This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to Avoid:
Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs: This may look like a bizarre suggestion on the surface, but Houston's defense has been better than most people would realize. Not only have they held the Spurs to 102 points or less in four of their six meetings against them this year, they've had a nice defensive season based on efficiency ratings. Houston actually ranked 18th in defensive efficiency this season and posted a defensive rating of 107 against the Spurs in six games against them. That's a surprisingly good number and they should be playing with even more intensity here in a playoff game at home. Not to mention, the Spurs always have a wacky rotation, thus making their fantasy prospects harder to project.
Offense to Use:
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors: Cleveland has owned Toronto in this series and it's hard to fade them right now. In their last five games against the Raptors, the Cavaliers have scored at least 116 points four times, with the only non 116-point game coming with all their starters resting. What makes them more reliable than the other teams on this slate is their predictability, as they rely so heavily on their studs. That makes our job easier as fantasy owners and it allows you to have a nice crutch in your lineup by using their big-three.
DraftKings.com Player Recommendations
Kyrie Irving, CLE at TOR ($8,300): Irving has changed his game in this series, as he's become more of a distributor. That's evident by the fact that he recorded at least 20 points and 10 assists in back-to-back games for the first time in his career in the first two wins against the Raptors. That led to him scoring at least 44.5 fantasy points in both games against Toronto, as he's now averaging over 41 fantasy points per game in five games against the Raptors this season. His price is affordable too, as he was $8,600 just two weeks ago.
Patty Mills, SAN at HOU ($4,400): With Tony Parker out for the remainder of the postseason, Mills should be playing the majority of point guard minutes for San Antonio. In that role, Mills has been fantastic throughout his career, as he's a near guarantee for a fantasy point per minute. That's what really matters here, as Mills 21-minute average for the regular season should be obliterated with Parker injured. This is a guy who does damage in small amount of time too, as he is averaging over 25 fantasy points per game in games where he played at least 22 minutes this season.
J.R. Smith, CLE at TOR ($3,500): Smith is a minutes-monster and that alone makes him a nice punt play. The production hasn't been sparkling, but the fact that he averaged 29 minutes a game for the season makes him an intriguing option. That sort of usage at this price is hard to pass up, as it's impossible to find a $3,500 player in the postseason that's a guarantee for 30 minutes. Toronto is a great matchup right now too, posting a 119 defensive rating so far in this series against Cleveland.
LeBron James, CLE at TOR ($12,400): James is impossible to fade right now, as he's been a freak in the playoffs. In fact, King James is averaging 34.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.8 blocks on 57 percent shooting in the postseason. That's led to him averaging 68 fantasy points across his last seven games, which is just absurd.
Kevin Love, CLE at TOR ($7,000): Love is the final piece of our Cleveland stack, as he's become a very nice value at this price. This is a guy who was $8,200 to start the playoffs and he hasn't been bad enough for his price to drop this much. Love actually averaged 39 fantasy points per game for the season, while scoring at least 38 fantasy points in nine of his last 13.
Ryan Anderson, HOU vs. SAN ($4,800): Anderson really struggled with his shot all season, but now that he's found it, he's become a viable fantasy option yet again. In his two games against the Spurs, Anderson has at least 31 fantasy points in each, while playing 35 minutes in both. That's incredible production for a player south of $5,000 and it's clear that his struggles in the regular season have led to this nice price drop. Not to mention, three-pointers and double-doubles are bonuses on DraftKings, which happen to be Anderson's strengths.
Serge Ibaka, TOR vs. CLE ($6,000): With at least 25 fantasy points in seven of his last eight games, it appears Ibaka is finding consistency that he couldn't in the regular season. The upside is high too, as he's scored at least 38 fantasy points in three of those seven games. Despite the Cavaliers' awesome playoff form, they still have a bad defense, ranking 22nd in defensive efficiency for the regular season.
Pau Gasol, SAN at HOU ($5,300): Gasol got his first start of the postseason in the Game 2 blowout win and he should be looking at another start here with that successful outing. The Spaniard put up 37 fantasy points in the win while shooting just 3-for-11, which shows how much upside he presents, as this is a guy who is usually around 50 percent shooting. It's a spectacular matchup too, with Houston allowing the third most fantasy points to centers this season. All that comes at $5,300, which is a great value in this circumstance.
