The second round of the NBA Playoffs continue Monday with a two-game slate. The Celtics are hosting the Knicks for Game 1 of their series, and the Thunder are hosting the Nuggets for Game 1 of their best of seven. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players and below, I dive into three of my favorite DFS picks to consider for Monday’s playoff games.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
SF/PF, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, $9,000
After missing Game 2 of the Celtics’ first round series vs. the Magic with a bone bruise in his wrist, Tatum dominated Orlando in the next three games, scoring 55.75, 67, and 64.5 FPTS, in that order. Tatum will now face the Knicks in the second round, and he hasn’t played since last Tuesday. Additionally, the superstar’s salary has inexcusably dropped $500 since his last start, and his $9,000 price tag for Monday is the cheapest he has been on DraftKings this season.
Not only does Tatum head into Game 1 in incredible form and well rested, but his resume against the Knicks this season is stellar. In four matchups with the division rival, Tatum is averaging 57.6 FPTS per game, and he didn’t score less than 53 FPTS in any of these tilts. Tatum is leading the Celtics with a 31.5% usage rate, a 26.6% assist percentage, and 1.4 FPTS per minute this season. He is a must-play at only $9,000.
C, Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, $6,300
Porzingis struggled in the first round vs. the Magic, scoring only 25.9 FPTS per game, but this was a result of Orlando being a brutal matchup for the center. This season, the Magic rank second in defensive rating, and they are giving up the second-fewest points in the paint. Porzingis finds himself in a much better spot in the second round going against his former team in the Knicks, with New York ranking 11th in defensive rating and allowing the ninth-most points in the paint. Porzingis faced the Knicks twice in the regular season, and he scored 35.25 and 50.5 FPTS in those two matchups.
The big man is generating 1.24 FPTS per minute with a 25.7% usage rate this season. Just like Tatum, Porzingis’ $6,300 salary for Game 1 is a season-low. The veteran should surpass five-times value with ease and is an excellent target for all formats.
PG/SG, Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets, $4,000
The Thunder traded for Caruso last summer in hopes of the veteran providing a huge spark for the team come playoff time, and the guard did exactly that in Oklahoma City’s first round sweep over the Grizzlies. After having a quiet Game 1, which was mostly a product of the Thunder winning this contest by a whopping 51 points, Caruso provided 32, 31.5, and 23.75 FPTS in the final three games of the series. During this three-game stretch, the guard logged 23.6 minutes per game, and he recorded at least three defensive stats in every contest.
As you can see, Caruso is an elite defender, and facing the Nuggets in the second round is a perfect spot for the veteran to thrive on that side of the ball. This season, Denver is allowing the most blocks per game and the fifth-most steals per game. Furthermore, the Nuggets rank 21st in defensive rating. Caruso has 30 FPTS upside in this terrific matchup and is unavoidable for this two-game slate at only $4,000.
