Three games of NBA action are on the slate tonight as the NBA playoffs hit their full stride. The teams that lost will look to even things up before the tides of the series shift, and the two teams travel to their new locations for the next two games.
Starting at 7:05 p.m. ET, the Boston Celtics will host the Orlando Magic after producing a 103-86 victory in the opening game. They may be doing so without star forward Jayson Tatum, who is listed as doubtful with a bone bruise in his wrist.
A half-hour later, the Miami Heat will be looking to even up the series against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Erik Spoelstra is 10-3 in his playoff career as a head coach following a Game 1 loss, and it has not been an issue to fight out from the eighth seed before. However, this Cavaliers team looks to have a chip on their shoulder, and Jimmy Butler is not suiting up for the Heat this year.
Instead, Butler will be preparing for battle with the Golden State Warriors as they face off with the Houston Rockets tonight. Houston has to be frustrated after dominating on the boards and limiting the Warriors to 95 points in Game 1. This is an incredibly important game tonight, as going down 0-2 before the series travels to Golden State would be an extremely difficult hole to climb out of.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the action this evening. One of the unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for action on April 23rd. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my favorite picks across the three Wednesday night playoff matchups..
Payton Pritchard More Than 11.5 Points
After being crowned the Sixth Man of the Year last night, Payton Pritchard has a chance to assert himself on the offensive end again tonight. Boston will need to make up the 26.8 points per game that Tatum provides if he is to miss. The Celtics should feel good about their chances with or without their superstar against this Boston team, and the expectation seems to be that Tatum will miss.
Even while coming off the bench, Pritchard is playing 28.4 minutes per game this season, averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. The Oregon product has recorded more than 11.5 points in 42 games this season. While bench minutes typically shrink in the postseason, Pritchard still clocked 25 minutes in the opening game, finishing with 19 points and connecting on four of his six three-point attempts.
The Celtics are reliant on Pritchard on an every-night basis, and his level of opportunity should expand without Tatum. In addition, he sits in the sweet spot of not seeing his minutes stopped if the game enters blowout territory. Orlando has some notable struggles on the offensive end that could plague them on any given night. They finished the regular season with the worst team three-point percentage of any NBA team since 2015-16, and this gap is especially notable against a team like Boston. Look for Pritchard to pick up right where he left off in he series opener and have some additional shot opportunities. Count on him to record more than 11.5 points again tonight.
Davion Mitchell More Than 11.5 Points
After being rerouted to the Miami Heat as a part of the Jimmy Butler trade, Davion Mitchell has grown into a fairly key contributor in the second half of the season. The 26-year-old guard opened the door for opportunities with his high-level defense and has shown some capable offensive skills. Across the 30 regular-season games with the Heat, Mitchell has averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Mitchell ended the regular season strong, scoring more than 11.5 points in 10 of his final 14 games. He tallied 15 and 16 points in the pair of Play-In Tournament matchups and tallied 18 points across his 34 minutes of play in the opening game of the series.
Expect his workload to remain significant in this matchup, with Mitchell’s skillset necessary to slow down the Cavaliers’ All-Star backcourt. Mitchell also benefits from being lower on the list of defensive priorities compared to players like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. The Baylor product is not afraid of the moment, and his ability as an additional ball handler has proven important to the team’s success. Expect a significant chunk of minutes on Mitchell’s plate tonight and for him to deliver with more than 11.5 points for the fourth straight postseason game.
Bam Adebayo Less Than 9.5 Rebounds
This series is a tough matchup for Bam Adebayo as he continues to battle with the Cavaliers’ strong frontcourt. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen command the paint for Cleveland, combining for 19.0 rebounds per game between the two of them. Both players hold a size and wingspan advantage over Adebayo, which makes for some significant concerns in his rebounding outlook. Miami has improved its outlook by leaning on Kel’el Ware at a more regular rate, with the rookie adding 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, but this does not help the outlook for Adebayo pulling in boards.
Adeabyo averaged 9.6 rebounds per game across the regular season and was held to less than 9.5 rebounds in 39 of the 78 games this season. This includes 13 of the final 17 games of the season, where Ware found his full footing. Adebayo tallied nine rebounds in the opening game of the series, in which Cleveland outrebounded them by five as a team.
