The final three playoff series will all play Game 2’s tonight, and we’ll get to see if the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Houston Rockets can make the necessary adjustment to get back in the series. Orlando has a particularly good opportunity, given that Jayson Tatum ($9,600) is unlikely to play after sustaining a bone bruise in Game 1, although it’s worth noting that Boston is still a 10.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
With just six teams in action, there are fewer options available for DFS players, which is why choosing the right ones is pivotal. Here are my three favorite must-start options for tonight.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
PG Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets, $8,900
Top-end talent and playoff experience tends to win in the postseason, and while Golden State may not have the apex second superstar that some of these playoff contenders do — sorry, Jimmy Butler ($8,500) — it has the services of a top-12 player in NBA history on its roster. Curry, despite being the 17th-oldest player in the league, is still doing his thing, especially after the midseason acquisition of Butler directed some defensive attention away from him. Since the deal, Curry averaged 27.3 points per game, hit more than 40% of his triples, and posted an average game score of 21.5, higher than he did during his first MVP season. It’s worth noting that the one time he scored fewer than 10 points after the deal came against the Rockets, but they certainly didn’t stop him in Game 1, as he recorded 31 points, six boards, and three dimes (45.5 FPTS) on extremely efficient shooting.
As expected, Ime Udoka guarded him mostly with Amen Thompson ($7,600), who should make an All-Defense team, but he still scored eight points when guarded by Thompson, making three of his four field goal attempts and both of his triples. The only Houston defender who had any kind of success against Curry was Jalen Green ($6,500), who held him to two-for-five shooting from beyond the arc and forced two turnovers. Curry won’t get complacent with his success; he’ll find ways to mitigate Thompson’s strengths and attack his weaknesses, and I’m expecting another big performance from him in Game 2.
SG/SF Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic, $7,500
If there’s any cause for concern for the Celtics during their championship defense effort, it’s Brown’s ailing knee. He wasn’t great in Game 1, scoring only 16 points, missing both of his threes, and only contributing two assists (28.75 FPTS). But with Tatum going down, Boston needs Brown to step up, and in the past, he has: when Tatum missed the Celtics’ loss to the Magic on December 23, the 2024 Finals MVP stepped up with a 35-point, nine-rebound, four-assist, three-steal (56.25-FPT) performance, his second-best fantasy output of the season. Of course, that was a different Orlando roster — Paolo Banchero ($9,000) and Franz Wagner ($7,800) didn’t play, while Jalen Suggs did — but it’s still confidence-inspiring for Brown.
During Game 1, Jamahl Mosley guarded Brown primarily with Banchero, who held him to two points on one-for-two shooting with one assist and one turnover, and Wagner performed similarly while also limiting Tatum to two points on one-for-four shooting. Wagner might shift over to the primary Brown assignment tonight, but since both Magic wings have been broadly average defenders in a large sample size, I just expect higher usage and similar-to-better efficiency as he posted in Game 1. He should get more opportunities as a playmaker, too, with one fewer Boston player who can create his own shot.
C Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat, $5,900
Of Cleveland’s four current and former All-Stars, three stepped up in Game 1. Donovan Mitchell ($8,300) led the way with 30 points (50.3 FPTS), Darius Garland ($7,200) had 27 points and five dimes (41.75 FPTS), and Allen recorded a double-double with a block and three steals (35.8 FPTS). The only Cavaliers All-Star who struggled mightily was Evan Mobley ($7,900) — who put up just nine points and seven boards with no defensive stats (19.3 FPTS) — and while I’m expecting a bounce-back performance from Mobley, he was guarded overwhelmingly by former Defensive Player of the Year finalist Bam Adebayo ($8,400).
Some of Cleveland’s other stars have more difficult defensive matchups — Mitchell will be hounded by Davion Mitchell ($5,000) and Mobley has Adebayo — and while Garland has an easy defensive matchup in Tyler Herro ($7,700), his price point makes Allen the more valuable play on a shallow slate. Rookie Kel’el Ware ($4,700) held his own against Allen, but The Fro was still effective, scoring eight points on four-for-six shooting and dishing out an assist against Ware. He also found some success in limited possessions against Adebayo, making his only field goal attempt.
