Round 2 of the NBA playoffs kicks off today with the Bucks facing the Celtics and the Warriors facing the Grizzlies. All four teams play pretty tight rotations which means that player pool when it comes to building lineups today is pretty short, especially when it comes to viable value plays. With that being said, let's dive into some of the top plays to build y our lineups around for today's NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo.

 

 

Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum, SF/PF 

Tatum was really the story during the Celtics first-round sweep against the Nets and it wasn't always because of his offense but because of his lockdown defense on Kevin Durant. In Game 3 he had 39 points but also added six steals as well. He will have his hands full in this series however as he likely draws defensive matchups of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis who both have size on Tatum and play two different styles of games. I don't really see him having too much issue when it comes to his offensive game however as he continues to rank among the elite scorers in the league.

Jaylen Brown, SG/SF  

While Tatum got a lot of praise during Round 1 of the NBA playoffs, the four quarters were all about Jaylen Brown in those games as Brown helped sustain the Celtics offense while Tatum was on the bench and when defenses clamped down on Tatum in crunch time it often left Brown with the more favorable matchups and he took full advantage. The Bucks are a much better defensive team than the Nets so he won't exactly be seeing Blake Griffin or Patty Mills looking to D him up when the game matters most but Brown has really elevated his game as well over the past few years and can make the Bucks pay if they are slow with their rotations.

Robert Williams, C 

Williams is back in the starting lineup and has no minute restrictions heading into today's contest. While Marcus Smart won the defensive player of the year award I think many will tell you the true backbone of the Celtics defense this season was the breakout from the man they call “TimeLord”. Williams is an elite shot-blocker that is also a dangerous perimeter defender as well due to his insane athleticism. The Celtics frontcourt is going to be tested heavily in this series as Giannis makes a living driving to the paint and getting foul calls but Williams has the upside to give you a double-double with multiple blocks and steals.

Grant Williams, PF

There are not many value plays on today's slate but Williams deserves at least the look. The Celtics frontcourt is going to be busy this series and Williams has come up big on both ends of the floor. During the sweep of the Nets he play strong defense on Kevin Durant and also flashed his improved three-point shot when he knocked down four three-pointers in Game 4. He should see 20-to-25 minutes tonight and could see more time if fouls become an issue.

Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF/PF

Giannis has historically tormented the Celtics, especially in the playoffs. His size and athleticism has been a lot for most teams to deal with and I think the re-acquisition of Al Horford this past offseason by Boston was likely done with Giannis in mind as Al Horford as been the man in the past to draw this defensive assignment. I think the Celtics will certainly do their best to limit Giannis where they can and force him to pass the basketball but I also think he still manages to get his usual 30/10/5 type of numbers this series.

Bobby Portis, PF/C

With Khris Middleton out for the series, the Bucks moved to a “Big Lineup” and moved Bobby Portis into the starting lineup to play alongside Giannis and Brook Lopez. Portis is aggressive on both ends of the floor, especially on the glass and knocks down the three-point shot. For the Bucks to win this series they are going to need Portis at his best as they run up against the league's top defensive unit in the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are one of the few teams in the NBA that have the size to match with the Bucks when they decide to put out this lineup with Rob Williams, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum making up their front court. 

Grayson Allen, SG/SF

Allen was the wild card during the Bucks series win over the Bulls. Once Middleton went down there were many questions as to who would step up and that man was Allen who came off the bench to score 22, 27 and 13 points over the last three games of that series while going 14-for-20 from three-point range. The Bucks NEED to hit their three-point shots against Boston as their defensive strategy is likely focused on making Giannis pass the ball.

 

 

Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry, PG

Curry started the opening series against the Nuggets coming off the bench as he worked his way back from injury but even in limited minutes the man was unstoppable, scoring no less than 27 points per game over the final four games of the series. The Grizzlies were one of the league's better defensive teams this season but Curry absolutely lit them up this year, averaging 36 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest.

Klay Thompson, SG/SF

As good as Steph Curry was last series, Klay had plenty of huge moments as well, especially during Game 3 and 4 as he shot 13-of-24 from three-point range. The “Death Poole” lineup as I've heard it called with Curry, Thompson and Poole now starting together is going to put a lot of stress on the Grizzlies' perimeter defense and Klay is a great price on all states today with the upside to make them pay if left open.

Draymond Green, PF/C

Steven Adams has been ruled out for this game which means the size issue that Green may have had in Game 1 is not really going to be a problem. Instead, he draws likely matchups of Jaren Jackson and Brandon Clarke. Green is still a great passer and fills up the stat sheet as well. We'd like to see more rebounds out of him but now that he doesn't have to deal with Nikola Jokic in this series I could certainly see that coming.

Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant, PG

Morant had a couple of rough games against the Timberwolves and maybe that was to be expected with Patrick Beverley's defense but the one thing the Warriors don't have is a Patrick Beverley to hound Morant in this series. Sure, Gary Payton may get some looks here but largely we are going to see Morant against Curry and Poole and that is the green light we are looking for here. Morant averaged 26.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.3 rebounds against the Warriors this season.

Brandon Clarke, PF/C

With Steven Adams out of the lineup, we saw Brandon Clarke explode against the Timberwolve soft frontcourt defense, averaging 35.8 fantasy points over the last five games. Clarke finished with double-doubles over the final two games of the series, going for 17 and 11 in Game 6 and 21 and 15 in Game 5.

Desmond Bane/Dillon Brooks, SG/SF

I think both Bane and Brooks are in play here today. I feel that Brooks is going to have the higher ownership because of the price point while Bane had been the better player in the Grizzlies series against the Timberwolves. This should be a pretty high-scoring series and Memphis figures to rely on both to keep pace with the Warriors scoring output. 

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