This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
TEAM ANALYSIS
Defense To Avoid
Cleveland Cavaliers, vs. Toronto Raptors: The Cavs handled the Raptors in impressive fashion in Game 1, limiting All-Star two-guard DeMar DeRozan to 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting and allowing Toronto only 74 points overall through the first three quarters. They also held them under 100 points in two of four regular-season meetings.
Offense To Use
Cleveland Cavaliers, vs. Toronto Raptors: On the flip side, the Cavs' offense had little trouble racking up production against the Raptors' defense in Game 1, and they've averaged 114.0 points (on 51.5 percent shooting) in three postseason tilts at Quicken Loan Arena. All three members of the Big Three and Tristan Thompson won their respective matchups consistently on Monday and there's no reason to think Game 2 will be any different.
DraftKings.com DAILY PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
James Harden, HOU at SA ($10,800):- Harden racked up 51.75 fantasy points on the strength of a 20-point, 14-assist double-double in only 31 minutes in a surprising Game 1 rout, and should be out there for a good amount more Wednesday in what figures to be a much more competitive game. His production Monday boosted his average in five games against the Spurs this season to 59.0 fantasy points, his postseason usage rate to 34.1 percent and his DraftKings fantasy points per minute rate to 1.40.
Kyle Lowry, TOR at CLE ($7,900): You could naturally go with DeMar DeRozan ($8,200) and Kyrie Irving ($7,800) at this level as well and very likely be satisfied with the results, but Lowry gives you multi-category upside and draws a plum defensive matchup. He tallied 42.0 fantasy points in Game 1 from 20 points, 11 assists, two rebounds and one steal, his third postseason game over the 40-mark. He's averaged 37.3 fantasy points in five games against the Cavs overall this season, and Cleveland surrendered 53.4 fantasy points per game to point guards during the regular season.
Tony Parker, SA vs. HOU ($5,300): It's a close call between Parker and Patrick Beverley ($5,000) but I give the nod to the former in what is essentially a must-win game for the Spurs. The veteran guard scored a quick 20.0 fantasy points in 23 minutes in the Game 1 loss and will likely be out there for a notably larger allotment of minutes Wednesday. He scored between 28.5 and 35.5 fantasy points in the last three games of the first-round series versus the Grizzlies while playing no less than 30 minutes in those contests. He faces a Rockets squad that, despite Beverley's defensive reputation, gave up 51.1 fantasy points per game to point guards in the regular season, including the second-most (62.8) over the final 10 games of the campaign.
LeBron James, CLE vs. TOR ($11,700): James scored 58.5 fantasy points over 41 minutes in Game 1 on Monday, and that actually served as his first game under 60.0 fantasy points in the last five. He's also got a streak of four straight postseason double-doubles and has averaged 55.3 fantasy points in four games against the Raptors overall. With a 33.3 percent usage rate and an average of 1.51 DraftKings points per minute in the five postseason contests, he's the clear-cut top choice at forward.
Kawhi Leonard, SA vs. HOU ($10,100): Leonard isn't exactly priced in the mid-tier but is 1-A next to James at the position Wednesday. Even in the disastrous Game 1 loss, he scored 48.25 fantasy points over 32 minutes and his now averaging 46.1 fantasy points over 36.5 minutes in five games versus the Rockets this season. He's scored under 40 fantasy points just once this postseason while sporting a 32.1 percent usage rate and averaging 1.31 DraftKings points per minute. The fact the Rockets gave up the third-most fantasy points (47.1) per game to threes in the regular season only furthers his case.
P.J. Tucker, TOR at CLE ($3,300): While starter DeMarre Carroll played only 15 minutes in Game 1, Tucker saw 26 off the bench and parlayed that playing time into a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double that netted 31.75 fantasy points. It was his fourth straight playoff game with over 20 minutes, and although his production can be undeniably volatile, he's now averaged 18.0 fantasy points in four games against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland gave up the eighth-most fantasy points to small forwards (45.4).
Kevin Love, CLE vs. TOR ($7,800): Love scored 37.75 fantasy points in Game 1, bringing his average against the Raptors to 42.5 over four games this season. While he's notably struggled from the field against them (38.7 percent shooting), he's made up for it with strong work on the glass, averaging 11.5 rebounds. Toronto also gave up the 10th-most fantasy points (47.9) to power forwards on the season, including the fourth-most (51.4) over the last five, and saw Giannis Antetokounmpo light them up for 24.8 points (on 53.6 percent shooting) and 9.5 rebounds in six first-round games.
Tristan Thompson, CLE vs. TOR ($5,000): Thompson now has double-digit rebounds in five straight playoff games and scored 37.0 fantasy points in Game 1 on Monday. He's averaged a solid 28.9 fantasy points in five games overall against the Raptors this season and has scored at least 20.5 fantasy points in five postseason games.
Clint Capela, HOU at SA ($4,600): While Pau Gasol ($4,300) also makes for an intriguing play if you need to save a few hundred, Capela is hard to pass up at this price, considering he exploded for 46.75 fantasy points in Game 1. He also scored between 28.75 and 31.75 fantasy points in three games against the Thunder in the first round, and, factoring in Monday's production, is averaging 29.0 fantasy points over 23.0 minutes in four games versus San Antonio.
INJURY REPORT
For the latest news on injured players heading into the games, check out our Injury Updates page.
