Atlanta Hawks @ Philadelphia 76ers
Over/Under: 222.5
Spread: PHI -5
Joel Embiid taking the court, and playing as if he was on a perfectly healthy knee, wasn’t enough for the 76ers to kick off the series. Trae Young and company got off to what proved to be an insurmountable lead, but Philadelphia certainly gave it their best chance before coming up just short. The 76ers will be highly motivated to tie the series tonight, and I would bet on them to do so.
Injuries:
*Joel Embiid - Questionable
*DeAndre Hunter - Questionable (knee)
Player Breakdown:
Joel Embiid - You had to expect that I’d start with the Philadelphia center, right? On most slates, filling out the center position has been quite challenging, but between Embiid and Clint Capela, it is quite an intriguing match-up tonight. For starters, we need to keep an eye on Embiid’s status, but I can’t imagine he won’t be out on the court once again tonight after scoring 39 points and grabbing nine rebounds in Game One. There is always the possibility that Embiid suffers a flare up to his torn meniscus, but he can also very easily put up 64 FD points once again. Given the cost, I have no issues taking the conservative route, but if Philadelphia wants to even up the series, they will have to rely on Embiid.
Clint Capela - Both the cost savings, $2,900 on FD, and the drop in production are substantial, but Capela is better than what we saw on Sunday. Capela still got us to a double-double, but with 11 points and 10 rebounds, it didn’t move the needle too much. Atlanta has been increasingly relying on their three-point shooters so far in the postseason and John Collins has also stepped up offensively (scoring 21 points on Sunday), but the by-product of that has been a reduction in Capela’s offensive production.
Trae Young - All Young did on Sunday was score 35 points and hand out 10 assists in what is very quickly becoming his standard performance this postseason. He has plenty of help on the perimeter Bogdan Bogdanovic put up 21 points in Game One in his best performance of the postseason, with Kevin Huerter (15 points) also playing a key role. It’s clear that Atlanta’s offense runs through Young, but he does have cost effective help.
Tobias Harris - Harris continues to be a dependable option for Philadelphia as he has emerged as a true number two option behind Embiid. The forward is two rebounds shy of five straight double-doubles but perhaps more importantly he is averaging 24 points per game so far this postseason. Factor in a few assists and 40 to 45 fantasy points is a reasonable expectation
Ben Simmons - We know that Simmons isn’t much of a scorer, but he did put up 17 points on Sunday and offense hasn’t been much of a problem after he opened the playoffs with just six points. Simmons has one triple-double so far this postseason, and another is likely at any time but there is still some level of inconsistency once we get past about 35 fantasy points.
Matisse Thybulle - Value is important here, but he isn’t going to block five shots and pick up four steals in a single game like he did earlier in the playoffs. The versatile forward will play 15 to 20 minutes and he did score 10 points on Sunday so there should be enough production here at the bottom of your roster. Another option from Philadelphia’s shortened bench would be Tyrese Maxey who has flashed potential and upside at times, but in what should be a close game will likely be limited to 10 or 15 minutes.
Solomon Hill - Hill is someone to keep an eye on throughout the day as we learn more about Hunter’s; status. After playing a combined 17 minutes in the first round, Hill started on Sunday and played 25 minutes. With six points and three rebounds (along with a blocked shot and a steal), not like Hill did much to jump off the page, but at the price we can’t be too picky.
Los Angeles Clippers @ Utah Jazz
Over/Under: 220.5
Spread: UTA -3.5
It was a little unexpected that Utah finished with the best record in the Western Conference, but after they easily dispatched Memphis in the first round, there should no doubts about their firepower; especially from behind the arc. The Clippers have had just one day off after Dallas took them to limit in what proved to be an exciting Game Seven, but momentum might be on their side tonight.
Injuries:
*Mike Conley - OUT
*Serge Ibaka – Out
Player Breakdown:
Joe Ingles - Yes, with all of the studs out there tonight, I am going to start with Ingles. After playing just 11 minutes in Game Five, Mike Conley exited with a hamstring injury and his status is in clear doubt tonight. If that is the case, Ingles will move into the starting lineup, and in our eternal quest to find value, how can we ignore him? In his last three games, Ingles scored a combined five points (after 25 in the first two games) and he failed to contribute much in other areas either. Looking elsewhere, might be best.
Donovan Mitchell - Let that be our lead in right to Mitchell who is the clear beneficiary if Conley potentially misses time. In just 29 minutes of action, Mitchell had his best game of the postseason in Game Five as he scored 30 points, but more importantly handed out 10 assists as he showed that he can be both a scorer and a facilitator.
Kawhi Leonard - The forward is the most expensive player from this game on FD by $1,600, so is he worth it? Leonard couldn’t have done much more than he did on Sunday with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, but that has become a standard postseason performance for him. It’s going to cost you, but there is a proven track record here and Leonard only had one game against Dallas with less than 54.5 FD points. While you could consider the Clippers to be a two-star team, there is a clear line between Paul George and Leonard. Nothing against what George is doing, but he isn’t exactly cheap either and there appears to be a limit on his upside. Between the two, Leonard will always be the target, but ultimately, I would be comfortable letting the lineup build make the decision for you.
Nicolas Batum - At first glance, Batum might not too exciting of an option as 11 points was his highest point total against Dallas in the first round. What does make Batum more attractive though, besides the injury to Ibaka, is his reasonable price, and that he does have the ability to fill the box score across all categories. In the last four games of the series, Batum played behind 33 and 41 minutes and that trend should continue. The same could be said for Marcus Morris who is making good use of his increased playing time. With Morris though, there is a little more risk involved as he is more reliant on his offense which can fluctuate from game to game and we don’t want to go chasing the 23 points he scored on Sunday.
Reggie Jackson - We have seen Jackson truly emerge this postseason scoring at least 15 points in his last six game. The concern here, is that although we saw him do it in Game Six, we shouldn’t be chasing 25 points and nine rebounds as that is the upper end of his potential. Instead, expect him to score around 15 point and do enough to get to about 25 fantasy points while knowing there is the possibility and upside for a little more.
Bojan Bogdanovic - Jordan Clarkson can score, but he is a little more one-dimensional than his counterpart. Bogdanovic did have a high of 29 points against Memphis in the first round, but he’ll chip in a few rebounds (a high of eight) and assists as well to establish that all important floor.
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