Game 2 action continues in the 2024 NBA Playoffs Thursday with two games. First, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will face off with the home side looking to replicate a dominant performance. Then, the Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to take their own 2-0 lead when they host the Dallas Mavericks. There’s a lot of star power in these contests, which means value plays might be hard to pinpoint for DFS managers.
In NBA DFS, you can find quality value plays $5K or under that can give you a quick 10 points off the bench, grab some rebounds, or stuff the stat sheet. We are going to provide you with three players that you need to put in your lineup.
Daniel Gafford, Mavericks, $4,900
I made the mistake of rostering Dereck Lively ahead of Gafford in Game 1. The rookie big man was relatively quiet in the contest, while Gafford logged 11 rebounds and five blocks as part of a 42.3-fantasy point showing. Even if he doesn’t reach those heights again, I’d lock him in ahead of Lively as Dallas’ top big man.
Caris LeVert, Cavaliers, $4,600
LeVert managed 19.3 fantasy points in Game 1, which wasn’t a bad showing but didn’t quite reach the 30.3-fantasy point effort he had in Game 7 against the Magic. The Cavaliers are going to need scoring from someone outside of Donovan Mitchell and they’ll also need their bench to show up. LeVert is the perfect candidate to fill both needs. There will be questions about how much usage he’ll get but at least he’s logging consistent minutes over the last two games. I’d back him as a value add for Game 2.
Payton Pritchard, Celtics, $4,100
Even if LeVert does provide some scoring, I don’t know that the Cavaliers will be able to keep pace with the Celtics in this series. Pritchard has been an important part of the rotation this season, growing from bit player to backup point guard. However, he’s only really going to deliver fantasy value if he gets extended playing time in a game that doesn’t get close. As long as the Celtics can pull away early enough, Pritchard’s usage and fantasy production should go up.
Aaron Wiggins, Thunder, $4,000
Lu Dort ($4,800) is a more safe play due to his role as a starter but Wiggins has shown he can provide a spark for this Thunder team. He’s got some upside as a three-point shooter and will get extended run if this game follows a script similar to Game 1. While there’s some risk here if Wiggins’ shot doesn’t fall, I do think he will get enough playing time even in a close game to have some fantasy value.