Congratulations to the Mavericks and Rockets; condolences to the Jazz. Last night Dallas won in Utah to clinch a playoff spot, while Houston regained control of their own postseason destiny by thumping the Timberwolves.
On a five-game NBA slate tonight, anything can happen. Most playoff teams are more concerned with freshening key players than with winning.
Indiana should beat the Knicks without Paul George $8500 (ankle) who can use the rest. Every other starter would gain value if PG-13 sits; Myles Turner $4400 and George Hill $4300 are especially cheap. Solomon Hill $3300 is a great price if he starts and Ty Lawson $3100 seems healthy and happy on the Pacers bench.
$20,000 Contest Free To New Users
The $20K Hot Shot is only a $3 buy-in (FREE with your initial deposit at DraftKings) where the top 1,540 finishers (from up to 7,666 teams) win cash. First place earns $2,000. The deadline is 7:00 EDT; join before it fills and make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
The Heat can gain home-court advantage in the first round by winning in Detroit, then in Boston tomorrow. The Pistons open in Toronto or Cleveland no matter what. It’s take-your-pick between Andre Drummond $7400 and Hassan Whiteside $8700, the two best centers on the board. It’s another tossup at PG between Reggie Jackson $6400 and Goran Dragic $6700.
Oklahoma City at San Antonio is like two heavyweights in a sparring session before a championship bout. Last night, in the Thunder’s final home game, Russell Westbrook $10100 had a triple-double in 28 minutes (actually before halftime!) and Kevin Durant $9600 scored 34 in 27 minutes. I’m guessing that Kawhi Leonard $8200 and LaMarcus Aldridge $7600 will play, lock up a spectacular 40-1 home record, then rest in tomorrow’s meaningless road game.
It’s a similar situation for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry $6900, DeMar DeRozan $7200 and Jonas Valanciunas $4900 can entertain the home fans this evening against the 76ers, then watch from the bench tomorrow in Brooklyn.
Kudos to the Grizzlies for hanging on to make the postseason with such a depleted roster. They finish on the road against the Clippers and Warriors, just trying to stay healthy, and will be an easy first-round opponent. While it’s more likely that Chris Paul $8800, Blake Griffin $7100 and DeAndre Jordan $7000 will play tonight than tomorrow in Phoenix, Jeff Green $3700 is a bargain against his former club and there’s no reason to over-extend the stars.
If (like me) you prefer the DFS opportunities in the first month of any sport’s season to the final few days, baseball is back. Starting on Thursday, my MLB picks will be featured here. Yesterday, I turned a nice profit by combining two cheap pitchers with mostly Red Sox and Cardinals bats.
The $150K Moonshot is today’s freebie for new DK users. The $3 entry fee will be waived with your first deposit and you could win $10,000. There are 14,425 guaranteed cash prizes and a maximum of 57,500 entries. Enter early and adjust your lineup until 7:05. Even after the “deadline” you can swap players in and out until their games begin.
I like this bigger, stronger 2016 version of Aaron Sanchez $5900 on the mound, and at that price you can afford to pair him with a stud like former teammate Noah Syndergaard $10400. Hitters from BAL @ BOS and SF @ COL are worth the money.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Chris Paul $8800 | Kyle Lowry $6900 | George Hill $4300 |
| SG | DeMar DeRozan $7200 | Monta Ellis $5300 | Sasha Vujacic $3700 |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard $8200 | Jeff Green $3700 | Solomon Hill $3300 |
| PF | LaMarcus Aldridge $7600 | Blake Griffin $7100 | Myles Turner $4400 |
| C | Hassan Whiteside $8700 | Andre Drummond $7400 | Jonas Valanciunas $4900 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.