As the NBA playoffs continue to heat up, today's main slate showcases four electrifying matchups set to captivate both fans and fantasy basketball enthusiasts alike. With stakes higher than ever and every possession holding the potential to swing the tide of a series, the intensity on the hardwood is palpable, and so are our NBA DFS picks. 

 

 

 

As DFS managers, navigating this landscape requires keen insight into player form, team dynamics, and strategic matchups. From perennial powerhouses to rising underdogs, tonight's slate promises a thrilling spectacle of athleticism, skill, and drama.

 So, buckle up as we delve into the matchups and unearth the hidden gems that could propel your DFS lineups to victory on this pivotal night in the NBA postseason.

NBA DFS Tools To Dominate Tonight's NBA DFS Slate!

Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!

WHO DOESN'T LIKE FREE STUFF?

If you secure a place in the top-3 of our Daily Pick'Em contest on BettorEdge for the NBA Playoffs Monday slate, and you'll have the opportunity to score fantastic FREE FA SWAG! Don't miss out on your chance to win big!

 

 

NBA Injury Report Today, 4/22

QUESTIONABLE

OUT

PROBABLE

NBA Game Totals Today

Going to do something a little different today. I am going to go through each team on today’s slate and break down how each team handled their Game 1 rotations.

 

 

 

Orlando Magic

Pace: Slow

Matchup: CLE 25th in DRtg since All-Star break

Cleveland Cavaliers

Pace: Slow

Matchup: Bad

Philadelphia 76ers

Pace: Slow

Matchup: NYK 10th in DRtg since All-Star break

New York Knicks

Pace: Slow

Matchup: PHI 11th in DRtg since All-Star break

Los Angeles Lakers

Pace: Big pace down spot

Matchup: DEN 5th in DRtg since All-Star break

Denver Nuggets

Pace: Massive pace-up spot

Matchup: Great; LAL 23rd in DRtg since All-Star break

  • All five Nuggets played 32+ minutes, four of five played 37+ minutes. Aaron Gordon was at 32 because of early foul trouble.
  • Christian Braun & Peyton Watson were the only Nuggets bench players who played double-digit minutes. I lean Braun if using one of them.

 

 

 

Top-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Jokic is simply put; your top spend-up today. He had 63.5 DKP in Game 1 and continues to own the Lakers every time out. He played 39 minutes and went 15-for-23 from the floor while being a few assists shy of a triple-double.

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

In back-to-back games in which Embiid has struggled from the floor, shooting worse than 40% in each game, he’s put up 52 DKP in each. He’s so skilled and so good everywhere peripherally that when the shots start falling, he’s going to break the slate at just 10.5K. Getting a low-owned Embiid could be a difference maker.

Anthony Davis & LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Both guys playing 40+ minutes and being great is what they’ll need every game to have a chance. Davis had a monster 32-point double-double with four blocks as well. Davis is straight up too cheap at 9.5K for his ceiling. Heck, he’s too cheap for his floor. I lean toward Davis over James, but if there’s a large ownership discrepancy, I’d look James’ way in GPPs.

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

I have a hard time believing Jalen Brunson will go 8-for-26 again in this game, or many other times this postseason. Either way, 41 minutes and 26 shots is hard to ignore. With Randle, Barrett, Quickley, Grimes, and Fournier off the floor, Brunson has a 37.5% USG and averages 1.4 FP/min.

Mid-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Mitchell had a 35% usage rate in Game 1 of the playoffs and has had a long history of success in the postseason. He finished the season with two games north of 30% USG, so he’s getting back to the alpha we saw for most of the year before his latest injury. 8.5K is too cheap for this version of Mitchell.

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

In the 923 minutes shared with their starting five, Jamal Murray LEADS the Nuggets in usage rate at 28.8% while averaging 1.3 FP/min, which is second. Murray’s as close to a must-play if he’s approaching 40 minutes under 8K. He’s as good as it gets at this price.

Jarrett Allen & Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s really hard to ignore what the Cavs frontcourt did to Orlando Magic in Game 1 and if Jonathan Isaac continues to start, Cleveland has a massive advantage on the glass. Allen had 18 rebounds in Game 1 and has topped double-digit rebounds in four of five games and the one in which he didn’t, he played just 15 minutes. Mobley’s averaged 1.22 FP/min this year, which is second on the team.

 

 

 

Josh Hart, New York Knicks

Josh Hart played the first 17 minutes and the final 24 minutes of the game and it’s probably not a stretch to say he’s going to play more in Game 2. The four made threes is probably a stretch, but repeating a double-double with an uptick in assists is also possible. For under 7K, I’m interested in a guy that could play 45 minutes.

Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Wagner had struggled for a large chunk in the second half of the year but found his form right before the postseason and carried it into Game 1. He’s now topped 40 DKP in three straight games and has been good everywhere. Scoring, assists, and rebounding, much like the guy we saw for the first half of the year. He’s too cheap in this current form despite the tough match-up.

Aaron Gordon & Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets

Both Gordon and Porter Jr. were awesome in Game 1 and what could’ve been for Gordon if not for early foul trouble. We should see mid-to-high 30s minutes for Gordon moving forward and he’s averaged 35 DKP/game against LAL this year across four games. Porter was just two rebounds shy of a double-double and put up 36.5 DKP/game against LAL. With this starting five, Michael Porter’s at .91 FP/min and Gordon’s at .86 FP/min.

Value-Tier NBA DFS Core Plays

Jalen Suggs & Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic

These two Magic players are two of the better values of the day as they’re pretty simply underpriced. It’s hard to ignore Jalen Suggs taking 16 shots and seven threes. You just need Suggs to stay out of foul trouble guarding Donny Mitch. Isaac is going to be very popular and for good reason. Starting center at 4.5K with massive upside.

Kyle Lowry & Nicolas Batum, Philadelphia 76ers

After last game, it’s easy to say Kyle Lowry is going to garner a lot of ownership here. He’s only 4.4K and played 39 minutes. I feel good about his minutes after watching how good he was on the defensive end against Jalen Brunson. A pivot away is Nicolas Batum, but an understanding comes with playing Batum. He has a high floor when shots are falling, but he has an awfully low floor when he’s not.

Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks

Mitchell Robinson is such an impactful player and if he’s able to play 30 minutes a night in this series, it’s hard to ignore him at this price. He obviously needs to stay out of foul trouble guarding against Joel Embiid, but the five blocks/steals and 12 rebounds is where Robinson makes his money.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Denver Nuggets

In Game 1, KCP played 37 minutes and did what he did best; spaced the floor shooting 4-for-10 from three and had three steals. He put up 24 DKP and it’s a great spot against the Lakers. The Lakers allowed the third most made three-pointers per game this year along with the sixth-worst three-point percentage allowed (37.5%).

DFS NBA Lineup Lock Updates & Late-News Core Play Section

*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news & research

 

 

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-