André Snellings
Multiple Authors
ESPN’s fantasy basketball day by day cheat sheet is your pregame vacation spot earlier than you set your lineups for that evening’s games. Here you will learn our greatest recommendation for the evening, together with a number of gamers you’ll be able to stream in addition to game-by-game harm reviews.
What it’s essential to know for Monday’s games
The first spherical of the NBA Playoffs has entered crunch time, and it’s attainable that the primary collection ends as quickly as tonight. The Minnesota Timberwolves are surprisingly one win away from upsetting the No. 3 seeded Denver Nuggets, even after dropping greatest participant Anthony Edwards (knee) and fellow beginning guard Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) to harm.
The Nuggets are big favorites at -11.5, and they’re in win-or-go-home mode, however they will want to determine a option to defend Ayo Dosunmu in the event that they need to maintain the collection alive. And that is not a sentence I ever anticipated to kind on this collection.
The Oklahoma City Thunder may additionally shut out tonight, up 3-0 on the Phoenix Suns, and are double-digit favorites in Game 4 despite the fact that the sport is in Phoenix. The Suns have performed the Thunder powerful within the final two games, conserving the games aggressive sufficient for particular person gamers to nonetheless produce. If they’ll do it once more, it could possibly be good for the prop bets market.
Meanwhile, the opposite high seed is enjoying to keep away from falling right into a harmful 3-1 deficit. The Detroit Pistons have their backs in opposition to the wall after the Orlando Magic pulled out Game 3 to take the lead within the collection. The Magic are internet hosting Game 4 and have an opportunity to essentially take a stranglehold of this collection with a win tonight.
Let’s dig a bit deeper and establish some betting angles and DFS gamers of curiosity for tonight’s motion.
Dre’s Bets for Monday
Jalen Suggs OVER 14.5 factors (-104): Suggs has quietly been maybe probably the most constant scorer for the Magic this postseason. Not the best quantity scorer, however probably the most dependable one. In three playoffs games in opposition to the Pistons thus far, Suggs has averaged 16.7 PPG with between 15 and 19 factors in all three games. He’s taking pictures a excessive quantity, averaging 15.3 FGA/recreation, and so long as he maintains such a big shot share he ought to proceed to be a mid-teens or greater scorer.
Tobias Harris OVER 16.5 factors (-108): The Magic have executed a superb job of limiting Jalen Duren, the second main scorer for the Pistons, all collection lengthy. Harris has been the one to step up because the second possibility behind Cade Cunningham. Harris has averaged 18.7 PPG within the collection, and should you return to the common season, Harris has averaged 20.0 PPG in his final 4 outings. With Monday as a must-win for the Pistons, I look for crew vet Harris to proceed to assist carry the scoring load.
Dillon Brooks OVER 19.5 factors (-103): While the Thunder are in charge of the collection and will doubtlessly sweep on Monday, one Suns participant that has not backed down is Brooks. Brooks is averaging 27.0 PPG within the collection, together with scoring 30 and 33 within the final two. He ought to proceed to be an offensive point of interest for the Suns in Game 4.
Ayo Dosunmu OVER 19.5 factors (-125): Dosunmu was already enjoying effectively for the Timberwolves, however within the harm absences of each Edwards and DiVincenzo in Game 3, Dosunmu exploded for 43 factors on solely 17 area objective makes an attempt. While anticipating him to duplicate that efficiency could also be aggressive, Dosunmu will clearly be requested to hold a big offense-creation function and he is proven he can rating in opposition to the Nuggets with 25 factors in Game 2.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ Salaries
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets ($12,500): Jokic isn’t solely motivated to assist maintain the Nuggets’ season alive, however he was additionally visibly incensed to finish Game 3 when Timberwolves ahead Jaden McDaniels scored a meaningless bucket late within the recreation. I look for Jokic to be at his greatest tonight.
$6,100-$8,000 Salaries
Julius Randle, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves ($7,700): The Timberwolves are lacking this beginning backcourt, together with their celebrity in Edwards, and can rely closely on Randle tonight. In 19 games this season with out Edwards on the courtroom, Randle averaged 23.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 4.6 APG.
Dillon Brooks, SG, Phoenix Suns ($6,100): Brooks has been the brilliant spot for the Suns on this collection, notching greater than 30 fantasy factors in each recreation with 41 or extra within the final two.
$3,500-$6,000 Salaries
Ayo Dosunmu, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves ($5,800): Dosunmu notched 41.2 FP off the bench in Game 2, then exploded to 53.5 FP in Game 3 after the backcourt accidents thrust him into 42 minutes of motion. He will possible be relied upon closely once more tonight.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds supplied by DraftKings Sportsbook
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic
8 p.m. ET
Line: Pistons -3.5 (-110) | Magic +3.5 (-110)
Money line: Pistons -155 | Magic +130
Total: 215.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 3.2, straight up 60%, 215.7 complete factors.
Injury Report:
Pistons: Kevin Huerter, (GTD – Hip)
Magic: Jonathan Isaac, (GTD – Knee)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns
9:30 p.m. ET
Line: Thunder -10.5 (-112) | Suns +10.5 (-108)
Money line: Thunder -500 | Suns +380
Total: 214.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 7.5, straight up 72%, 211.6 complete factors.
Injury Report:
Thunder: Jalen Williams, (OUT – Hamstring); Thomas Sorber, (OFS – Knee)
Suns: None reported
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Timberwolves +11.5 (-110) | Nuggets -11.5 (-110)
Money line: Timberwolves +380 | Nuggets -500
Total: 223.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Nuggets by 5.6, straight up 67%, 226.3 complete factors.
Injury Report:
Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo, (OFS – Achilles); Anthony Edwards, (OUT – Knee)
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon, (GTD – Calf); Peyton Watson, (OUT – Hamstring)