Looking at his playoff stats, Adebayo has not averaged double-digit rebounds since 2019-20. His rebounding output has also decreased in the playoffs in three of the past four years. If Miami is to have a chance in this game and in this series, they will need to create additional offensive possessions. Expect the Cavaliers to have a significant focus on winning the rebounding battle and for Adebayo to see plenty of attention whenever the ball is coming off the rim. There is no clear way to make up for the size advantage that Adebayo is facing, and his track record as a rebounder is not strong enough to have me buy in. Look for him to be held to less than 9.5 rebounds for the second straight game against this strong Cleveland frontcourt.
Jimmy Butler More Than 22.5 Points
The playoffs have arrived, and Jimmy Butler has once again scaled up his interest in scoring the basketball. The six-time All-Star has found a new gear as a scorer, dropping 38 points in the play-in victory over the Grizzlies and finishing with 25 points in the opening matchup of this series. Butler also closed out the regular season by scoring 24 or more points in each of his final three games played.
The Rockets are a defensive-minded team that had success imposing itself on this side of the floor in the series opener. Across the regular season, Houston ranked sixth in opponent points allowed, sixth in opponents’ field-goal percentage and allowed the second fewest three-point attempts. Even Steph Curry struggled in a major way during the regular season, being limited to just three points on 1-for-10 shooting from the field. Houston’s physically imposing style of play can throw players and teams completely off their games, but these are the matchups where Jimmy Butler tends to be at his best.
Golden State runs a unique offensive style that creates shots through their off-ball motion and cutting. But Butler is at his best when backing down opponents, creating in isolation, and getting to the free-throw line at a high rate. Butler’s addition has raised the ceiling of this Warriors offense, and this type of Rockets defense is where it will be put on full display. Butler attempted 19 shots and got to the free throw line six times in the series opener across his 42 minutes of play. Houston will continue to make it a priority to assert itself on the defensive end of the floor, but look for Butler to match their physicality while serving as a creator in the halfcourt. If he continues to see this level of minutes and usage, Butler will have no problem scoring more than 22.5 points again tonight.
Brandin Podziemski More Than 22.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
The Warriors’ rotation has been a bit of a revolving door all season, with Steve Kerr needing to get creative at times. Golden State has been more lacking in its number of offensive creators than one would expect, but Brandin Podziemski has been a fairly consistent bright spot. This was put on full display in the opening game, in which the 22-year-old finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists- or 27 combined statistics.
Podziemski has always been a solid rebounder for his size, and his ability as a ball-handler is notable with so much attention being given to Butler and Curry. Across the regular season, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game across his 26.8 minutes of action. He closed the season averaging 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game across the final 14 regular-season games.
Count on Podziemski to pick up right where he left off in this Game 2 matchup. He was the only player outside of Butler and Curry to score more than seven points and has taken strides forward this season in impacting the game outside of just as a scorer. Look for him to pitch in as a rebounder tonight and be a necessary part of the offensive game plan, and make his way to more than 22.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists for the second consecutive matchup of the series.
Alperen Sengun More Than 10.5 Rebounds
Rebounding will continue to be one of the biggest storylines of this Rockets vs. Warriors series. Golden State is at its best when it plays small with Draymond Green as the primary big man, while Houston has leaned more on its interior production of late. The Rockets have seen some significant successes playing with their double-big lineup with Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun sharing the floor together. Houston dominated the rebounding battle in the opening game of the series, tallying 22 offensive rebounds and recording 16 more total rebounds compared to the Warriors.
It will be an interesting chess match to see what adjustments each coach makes, but Houston must find a way to get more consistent offense on the floor. You aren’t going to win very many games in today’s NBA putting up just 85 points, especially when facing the Warriors. Expect Houston to sacrifice some of their high-level rebounders and defenders to get more offense on the court. Look for this to result in more rebounding responsibility on Sengun’s plate.
The Turkish big man pulled in nine rebounds in the series opener after averaging 10.3 rebounds per game during the regular season. Sengun tallied more than 10.5 rebounds in 33 games this season, including as many as 20 in a game. Across the five matchups with the Warriors, Sengun averaged 11.2 rebounds per game and tallied more than 10.5 rebounds in three of these games. He was a few bad bounces away from reaching this total in the series opener, and expect an improved output tonight in which he tallies more than 10.5 rebounds.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
