There are Early-Only contests at 3:00 EDT that span the first four NBA games on the regular season’s final Sunday. Milwaukee and Brooklyn do not have the luxury of resting players, and regular readers know my loyalty to Brook Lopez $8400.
As we suggested on Friday, the Cavaliers could attempt to engineer a first-round meeting with the Celtics by losing to them twice this weekend. One down, one to go and you should definitely not use Cleveland’s high-priced stars.
DraftKings will match your first deposit 100% (up to $600) with bonus funds that convert to cash, and don’t worry, there will be NBA contests throughout the playoffs. There’s also action on other sports; the early portion of the baseball season has already produced some nice overlays.
At home, the Pistons should trounce the Hornets, whose playoff dream is over; few (if any) of Charlotte’s best players are healthy. Reggie Jackson $8500, Andre Drummond $8400 and Greg Monroe $7400 are all worth a long look.
Likewise, with no DeMarcus Cousins (foot) or Rudy Gay (head), the Kings are easy prey for the Nuggets and that one could produce the day’s highest score. My early sample lineup (left) uses scalding-hot Danilo Gallinari $6400, Ty Lawson $6600 and Kenneth Faried $7000 in hopes that they all put on a show for the home fans.
Contests that close at 6:00 EDT cover the evening games, with Oklahoma City visiting Indiana in a must-win for both teams. Russell Westbrook $11800 is obviously the key player, with George Hill $7000 attempting to slow him down. Enes Kanter $7800 and Steven Adams $5000 vs. Roy Hibbert $4900 and David West $5500 will also have a lot to do with the outcome.
Another critical matchup, the game of the night, has New Orleans in Houston. Anthony Davis $11000 and the Pelicans hold the tiebreaker over the Thunder for the final playoff spot, and can’t afford a loss, while James Harden $10600 and the Rockets have slipped out of the division lead after being swept by San Antonio in a home-and-home.
The surging Spurs will toy with the setting Suns, though Gregg Popovich will deploy his deep bench and try to keep his veterans fresh, making that a poor game for DFS investments, unless you guess correctly on a bargain or two for San Antonio.
Dallas has little incentive against the Lakers but if Rajon Rondo $5400 sits out another game, Devin Harris $3500 is a nice play. Richard Jefferson $3400 is also a possibility, assuming he starts again for Chandler Parsons (knee.)
The Wizards still have a mathematical shot at home court advantage in the first round, while the Hawks are just fine-tuning and freshening. I’m still not confident about using anyone from Washington; if John Wall $8600 rests again, Ramon Sessions $3500 becomes playable. The Short List below attempts to narrow down the many options; using Westbrook and Harden with six bargains is not the worst approach.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | R. Westbrook $11800 | George Hill $7000 | Devin Harris $3500 |
| SG | James Harden $10600 | Bradley Beal $6500 | Kent Bazemore $4200 |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard $8200 | Trevor Ariza $6400 | R. Jefferson $3400 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $11000 | David West $5500 | Ryan Kelly $4600 |
| C | Enes Kanter $7800 | Roy Hibbert $4900 | Mike Muscala $4300 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.