The Play-In Tournament concludes Friday with the Hawks hosting the Heat and the Grizzlies hosting the Mavericks. The winner of Hawks vs. Heat will face the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, while the winner of Grizzlies vs. Mavericks will face the Thunder in the first round. The losers of these two Play-In games will be eliminated from the postseason and their seasons will be over.
Below, I dive into three of my favorite DFS picks to consider for Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament action.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Play-In Special [$100K to 1st]
PG Tyler Herro, Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks, $9,100
With the Heat’s season on the line Wednesday vs. the Bulls, Herro put the team on his back and finished with 51 FPTS in the impressive road win in Chicago. The plethora of playoff experience Herro has was on full display — he has played in 46 playoff games in his six-year career — and the guard shot an outstanding 13-of-19 from the floor. Herro has now scored at least 45 FPTS in six of his last 10 starts and he is leading the Heat with a 28.7% usage rate during this time.
Up next for Herro is a prime matchup vs. the Hawks, who rank sixth in pace and 21st in defensive rating since the All-Star break. Playing at a faster pace is always ideal for Herro and he has flourished against Atlanta this season, scoring at least 49 FPTS in three of his four matchups with the club. Herro should continue to dominate the Hawks in Friday’s do-or-die matchup and he is the best high-end value for this two-game slate. The Heat are a one-point underdog for this game on DraftKings Sportsbook and, in the last seven times Herro has competed in a spread under three points, he is generating 47.8 FPTS per game.
C Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks, $6,200
Edey thrived in Tuesday’s Play-In matchup vs. the Warriors, posting a double-double with 37.75 FPTS across 33 minutes. Considering this was essentially a playoff game and that Golden State is the No. 1 rated defense in the NBA since the All-Star break, Edey’s performance was extremely impressive. Now, the rookie will be back at home Friday and in a much easier matchup vs. the Mavericks, who rank 24th in defensive rating since the All-Star break.
With Anthony Davis starting at power forward for Dallas, Edey shouldn’t have to individually defend Davis much, which should keep Edey out of foul trouble. Furthermore, the Mavericks are a team that prefers to have a natural center on the floor at all times and, to match their size, Edey should continue to see big minutes for Memphis. In this situation, the center should effortlessly out produce this $6.2K price tag, that is far too low for his recent role and form. Since the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins a few weeks ago, Edey is producing 32.4 FPTS in 27.8 minutes per game.
PG Davion Mitchell, Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks, $5,500
Mitchell’s excellent play as the Heat’s sixth man continued in their Play-In win over the Bulls on Wednesday. In 33 minutes off the bench, the guard finished with 34 FPTS. Mitchell didn’t miss a single shot on five attempts and his tenacious defense against Coby White was one of the main reasons Miami ran away with an easy victory.
Erik Spoelstra has always favored strong defenders and, as Miami’s best perimeter defender, Mitchell has been seeing huge minutes despite coming off the bench. In the Heat’s last 10 games, the veteran is averaging 32.2 minutes per game, which ranks third for Miami during this time. Mitchell has exceeded 30 FPTS in seven of these 10 games, including a 31.5 FPTS effort vs. the Hawks. The guard should see huge minutes Friday to guard Trae Young and Mitchell should once again score 30+ FPTS against Atlanta. This $5,500 salary clearly doesn’t reflect Mitchell’s current role and he is a must-play for this short Play-In slate.
