Two games are on the NBA playoff schedule on this Saturday slate. The first matchup of the second round will kick the day off as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers after this pair of teams cruised through the opening round in a combined nine games. Then, a fateful Game 7 matchup between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors will take place to close the night in a matchup sure to be at the center stage of the NBA world.
While the number of games is slimming down, there is still plenty of action on the table and plenty of different ways to get involved with DraftKings Sportsbook and Daily Fantasy Sports. This article will look at the top DFS value plays ahead of the pair of playoff matchups.
While these are not names that will likely lead your squad in DFS production, look for these names to outperform their price point and provide some flexibility to get more stars into your lineup.
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C Steven Adams, Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors, $3,800
There were plenty of questions regarding the youth and inexperience of this Houston Rockets team entering the playoffs. They have answered these by proving to be the bigger and more physical team, which has worn down this aging Warriors roster as the series has progressed. Steven Adams has become one of the stories of the series with Houston’s jumbo lineup of Adams playing next to Alperen Sengun shifting the series completely. Adams logged a season-high 31 minutes in the Game 6 victory, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, and three blocks. He tallied 31.6 fantasy points, which is his second-best output of the entire year.
Heading into Game 7, expect the Rockets to go back to the well for what worked and lean on Adams in this game. The 31-year-old possesses the playoff experience that most of this Rockets roster lacks, and his skillset has made a clear impact. Golden State prefers to play small and lacks the big man options to counter the size and strength Adams brings to the table. He has played 16:49 of game time or more in every game of this series and is expected to have an expanded role in Game 7 following the great success in the previous game. Adams is averaging 6.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the series thus far, or 18.6 fantasy points per game. He has tallied at least 20 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring in four of the six matchups.
Houston’s best pathway to victory is by continuing to impose themselves physically and dominating the rebounding battle. The Rockets cannot stick with the Warriors in a shootout, but have had success dominating on the defensive side of the ball. They found something in Game 6 with Adams seeing an expanded role, and will lean on this again tonight. The Rockets are +53 with Steven Adams on the floor and -39 without him this series. Look for him to outperform his $3,800 price point and end up one of the stories of the matchup again tonight.
SG Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers, $3,700
There will be plenty of attention paid to Tyrese Haliburton ($8,800) and Pascal Siakam ($7,200) by the Cavaliers’ defense tonight. But Bennedict Mathurin will be one of the more notable X-Factors in this series, providing a necessary additional scoring option. The whole team needs something to improve off a poor opening round.
Across the regular season, Mathurin averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, or 27.4 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring. He struggled in the opening round against the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. The Arizona product shot just 12-for-28 (42.9%) from the field and just 2-for-15 (13.3%) from beyond the three-point arc. He battled an abdominal injury that forced Mathurin to miss Game 4 of the series. He also played just 18.0 minutes per game in the series after logging 29.8 minutes per game across the regular season.
The slates are wiped clean heading into the second round, and Mathurin has had five days to help get healthy. He tallied 20+ points and nine rebounds in two of the four regular-season matchups with the Bucks. He has produced fantasy scoring outputs as large as 41.8 against this Bucks team and 57.5 in a game this year. It was a disappointing start to this playoff run for Mathurin, but brush this off as a tough matchup, and the injury having been a factor. Look for the 22-year-old to perform more like himself tonight, and take advantage of Mathurin’s price point dipping to $3,700.
PF Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets, $3,000
This is a risky play, as Jonathan Kuminga has been a DNP (coach’s decision) in four of the six games in this matchup. Golden State has mishandled his outlook in a major way with the 22-year-old set to be a restricted free agent this summer. But any hurt feelings or internal frustrations must be put to the side with everything in play for Game 7. Steve Kerr told reporters it is “100% on the table” for Kuminga to receive an opportunity despite not seeing the floor since Game 3.
Across the 43 minutes Kuminga has seen, he has produced 18 points, four assists, and four rebounds. He has tallied fantasy outputs of 20.2 and 10.8 based on DraftKings scoring in the two games he did see action. Golden State has been unable to match Houston’s size and physicality, and Kuminga is one of the few options who can help in this regard. With a 6-foot-7 frame and likely the most athletic player on the team, Kuminga at least gives the team a chance against Houston’s seemingly endless array of high-level athletes. Looking back at the regular season, Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in his 24.3 minutes of action. He averaged 26.7 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings Sportsbook and has exploded for as many as 60.5 fantasy points in a game.
The Warriors must make adjustments after the humbling Game 6 loss and expect Kuminga to be in play for this. This is a big swing as a value play, but Kuminga has a chance to end the game as one of the biggest performers if the opportunity allows and the game script aligns correctly. Expect everything to be on the table in this Game 7 matchup, and I am taking the risk that Kuminga is reintroduced to the game plan tonight.
