NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Tuesday (5/23)

This series has been incredible. It’s been awesome watching Miami lay it to Boston as someone who loves the Heat. It has been a shocking development because the Celtics were a monster favorite coming in. Not even the biggest Miami fan could’ve seen them get out to a 3-0 lead, especially with the Game 3 win being so lopsided. The Heat have dominated every facet of this series, and it would take a historical collapse not to advance to the NBA Finals. You know Miami wants to close it out here, so let’s look at the odds!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

Schedule and Odds

BOS at MIA (MIA -2) O/U: 216

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

Injury Report

• Victor Oladipo (knee) OUT
• Tyler Herro (hand) OUT

Core Plays

Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $12,600 DraftKings, $17,500 FanDuel
Tatum is as annoyed with the Celtics as anyone else, but you better believe he will go off in this elimination game. The last time Boston faced elimination, JT had 51 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in one of the best games of his career. What makes him such a good bet is his guaranteed role, projected to play 45 minutes and take 25 shots in this must-win game. He’s also established a 40-point floor in this postseason, which could be closer to 50-60 DK points in this matchup.

Jimmy Butler (SF/PF- MIA): $12,400 DraftKings, $17,500 FanDuel
Playoff Jimmy is putting it to Boston in this series, and he will be as motivated as ever to close things out. The superstar forward has scored at least 38 DraftKings points in every postseason game, averaging nearly 53 DK points per game. Nikola Jokic is the only player with a higher average, and it looks even better since JB has at least 53 fantasy points in four of his last six outings. As long as Jimmy is playing 40-plus minutes and carrying this offense, he needs to be used on this single-game slate.

Cash Game Considerations

Bam Adebayo (C – MIA): $9,400 DraftKings, $15,500 FanDuel
Bam is my favorite player in the NBA, and he’s been slaughtering the Celtics all season. The big man has scored at least 37 DraftKings points in six of his seven meetings with Boston, and the only outlier was the blowout in Game 3. He’s also got a 43-point average against them, killing this undersized frontcourt. He’s also one of these starters locked into 40 minutes, making him one of the safest bets behind his elite stat-stuffing ways.

Marcus Smart (PG – BOS): $7,800 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
Smart was the only player who showed up in Game 3 for the Celtics. The feisty defender finished that game with eight points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. It also gives him a 34-point average in these playoffs, which is impressive for a player in this price range. Smart is simply one of the only players that we know will play hard every night for Boston, and it’s evident by the fact that he’s averaging nearly 40 DK points per game in elimination games throughout his career.

GPP Targets

Gabe Vincent (PG/SG – MIA): $5,000 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
We had Vincent in here in our last article, and it’d be silly to fade him after the game he just gave us. The starting point guard led the way with 42 DK points across 36 minutes, carrying the backcourt load without Herro and Oladipo. You only need half of that for GV to provide value, but we’ve seen Vincent play at least 36 minutes in all three games of this series. As long as this guy is playing 35-40 minutes and taking double-digit shots, he’s one of the best values on the board.

Derrick White (PG/SG – BOS): $4,400 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
White was relegated to bench duties through the first two games of this series, but we saw him re-enter the starting lineup in Game 3. That’s massive for White’s value, averaging 28 DK points per game in his 82 starts this year. The diminished role led to a decreased price tag, and it’s hard to believe that White remains this cheap since he’s back in the starting lineup. We saw him drop 25 DK points across 26 minutes in that revamped role during Game 3, and he’d be tough to avoid if we hear he’s getting another start here.

Value Plays

Duncan Robinson (SG/SF – MIA): $3,800 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
It’s wild that we’ve seen Robinson play such a significant role over the last two games because he’s been out of the rotation for months. The sharpshooter has played 21 and 24 minutes in the last two games. He’s scored 21 and 32 fantasy points in those outings, which is an astounding total from such a cheap player. We haven’t even seen him get hot yet, and we’ve seen D-Rob be $2,000 more on both sites when he’s playing a more prominent role in this rotation.

Advantageous Pricing

Jaylen Brown: $10,000 DraftKings, $13,500 FanDuel

Malcolm Brogdon (PG/SG – BOS): $6,800 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel

Max Strus (SG/SF – MIA): $5,400 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel

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