The final night of the NBA Play-in Tournament is here with four more teams set to decide the fate of their season. Two teams will begin their offseason, while the others will earn a chance at taking down the top seed in their respective conferences.
To start the night, the Miami Heat will face the Atlanta Hawks in an Eastern Conference matchup starting at 7 p.m. ET. Miami cruised past the Bulls in their opening play-in game, while the Orlando Magic blew out the Hawks. The winner of tonight’s game will play the Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs.
In the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks will face off with the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis was unable to complete its comeback effort against the Warriors earlier this week. Ja Morant suffered an ankle injury in the process and missed practice yesterday, which is worth keeping an eye on. The Dallas Mavericks had no trouble cruising past the Sacramento Kings and will be looking for their second consecutive upset win tonight. The winner of this game will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round of the playoffs.
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 18. 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 exciting slate before the NBA playoff bracket is fully set.
Tyler Herro More Than 3.5 Made Three-Pointers
It was clear from the opening tip that Tyler Herro felt the weight of the moment in the first play-in game. The All-Star guard looked like the best player on the floor, finishing with 38 points, five rebounds and four assists. Herro would have poured on more if it were not for the game getting out of reach.
Following the midseason Jimmy Butler trade and the drama surrounding it, Herro was thrust into center stage as the face of the franchise. The Kentucky product impressed, averaging a career-high 23.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5% on 8.7 three-pointers. Over the final 10 games of the season, he shot 50.1% from distance. Herro connected on four or more three-pointers in 32 games this season, including four of the final nine games in the regular season.
Atlanta struggles on defense, ranking 27th in opponents’ points allowed, 28th in opponents’ field goal percentage and 28th in opponents’ three-point percentage. Opposing starting point guards have attempted 7.6 three-point attempts per game against the Hawks this year when they are playing at home — the worst rate in the league. Atlanta has also played at the fastest pace in the league this season at home, which should make for increased offensive opportunities. Expect Herro to lead the offensive attack for the Heat tonight and take advantage of Atlanta’s struggles on the perimeter.
Zaccharie Risacher More Than 1.5 Made Three-Pointers
It was a nightmare play-in game for the Atlanta Hawks earlier this week. They suffered a 120-95 loss to the Orlando Magic in which Trae Young was ejected from the game. They shot 39.1% from the field and 19.0% from beyond the three-point arc as a team. Zaccharie Risacher was not an outlier in these struggles, being held to seven points and three rebounds in 29 minutes. Risacher shot 2-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc.
Risacher averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in 24.6 minutes per night during the regular season. He is shooting 35.5% from beyond the three-point arc while launching 4.6 three-point attempts per game. These numbers improved as the season progressed, with Risacher averaging 14.6 points per game and shooting 40.7% from beyond the three-point arc since the All-Star break. The rookie connected on more than 1.5 made three-pointers in 35 games this season, including once against the Heat. Risacher closed the season recording more than 1.5 made three-pointers in five of his final six games.
Expect the full focus of the Miami Heat defense to be on limiting Young’s impact and preventing him from taking over the game. Risacher will be a huge beneficiary of this approach, with the Heat set to send double-teams and traps in Young’s direction. While Risacher may never live up to the expectations that a No. 1 overall pick typically carries, he deserves some credit for coming into his own down the home stretch of the season. The 20-year-old has not looked afraid and has given this Hawks team some high-level minutes on both sides of the ball. Count on him to bounce back from his 1-for-5 three-point shooting performance in the first play-in game. He has a good matchup against a Heat team that ranked 17th in opponents’ three-point attempts allowed and 14th in opponents’ three-point percentage during the regular season.
Kel’el Ware More Than 16.5 Points + Rebounds
One of the brighter storylines surrounding the Miami Heat this season has been the improved play of Kel’el Ware down the stretch. The rookie big man has made the most of his opportunities and makes an impact both alongside and filling in for Bam Adebayo. Ware averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game this season. Since the All-Star break, his minutes have increased to 26.8 per game, with his averages growing to 10.2 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Atlanta leaves plenty to be desired defensively. In addition to its 27th-ranked opponents’ points per game, it ranks 14th in total rebounding and 12th in opponents’ rebounds per game. Ware and the Heat played the Hawks four times already this season, with the rookie recording more than 16.5 combined points and rebounds in three of the four matchups. This includes as many as 15 rebounds in a game and 20+ combined points and rebounds twice. His only game recording less than this number occurred in December when he played just 10 minutes.
