Yahoo NBA DFS Primer: Thursday (5/12)

These series have been strange. The home team has dominated, winning every game in both these two series. The Game 5s were particularly ugly, with Phoenix and Miami winning by a combined 65 points. We’re hoping that these games are closer because that led to one of the lowest-scoring slates of the season on Tuesday. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the injury report!

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

Injury Report

• Kyle Lowry (hamstring) Questionable
• Max Strus (hamstring) Questionable
• P.J. Tucker (knee) Questionable
• Tim Hardaway Jr.(foot) OUT
• Jae Crowder (shoulder) Questionable
• Joel Embiid (face) Questionable
• Gabe Vincent (knee) Questionable

Core Plays

Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $48
Embiid looked disinterested in Game 5, but there’s no way that’ll carry over here. This is Philly’s first elimination game, and they’re going to feed their beast in this must-win matchup. We’re talking about a guy who scored at least 29 Yahoo points in all but one game this season. That led to his absurd 54-point average, and that should be his floor in this critical Game 6 at home.

Devin Booker (SG – PHX): $37
With Chris Paul struggling mightily, Book has taken over this offense. The sharpshooting guard has scored at least 42 Yahoo points in eight of his last 11 games, posting a 40-point average in that span. More importantly, he’s scored 43 or more fantasy points in all but one game in this series, and that should continue with Phoenix playing a closeout game.

Cash Game Considerations

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $56
The Mavericks were blown out by 30 on Tuesday, but Luka still had a big night. He’s simply getting too much usage not to be selected in every lineup, scoring at least 44 Yahoo points in 16 straight games. Luka is also generating a 56-point average in that span. As long as this guy plays 40 minutes, takes 25-30 shots, and continues to post a league-leading usage rate, Doncic needs to be in every lineup out there.

Jimmy Butler (SF – MIA): $41
Jimmy is in buckets mode right now. He’s scored at least 49 Yahoo points in seven of his last eight games, averaging 54 fantasy points per game in that span. He’s doing that damage against one of the best defenses in the NBA, and you know a feisty forward like JB will be motivated in what’s a closeout game for Miami.

GPP Targets

Danny Green (SG – DAL): $10
Green had a stinker in Game 5, but every Philly player played terribly. This guy was good before that, scoring at least 21 Yahoo points in six of his previous nine games. That might not sound like much, but it’s all you can ask for from a $10 player. He’s also playing over 30 minutes a night in that span, and as long as that continues, Green is a great GPP play with the way he can shoot the ball from deep.

Gabe Vincent (PG – MIA): $10
If Kyle Lowry sits again, Vincent should be used in every lineup. Gabe has started at point guard for most of the season in his absence, averaging 23 Yahoo points per game across 31 minutes a night in his 32 starts this year. Getting 23 fantasy points might sound meager but paying $10 allows you to get studs like Butler, Booker, and Luka into your lineup.

Value Plays

P.J. Tucker (PF – MIA): $11
Tucker had his minutes limited earlier in the postseason, but he’s up to 31 minutes a night over the last three games. That even includes that blowout on Tuesday, and P.J. was well on his way to 35-40 minutes if that game stayed close. We love that since Tucker is averaging 20 Yahoo points per game across his last 10 outings. Getting that from a near minimum-priced player is a huge boost, and it’ll make an optimal stars-and-scrubs build with the rest of these studs and value plays.

Victor Oladipo (SG – MIA): $12
Miami is the best team in terms of depth, and this article shows why. They have all these cheap players that continue to produce, but Oladipo is the best per-dollar play of the bunch. The former All-Star is averaging 29 Yahoo points per game across 28 minutes a night over his last nine games played. Good luck finding that from another player this cheap, particularly such a talented player!

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