There are two NBA games on Monday’s slate.
As for injuries, both teams are at full strength.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, BOS is -9 over NYK at home with the total at 213. OKC is -9.5 over DEN at home with the total at 225.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets ($9,500): The Thunder are a well-oiled machine on offense that spreads the ball around. But the no doubt, bona fide alpha is SGA. He garnered a usage rate of 34.2 percent during the regular season and maintained that in the first round of the playoffs. He did start that series off slowly, shooting 4-of-13 in the opener, but he was able to get into a groove and put up 59.25 FPTS in the series-clinching win with 38 points, five rebounds, six assists, a block and two steals. After an MVP-caliber regular season, SGA is poised and ready to take the next step in the playoffs. The Nuggets posted a 115.9 defensive rating in their opening series with the Clippers, which was 11th-best out of the 16 playoff teams. During the regular season, SGA put up 45.25, 64, 39.5 and 58.75 FPTS against Denver.
Other Options: Jaylen Brown ($7,000), Derrick White ($6,500)
Value
Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder ($5,300): Braun will likely not break the slate because he’s a low-usage player, but the floor is incredibly high because he chips in a little something something in every statistical category and is going to play a ton of minutes. He’s scored double-digit FPTS in every game this season, with 34 games over 30 FPTS. He did have some ceiling games during the regular season, finishing with over 40 FPTS 10 times, with a high of 51 FPTS. Against OKC, Braun put up 32.75, 41, 28.75 and 30.25 FPTS. Braun is athletic and thrives in transition while he drains the open J. He is most deadly cutting to the basket, though, and with defenses focused on Jokic and Murray, Braun is able to thrive.
Other Options: Jrue Holiday ($5,500), Russell Westbrook ($4,800), Lu Dort ($4,200), Alex Caruso ($4,000)
Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks ($9,000): Boston and OKC are similar in that they both spread defenses out and share the ball, and they both have an alpha spearheading the attacks. It’s SGA for OKC and Tatum is that guy for Boston. While the usage rate wasn’t as high as SGA’s, it was still 31.4% during the regular season. In the last three games of the Orlando series, though, that number jumped to 36.5%. He finished with over 60 FPTS in the final two games of that series. Against the Knicks during the regular season, Tatum put up 53.25, 54.5 and 56.5 FPTS. Talk about consistency.
Other Options: Jalen Williams ($7,300), Jaylen Brown ($7,000), Josh Hart ($6,800), Chet Holmgren ($6,700)
Value
Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets ($4,200): It’s always tough clicking on a player with a usage rate that is often in the single-digits, but Dort is relatively cheap and is going to play around 30 minutes, barring any foul trouble. He is such a big part of the perimeter defense for OKC. The range of outcomes is wide with Dort because he’s reliant on rebounds and defensive stats, but there is a ceiling because he’s often the chosen one from opposing defenses to hoist up shots. During the regular season, Dort put up 48.75, 22.5, 34 and 15.5 FPTS. He’s going to get opportunities to score because Denver has to focus on SGA, Jalen and Chet. The only question is if he makes them or not.
Other Options: Christian Braun ($5,300), Al Horford ($5,000)
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder ($11,000): Jokic has the highest floor/ceiling combo in the game and is a threat to not only triple-double, but put up a “had-to-have-it” score. He literally has 100-FPTS upside any time he takes the court. In four regular season games against OKC, Jokic finished with 75, 63.25, 82.5 and 60 FPTS.
Other Options: Chet Holmgren ($6,700), Kristaps Porzingis ($6,300)
Value
Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets ($5,900): I’m not crazy about the price, but there aren’t many viable cheaper options. In the Memphis series, Hartenstein only played in the low-to-mid 20s. Part of that is because Holmgren is available, and the other was the matchup. Against Jokic, his size will likely be needed, so I think he plays around 30 minutes a game in this series. In two regular-season games against Denver, Hartenstein played 26 and 31 minutes, finishing with 31.75 and 26.25 FPTS.
Other Options: Al Horford ($5,000)
