malcolm Brogdon

He’ll take double-digit shots once again after hitting over 56 percent of them last game and hitting the 50 percent mark in shooting in 3 of his last 4 battles. Brogdon is out there specifically for his offense. When he’s on the court, he’s often featured, and we’ve seen him play at least 30 minutes in both of his last 2 contests. Brogdon isn’t just a scorer. We’ve seen him dish a few assists and he grabbed 4.1 rebounds per game during the regular season. If the Celtics aren’t going to produce as much in the post, they will have to rely on their mid-range game and three-point shooting and that’s where Brogdon will have to come through. He’s moving better on the court than Derrick White who looks lost out there. With the shot volume and playing time favoring Brogdon during the playoffs, he can be relied on as a value play heading into tonight’s action. He’s an instant offense player and he’ll need to produce again and shoot efficiently if Boston is going to even this series. 

Paul Reed (Only If Joel Embiid is out)

Reed only has value if Embiid sits out. He’s posted double-doubles in both of his last two contests, but when Embiid plays, his playing time drops significantly, and he won’t be able to give us a good return in DFS tonight. When he gets the minutes, he’s a multi-category producer. If Embiid plays, he’s not worth the price on FanDuel or DraftKings. If Embiid doesn’t play, Reed will be looking at 30-plus minutes again and he blocked shots and grabbed steals in both of his last 2 games. Reed is the Sixers best bet to guard the post when Embiid sits, but recent reports indicate that Embiid is playing tonight.

 

NBA DFS Dart Throws

Al Horford

Horford doesn’t take a lot of shots, but he has scored in double figures in both of his last two games and when he’s called upon to take shots, he comes through. Horford shot over 47 percent from the field and around 45 percent from downtown during the season. Tatum and Brown take up a ton of shot volume in the Celtics offense and Horford even competes with Brogdon for shot attempts, but because Robert Williams is limited offensively, Horford will play 30 minutes and take at least 6-8 tonight. His rebounding has been up and down, but he’s blocked a lot of shots lately swatting away 11 total over his last 3 games. He’s also stolen the ball five times in his last four battles. He’ll help move the ball around as well which will result in him posting a few assists too. We’d like to see Horford get more chances to shoot the ball but it’s been about a month since we’ve seen him hit double figures in shot attempts. 

De’Anthony Melton

The Sixers need secondary scoring off the bench and Melton gives them the best chance because he can produce inside and outside. He’s not afraid to attack a partially clogged lane and should play 20-24 minutes tonight. Embiid likely being in tonight does impact him a little bit as he falls down the pole of prioritized Sixers shooters. Melton scored 13 points or more in each of his last 3 games, but he’ll be looking at maybe 9 shots tonight. He’s hit at least 60 percent of his field goals in 2 of his last 3 contests. Melton is coming off a multi-block outing and he averaged 1.6 steals per game during the regular season and his defense could keep him in the game a bit more. If Embiid ends up sitting, Melton becomes an excellent value play for DFS NBA showdown tonight. Defense is often rewarded more by coaches and if Melton limits one of the Celtics big-time scorers, he can find himself getting a bigger role and on the court for longer.

 

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