We have made it to the NBA postseason, well, at least the NBA Play-in Tournament here on Tuesday, April 11th. Both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference games tonight are the seven versus eight seeds as the Atlanta Hawks travel to Miami to take on the Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves head to LA to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Be sure to check out our NBA DFS projections, powered by FanJections, NBA DFS Lineup Generator, and all of the rest of our NBA DFS content and tools! Let's break down James' top plays of the day for DraftKings and FanDuel!

 

Atlanta Hawks @ Miami Heat

O/U: 228

Spread: Miami -5

 

Atlanta Hawks Injuries

None

Miami Heat Injuries

Kyle Lowry - QUEST

Max Strus - PROB

Atlanta Hawks NBA DFS Breakdown

This is arguably the toughest spot on the board as Miami ended the regular season as the ninth-best defensive unit in basketball. The Hawks limited Trae Young for a month or so heading into the postseason, but all bets are off with Young here. He should approach 40 minutes like he did in the final three games of the year as the Hawks jockeyed for playoff position. He put up 48+ DKP in all three games and he’ll be low-owned across the industry. Dejounte Murray doesn’t project all that well at 8.8K, but it’s a two-game slate.

After Young and Murray, the wings are interesting but considering it’s the postseason, we should see De'Andre Hunter play upwards of 35 minutes. If Bogan Bogdanovic or Saddiq Bey were to get hot, we could see them get extra run, especially considering the Heat play smaller lineups. I prefer Bogdanovic over Bey.

In the front court, we’ve seen John Collins really assert himself as the team’s go-to power forward with Quin Synder as the team’s head coach, so we should see him comfortably in that role here. We’re going to see Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu both get run at center, but Capela is likely the leader in the split. Projecting Capela somewhere from 28-30 minutes is safe, which puts Okongwu at 18-20, which doesn’t really make me all that interested at a $5K+ price point.

Tier 1 play(s): Trae Young, Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter

Tier 2 play(s): Dejounte Murray, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic

Miami Heat NBA DFS Breakdown

The Heat’s price tags today are fantastic in arguably the best spot on the board. Atlanta is 22nd in DRtg and sixth in pace. Both of those things benefit Miami quite a bit. Starting at the guard spot, I like them all, especially Tyler Herro at $6,800 on DraftKings. That is absolutely absurd and will be one of my favorite per-dollar plays of the day. The point-guard position is interesting because will the Heat extend Kyle Lowry if he plays? Lowry has been playing mid-20s minutes consistently but has the chance to be extended toward the 30-minute mark now that the postseason begins. He’s going to be VERY popular. If not, then those pivoting to Gabe Vincent could have pretty solid leverage.

Deciding between Max Strus and Caleb Martin is kind of a headache, but is viable. We know Strus and Martin can break slates at times because one or the other could see upwards of 30+ minutes. When Strus is making shots, he plays 30 minutes. When Martin is making shots, the same can be said. Taking shots at them in tournaments is an interesting approach when similarly priced De’Andre Hunter is triple their ownership.

In the Heat front-court, Kevin Love is what he is. It doesn’t feel like he’s going to be extended past 20 minutes but can be productive during that span. He’s not my cup of tea, but I understand if you need some value. Bam Adebayo is one of the best price points of the slate and I’m going to have a LOT of shares there.

Tier 1 play(s): Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro

Tier 2 play(s): Max Strus, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent


 

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Los Angeles Lakers

O/U: 233

Spread: Los Angeles -8.5

 

NBA DFS Injuries

Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries

Rudy Gobert - OUT

Jaden McDaniels - OUT

Naz Reid - OUT

Karl-Anthony Towns - QUEST

Jaylen Nowell - QUEST

Los Angeles Lakers Injuries

Anthony Davis - PROB

LeBron James - PROB

D'Angelo Russell - PROB

Tristan Thompson - QUEST

Minnesota Timberwolves NBA DFS Breakdown

Rarely do we see a high-magnitude game with guys suspended or injured in the final game of the season, but here we are. Rudy Gobert threw a punch at Kyle Anderson and he’ll miss this game. As you see above with the injuries, backup center Naz Reid is out as well and Jaden McDaniels punched a wall and broke his hand.

Looking at the Timberwolves guards, Mike Conley has been a steady producer for the TWolves. He should approach 35 minutes here and has put up 25+ DKP in seven straight games, so there is a solid floor, not the greatest upside, however. Nickeil Alexander-Walker *could* approach 20 minutes or so here, especially if Jaylen Nowell is ruled out. I could see myself having some interest in NAW if Nowell sits out.

Anthony Edwards, Kyle Anderson, and Taurean Prince should play a boatload of minutes here considering who’s out for Minnesota. Edwards is a fantastic option tonight and may not sit out with Gobert and McDaniels off the floor. I don’t love Anderson’s price, but he does a little bit of everything. Prince should play 30+ minutes with McDaniels out because they really don’t have many other viable wings.

With Rudy Gobert out, Karl-Anthony Towns is arguably the best play of the day. He’s listed as questionable, but he’s been just that for six straight games and has played all six. Towns should ultimately approach 40 minutes and is only 8.6K on DraftKings. I’m unsure whether Nathan Knight or Luka Garza will be the backup center, but Knight would be my guess, but I’m not inclined to get to either guy.

Tier 1 play(s): Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards

Tier 2 play(s): Taurean Prince, Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kyle Anderson

Los Angeles Lakers NBA DFS Breakdown

The Lakers are incredibly intriguing since the Timberwolves' best two defenders are no longer on the floor. D’Angelo Russell, who was traded from the TWolves to the Lakers at the deadline, is a very interesting GPP option here. This is a good paced game, both teams are top-seven in pace, and Russell is just 7.2K on DK. He could approach 40 minutes, we just saw him do it the other day, and if his shot is falling he has massive upside. The rest of the Lakers guards are not all that interesting, however. Austin Reaves is too expensive, Dennis Schroder doesn’t have a huge path to minutes, and Malik Beasley may barely sniff the floor.

The next notable name I have interest in is LeBron James and we don’t need to spend too much time there. He’s a very solid play as the playoffs have arrived. I’m highly interested in Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura. Both guys have been firmly entrenched in the rotation playing anywhere from 18-24 minutes. Both guys have upside at their price points and there isn’t much better value plays than each.

Anthony Davis is also an elite play given Rudy Gobert is not playing tonight. Davis is a great tournament option.

Tier 1 play(s): LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt

Tier 2 play(s): Rui Hachimura

Player Pool

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