NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Thursday (5/9)

We saw these teams kick off their series on Tuesday, being treated to two blowouts. The home team took care of business in both of those games, and they’ll also enter this matchup as a favorite. We have to assume the road teams will leave it all on the line because a 0-2 hole is a death wish when looking at the history of the NBA.

Teams with a 2-0 lead have gone on to win 92 percent of the series in NBA history, and we’d have to expect these top seeds to do just that. With that in mind, let’s dive into this Thursday slate!

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

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• CLE at BOS (BOS -13.5) O/U: 213
• DAL at OKC (OKC -4.5) O/U: 218

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Luka Doncic (knee) Probable
• Jarrett Allen (ribs) Questionable
• Kristaps Porzingis (leg) OUT
• Maxi Kleber (shoulder) OUT

Core Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $9,500 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
We had SGA in this section on Tuesday, and he will likely remain in it until OKC is eliminated. This guy was one of the league leaders with 53 DraftKings points per game during the regular season. He’s shown that form recently, scoring at least 46 DraftKings points in four straight fixtures after dropping 60 DK points in Game 1. We expect more 60-point gems in this matchup because Dallas surrendered the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing guards during the regular season!

Evan Mobley (PF/C – CLE): $7,700 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
Cleveland looks like their season is winding to an end, but it’s not this guy’s fault. Mobley has scored at least 41 DraftKings points in three of his last four outings, stepping up in the absence of Jarrett Allen. We saw Mobley maintain a 37-point average when Allen was out earlier in the year, and it’s no surprise since he’s seeing a bump in minutes, shot attempts, and rebounds. It’s also nice that Mobley doesn’t have to deal with Kristaps Porzingis!

Cash Game Considerations

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,600 DraftKings, $11,800 FanDuel
Doncic didn’t look right in Game 1, but that’s an outlier. This superstar led the NBA with 66 DraftKings points per game during the regular season while establishing a 50-point floor. He had a 70-point average over the closing months of the year and could be asked to do more here, with Dallas staring at a 0-2 deficit. We saw Doncic drop 93 DK points in a matchup with OKC earlier in the year, and we could get an effort like that soon!

Daniel Gafford (C – DAL): $4,900 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
Gafford was one of our GPP plays on Tuesday, but he’s been bumped to this section after a masterpiece performance. The big man had 42 DK points in that gem, playing 27 minutes in the absence of Maxi Kleber. Those guaranteed 25-30 minutes are what makes him really enticing because DG flirted with a 40-point average when he played 25-30 minutes in the regular season. That should be guaranteed with Kleber out, especially since Gafford has 42 DK points in back-to-back games against the Thunder.

GPP Targets

Jrue Holiday (PG/SG – BOS): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
Holiday has taken a backseat with this stacked Celtics team, but he’s always asked to do more when a starter is out. That’s what we’re seeing with Porzingis sidelined, scoring at least 27 DK points in all three games since he went down. He averaged over 30 fantasy points per game when a starter was out earlier in the year, and we’ve seen this guy approach a 40-point average in the past! This defensive stud should be guaranteed 35-40 minutes on every slate, and he will eventually have some upside games at this diminished price with that workload.

Max Strus (SG/SF – CLE): $5,300 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel
Strus has looked terrible at times throughout the playoffs, but it’s tough to overlook his workload. The wingman is averaging 36 minutes a night across his last four fixtures. He’s also attempting double-digit shots a game and has the ability to drop 30-40 fantasy points with this opportunity. If you look at the 49 games Strus played over 30 minutes, he averaged 31 DK points per game. We don’t expect that, but all you need is 25-30 DK points for Strus to be a sensational value.

Value Plays

Derrick White (PG/SG – BOS): $6,700 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
White has been one of the best players in the postseason, but he’s not being priced like it. The defensive stud has scored at least 37 DraftKings points in three straight games, generating a 44-point average in that span. That’s one of the league’s highest totals, but it’s no surprise since he’s being asked to do more with KP out. We also like Al Horford starting for Porzingis because he averaged nearly 30 DK points per game as a starter during the regular season!

Luguentz Dort (SF – OKC): $4,800 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel
Dort might not have many massive games, but this defensive beast should be guaranteed 40 minutes to guard Luka Doncic. He drove the MVP candidate crazy in Game 1 and just needs to knock down a few threes to provide value. We’ve seen Dort average 24 DK points per game since April 1, which is all you can ask for from such an affordable player. He did that in 30 minutes a night, but we anticipate that he will play 40 games in this series!

Advantageous Pricing

• Max Strus (SG/SF – CLE): $5,300 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel
• Daniel Gafford (C – DAL): $4,900 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $9,500 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
• Chet Holmgren (C – OKC): $7,100 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel

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