Two important Game 3 contests take center stage this Saturday in the NBA. The Celtics and Knicks get things started from New York at 3:30 p.m. ET as the Celtics try to avoid going down 0-3 to the scrappy and clutch Knicks. In the second game of the night, the Timberwolves and Warriors are each battling to take a 2-1 lead after the teams split the pair of games in Minnesota. It should be a great day for fantasy basketball!
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Without Stephen Curry (hamstring) available, Jalen Brunson steps up as the top point guard on the slate. He has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projection at point guard and the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position as well.
Brunson has been outstanding throughout the postseason and has continually stepped up huge for the Knicks when they need him most. He is averaging 47.5 DraftKings points per game in the postseason this year, and he started the series with 29 points and 46 DraftKings points in Game 1. In Game 2, he only had 17 points, seven assists, and 33.25 DraftKings points, but the Knicks still pulled out a one-point win since other players on his team stepped up.
Brunson and the Knicks have a chance to go up 3-0 with a win at home, and he brings a very high ceiling since he has proven that he can go off with huge games in front of what is sure to be a fired up crowd at Madison Square Garden this Saturday.
Value
With Curry sidelined, Brandin Podziemski has a much higher ceiling for the Warriors. He has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard and the fifth-highest ceiling projection at the position.
Pod Racer produced 11 points, six boards, six assists, two steals, and 31 DraftKings points in 33 minutes in Thursday’s Game 2 loss. He has the potential for even more usage and non-scoring stats as he soaks up more of the work without Curry.
In the 10 games that he played during the regular season with Curry out, Podziemski averaged 32.1 DraftKings points per game. Since his salary is under $6,000, getting around 30 DraftKings points from him will make him a good value, and he has the potential for even more if he gets hot from long range.
Fast Break
Like most of the Celtics, Derrick White has struggled with his three-point shot during the first two games of the series. He’s just 8-for-27 (29.6%) from long range, but he has still been very productive overall, with 42.75 and 44.25 fantasy points thanks to good production in assists, rebounds, and blocks. He always stuffs the stat sheet and has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position.
Tiberwolves’ guard Donte DiVincenzo has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard and the second-highest at shooting guard. With Mike Conley struggling, DiVincenzo could be even more central to the Timberwolves’ game plan in Game 3. He always has the potential to go off for a big number as a streaky scorer and proven big-game producer.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
One of the exciting new features this season on FantasyLabs has been our partnership with ShotQuality. In both the ShotQuality and FantasyLabs projections, Anthony Edwards has the highest floor, median, and ceiling projections at shooting guard.
Edwards has produced over 47 DraftKings points in each of his last five playoff games to dispatch the Lakers and even things up with the Warriors. He had a double-double and 52 DraftKings points in Game 1 and shot much better in Game 2 on his way to 20 points and 47.25 DraftKings points. He fell just one rebound short of a double-double in that game but only had to play 34 minutes since the Timberwolves had the game in hand.
In both sets of projections, Edwards has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the entire slate, so if you can afford to pay up for his salary, he has a high enough ceiling to be worth spending up for.
Value
In the FantasyLabs projections, Buddy Hield has the highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate, and in the ShotQuality projections, he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at both shooting guard and small forward.
While Podziemski is picking up some of Curry’s non-scoring production and some of his shots, there is still plenty of opportunities for Hield to help absorb as well. In Game 7 against the Rockets, Hield went off for 33 points and 51.75 DratKings points in one of the most surprising and productive games of the postseason.
He followed that up with a strong Game 1 as well, nailing five more three-pointers to rack up 24 points on his way to 43 DraftKings points. In Game 2, he didn’t play quite as many minutes but still managed 15 points and 23.25 DraftKings points.
At just $4,400, he’s a great value option and can slide into lots of lineup constructions since he is eligible at both shooting guard and small forward.
Fast Break
In the ShotQuality projections, Jaylen Brown has the second-highest median, ceiling, and floor projections of all shooting guards and the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus as well. He had a monster game with a massive 36-point double-double that earned him 60.5 DraftKings points in Game 2 against the Magic. He has solid but not spectacular numbers in the first two games of this series, but he has the potential to go off with a monster game if he takes over in Game 3.
With the emergence of Hield as a key contributor, Moses Moody and Gary Payton II played fewer minutes. However, either or both of them could step back up in Game 3 at home. Payton typically plays better at home, and both have had some strong performances without Curry in the regular season. They are risky but do bring potential since they should get minutes in Game 3.
Be sure to check out all the pick’ems Sleeper has to offer with Sleeper promo code FL55.
NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
On the entire slate, Jayson Tatum has the highest floor, median, and ceiling projections. He also has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate in the FantasyLabs projections and the third-highest in the Shotquality projections.
Tatum hurt his wrist in Game 1 of the first round against the Magic and missed Game 2, but he came back with a vengeance and scored at least 35 points in each of the final three games of the series. He had 55.75 DraftKings points in his Game 3 return and was even better, with a double-double and 67 DraftKings points in Game 4. In Game 5, he had another double-double and nearly a triple-double on his way to 64.5 DraftKings points.
In this series, he has posted two double-doubles with 59 DraftKings points in Game 1 and 46.5 DraftKings points in Game 2. Even though he has not come up big in crunch time, his great production before that makes him a great fantasy option to build around. He also should come out desperate to keep his team from going down 3-0 and could be extra motivated to take over as a result.
