These playoffs have been amazing thus far, and it’ll only get better from here on out. We’re getting into the guts of these series, and it’ll be fun to see how everything plays out over the next week!

I was shocked to see both of these teams even up these series. The two underdogs looked dead in the water when they were down 0-2 heading back home, but both of those clubs took care of business at home and evened up their series. That’s turned both of these into three-game series, and we haven’t seen a more critical slate all season!

Schedule and Odds

PHI at MIA (MIA -3.5) O/U: 209
The home teams have been taking care of business in this series. Miami won the first two games in dominating fashion, and then Philly held serve in their two home games. That has us looking at a 2-2 series!

DAL at PHX (PHX -5.5) O/U: 214
Phoenix won 11 straight games over Dallas before flying there for Game 3, and the Mavs shocked them by winning their two home matchups. That evened up the series at 2-2.

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

• Joel Embiid (face) Questionable
• Tyler Herro (ankle) Questionable
• Kyle Lowry (hamstring) Questionable
• P.J. Tucker (knee) Questionable
• Max Strus (hamstring) Questionable
• Tim Hardaway Jr.(foot) OUT

Core Plays

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
Fading Doncic on a two-game slate is the dumbest thing you could do. He should be the first pick in every lineup, and then you build from there. The Slovenian has at least 53 DraftKings points in 16 straight outings, generating a 57-point average in that span. That’s the best stretch of any player in these playoffs, and it’s scary to think what he could do in this must-win Game 5.

Devin Booker (SG – PHX): $8,600 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
Booker took over in Phoenix’s Game 4 loss, and that might be the case from here on out. The sharpshooting guard has scored at least 45 DK points in three of his last four games, providing a 44-point average since the beginning of February. What we love is that he played 43 minutes in the most recent outing, attempting 23 shots and 13 free throws. As long as that aggressiveness is there, Book is one of the best plays on the slate.

Cash Game Considerations

Joel Embiid (PF/C – PHI): $10,000 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
Embiid was one of the best cash game players in the regular season, and that obviously carries over here. The big man scored at least 28 DraftKings points in every game this season, dropping 36 or more DK points in all but three games. That made him one of the Top-5 players in fantasy in the regular season, and Philly will need him to be a monster here to break serve in this series.

Jimmy Butler (SF/PF – MIA): $9,500 DraftKings, $10,800 FanDuel
Jimmy is one of the most motivated players in basketball, and it’s clear this dude wants a ring. The feisty forward has scored at least 52 DraftKings points in six of his last seven games, averaging 30.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in that span. If he reaches 50-plus again here, Butler will be in every optimal lineup out there, no matter the price.

GPP Targets

Kyle Lowry (PG – MIA): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
Lowry has been horrific in this series, but his price is getting to an intriguing point. We’re talking about a player who was $7K just a month ago and has played at an $8K level earlier in the season. He’s definitely earned the discount, but Lowry has one of the most significant upsides for a cheap player. The 36-year-old averaged 32 DK points per game in the regular season, and even if he reaches that, he’d be one of the best GPP plays on the board. If he doesn’t end up playing, pivot to Tyler Herro.

Danny Green (SG – PHI): $4,500 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
We don’t want to use Green with his volatility, but he’s one of the best GPP plays with his shooting ability. That scope has been on recently, scoring at least 21 fantasy points in six of his last nine games. More importantly, he’s played over 30 minutes a night while attempting eight three-pointers a game in that span. As long as those usage trends continue, Green shouldn’t remain this affordable.

Value Plays

Dorian Finney-Smith (SF/PF – DAL): $5,900 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
Finney-Smith has sat in this $5K price range for the entirety of the postseason, and it’s tough to understand why. The defensive stud has played at least 38 minutes in nine of his last 10 games, scoring 23 DK points or more in all of those. He’s posting a 30-point average in that span, too, and it doesn’t make sense why he remains so inexpensive.

Jae Crowder (SF/PF – PHX): $5,500 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Crowder and DFS are very similar players. These are two of their most valuable players on both ends of the floor, and it’s going to keep them out there as much as possible. Jae doesn’t play as much as Finney-Smith, but he’s got at least 28 DK points in four straight fixtures. Good luck finding that from another player in this price range, especially since Jae is playing 35-40 minutes a night to cover Luka.

Advantageous Pricing

• Devin Booker (SG – PHX): $8,600 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
• Jimmy Butler (SF/PF – MIA): $9,500 DraftKings, $10,800 FanDuel
• Chris Paul (PG – PHX): $8,000 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel
• Bam Adebayo (PF/C – MIA): $7,200 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel
• Tobias Harris (SF/PF – PHI): $7,100 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel

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