DRAFTKINGS
($4,500)
Kris Dunn started on Wednesday and could remain in the starting lineup. Portland is tanking and Josh Hart and Justice Winslow have already been ruled out. Dunn played 25 minutes on Wednesday and had 22.5 DK points. Dunn is averaging close to 25 minutes in his six games and has at least 22.75 points in four of the last five games. It's a good matchup against the Rockets, who are last in defensive efficiency.
($3,700)
The game total is 234 points and both teams are terrible defensively. Ben McLemore doesn't play a lot of minutes, but he shoots when he's on the floor. He has played 25, 22, 31, and 20 minutes the last four games and taken 13, 14, 16, and nine shots from the field. He has at least 25.5 DK points in three of the last four games and it's an ideal matchup against the Rockets.
FANDUEL
($5,900)
Kevin Porter hasn't been good lately, but the perfect remedy to turn things around is Portland. The Rockets are last in defensive efficiency and one of the worst teams in the NBA, yet they are favored by three points. That indicates how bad Portland has been. Portland has allowed at least 122 points in five of the last six games. Porter has hit 42 FD points in two of the last eight games and if there's any game to do it, it's this one with a total of 234 points.
($3,800)
This is if you need to save money to get a few high-priced players. Corey Kispert has played at least 29 minutes in five straight games. He has at least 19.6 FD points in four of them. The Pistons allow the second-most fantasy points to small forwards.
Yahoo Fantasy!
($11)
Killian Hayes has been playing well and gets a good matchup against the Wizards, who rank 26th in defensive efficiency. Hayes has at least 25.8 Yahoo! points in four of the last five games. The one game he fell short he only played 11 minutes due to injury.
($18)
Drew Eubanks has been productive since moving into the starting lineup. Eubanks has 27.3 Yahoo Points in six of the last seven games, including at least 32 four times. Eubanks gets a good matchup against the Rockets, who are last in defensive efficiency.
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Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 34 points (11-of-13 FGs, 11-of-11 FTs), four rebounds, eight assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Aside from Game 4 against Memphis, SGA hasn’t been his typical uber-efficient self during the playoffs so far. Well, that changed in Game 2, which contributed to a dominant win for Oklahoma City. This was his fourth straight 30-point game, and that helped OKC bounce back from a two-point loss in Game 1. He only played 30 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter, but SGA did plenty of damage when he was on the floor. The series will now shift to Denver, and OKC will need to win a road game to retake homecourt advantage in this series. Game 3 will be on Friday.