Value
In addition to Hield, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a top value play who has proven he brings good upside. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all shooting guards and small forwards under $4,000 in both sets of projections.
After going scoreless in Game 1, he responded with a big showing in Game 2, when he dropped 20 points, two rebounds, and three assists in 26 minutes off the bench. NAW has been boom-or-bust throughout the season but has also proven he has the potential off the bench to be a difference maker.
The projections rate him behind Hield in terms of value, but both have good upside as cheap plays to allow you the salary to spend up in other spots.
Fast Break
Mikal Bridges has come up huge in crunch time and has been instrumental to his team’s two wins in this series. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games for the Knicks, including producing over 36 fantasy points in both of the first two games in this series. He doesn’t have nearly the ceiling of Tatum or Jimmy Butler (more below), but he’s playing big minutes and returning good value at $6,000 by stuffing the stat sheet in multiple categories. He’s averaging 11.0 points, 6.5 reobunds, 6.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 46.5 minutes per game in the two games in this series.
Bridges’ teammate OG Anunoby had a huge Game 1 with 29 points and 42 DraftKings points, but he cooled off in Game 2 with just 21.75 DraftKings points. His boom-or-bust production will continue to be inconsistent, but he has the potential to be a great value since he continues to carry a huge workload.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
At power forward, only Tatum has a higher median, ceiling, and floor projection than Jimmy Butler. Butler also has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in the ShotQuality projections and the third-highest in the FantasyLabs projections.
Butler could go into full “Playoff Jimmy” mode without Curry available. He has shown a very high ceiling in the playoffs, going off against the Rockets in the first round and posting 51.75 DraftKings points in Game 1 of this series on 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and a couple steals.
In Game 2, Butler had 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in his 34 minutes but never really took over the game. He may have been saving it since he’s just going back to the Bay 1-1. He definitely has the potential to kick it into another gear as we have seen throughout his playoff career. If he does, he offers enough salary relief compared to Tatum to be a better fantasy play.
Value
In the FantasyLabs projections, Naz Reid has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward, sneaking between Butler and Tatum. In the ShotQuality projections, he has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position.
Reid has been solid during the Wolves’ run in the postseason, averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.9 blocks in the team’s seven playoff games. He has scored double-digit points in five of those seven games, including each of the two in this series. He made three three-pointers in each of the two games in the series, finishing with 19 points in Game 1 and 11 points in Game 2.
He typically plays about 30 minutes off the bench for the T-Wolves, and that’s enough to make him a strong value option at his salary.
Fast Break
Josh Hart hasn’t gone off in either game in this series, but he has been solid. He exceeded salary-based expectations in each contest and in five of his last six games overall. He had a double-double and 37.75 DraftKings points in Game 1, and he followed that up with 39.5 DraftKings points in Game 2. That was his best scoring game this postseason, with 23 points, and he added two blocks, three assists, and six rebounds.
The Warriors turned to Jonathan Kuminga in Game 2 to pick up more work without Steph, and he responded with 18 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. If he plays over 25 minutes again in Game 3, he could be one of the best values on the board since his salary is only $4,200. He’s riskier than Reid since his role is uncertain, but he brings a very high ceiling.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Both sets of projections indicate Karl-Anthony Towns is the top stud play at center by a wide margin. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection on this two-game slate, and the ShotQuality projections also give him the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position.
KAT had a double-double in each of the two games in this series and in each of his last four playoff games. He finished Game 1 with 32.75 DraftKings points in 31 minutes, and in Game 2, he was even better, with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and 45.25 DraftKings points in 35 minutes.
The Celtics’ frontcourt isn’t an easy matchup, but Towns could get the benefit of some home calls to avoid foul trouble in Game 3. He also has shown the ability to take over games this postseason, and he could try to do that on Saturday, looking to get his team a 3-0 lead.
Value
Reid and Towns are two of the top three centers in Projected Plus/Minus in both sets of projections, and Rudy Gobert is right in the mix as the third player joining them at the top.
Gobert showed his ceiling by smashing the Lakers in the final game of the Wolves’ first-round series, finishing with 27 points, 24 rebounds, and 62.5 DraftKings points. He has been much quieter in the first two games of this series, producing nine points and 11 boards in Game 1 followed by just five points and nine rebounds in Game 2.
The Warriors’ scheme can sometimes force Gobert and his size off the floor, which makes him risky. However, there’s no denying his high ceiling after that monster game against the Lakers in the last round.
Fast Break
Whatever narrative you’re following surrounding Draymond Green, he’s definitely gotten plenty of attention in the first two games of this series. He had good fantasy performances in each contest, posting an impressive 41 DraftKings points in Game 1 on 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 35 minutes. In Game 2, he played fewer minutes but still produced nine points, four rebounds, and five assists. He’s a better fit next to Steph, but he’s still a solid value flier if you are looking for a contrarian play at center for DFS contests.
The Celtics will need more from Kristaps Porzingis, who left Game 1 with an illness and only played 14 minutes in Game 2. If he’s 100%, he has a great ceiling at his salary of just $5,500, but if he remains limited, Al Horford will have to continue to pick up the slack. Porzingis is one of the biggest uncertainties on the slate on Saturday night, with a high ceiling at his best but also a very low floor if he’s still not quite right.
Interested in more NBA action? Check out the pick’ems on Underdog Fantasy with Underdog promo code LABS.