Overall, Ware has tallied more than 16.5 combined points and rebounds in 30 of the 64 games this season, even while seeing limited minutes at the beginning of the year. The 7-footer reached this total in 12 of the final 14 games of the season. Look for Miami to attack Atlanta with additional size and for Ware to be a significant part of the game plan. Count on him to continue producing at this level and tally more than 16.5 points and rebounds tonight.
Zach Edey Less Than 12.5 Rebounds
Zach Edey entered the season as one of the more controversial rookies due to his unique frame and skill set. He finished his rookie season averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game. It is not coincidental that Edey’s level of opportunity expanded following the firing of Taylor Jenkins, and the production has followed. Edey has pulled in 13 or more rebounds in six of his past seven games, including 17 against the Warriors.
Unfortunately, this is about as bad of a matchup as you could ask for from Edey’s perspective. The 7-foot-4 big man will be matched up with Dallas’ jumbo-sized frontcourt, including Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington. Dallas has made it a priority to command the boards and interior, which is stylistically very different from what Memphis saw in its matchup with the Warriors. Even with his strong finish to the season, Edey has only tallied more than 12.5 rebounds in nine of the 66 games he has played this season.
While it is reasonable to see Edey’s Pick6 number grow based on his recent stretch of play, 12.5 feels a bit too steep considering the matchup. Dallas has plenty of physical bodies it will be able to throw at Edey to make life difficult. Edey averaged 0.37 rebounds per minute until April, before this number increased to 0.51 per minute to close the season. The reality is likely in the middle here, but based on the matchup, it feels overly ambitious for Edey to tally more than 12.5 rebounds. Count on the rookie to be active on the glass all night, but to fall short of this number.
Klay Thompson More Than 14.5 Points
The situation in Dallas is quite different from what Klay Thompson expected when he signed a contract this past offseason. The four-time NBA champion left the Golden State Warriors to join the reigning Western Conference champions and play next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The roster looks vastly different from when he first put pen to paper, and the Mavericks have been far from a model of how a franchise should be run of late. To his credit, Thompson kept his focus on performing and mostly delivered for Dallas this season. The 35-year-old finished the regular season averaging 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc on 7.7 perimeter shots per game.
Thompson set the tone for this Mavericks team during the opening play-in game, scoring 23 points and shooting 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. He will now face a Memphis Grizzlies team that ranks 25th in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed and 24th in opponents’ points allowed on the season. The Mavericks rank as the third-most efficient shooting team while on the road. Dallas will be on the road tonight, which may actually be to its benefit. In addition, the Grizzlies have played at the fastest pace in the league this season, which should make for additional offensive opportunities.
Thompson proved he still has some gas left in the tank in the later stages of his career, and these are the type of moments he was brought in for. His level of offensive responsibility grew following the injury to Irving, and Thompson tallied more than 14.5 points in 33 games this season. Expect the Grizzlies to struggle defending the perimeter and for Thompson to record more than 14.5 points.
Anthony Davis More Than 27.5 Points
The Mavericks believe Anthony Davis can be the foundation of a championship contender. While few people (myself included) agree with this, Davis has a chance to prove why this is the case tonight. The 10-time All-Star played in just nine regular-season games with Dallas due to injury, with the play-in matchup marking his 10th time donning a Mavericks jersey. He finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and three blocks over the Kings in what turned out to be a relatively easy victory.
While most of these occurred while he was still on the Lakers, Davis tallied more than 27.5 points in 22 of the 51 games he has played this season. Memphis is 24th in opponents’ points per game, and this is not a matchup the Grizzlies should feel optimistic about. Davis is capable of exploding off the dribble in a way that will give Zach Edey trouble, and Jaren Jackson Jr. does not possess the level of physicality to slow him down. He dropped 40 points against this Grizzlies team in December while still playing for the Lakers.
Davis has been dealt a tough hand, being sent to the Mavericks in exchange for Doncic and having to deal with the fallout that followed. Despite the continued protest of the fanbase, Davis has been vocal in his belief in leading this team. These are the types of moments in which he can change the outlook and begin to get people to buy back in. With a favorable matchup and Davis showing some impressive flashes, count on the Top 75 All-Time talent to leave it all on the floor tonight and produce more than 27.5 points.
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!
