NBA
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 9/3/20
Will Marcus Smart steal the show again or will Jayson Tatum be the leading DFS option for the Celtics?

With two games to choose from on today's NBA slate, let's look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Marcus Smart ($6,300) -- Smart has been the most surprising player in this series so far. He's blacked out from beyond the arc, making five in Game 1 and six in Game 2. Smart attempted 11 triples in Game 2 and only 2 two-point tries, making up his 19 total points. He's averaged 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists through two games -- showing he's replaced Gordon Hayward seamlessly. With only two games on the slate, Smart is absolutely worth a play.

Jamal Murray ($9,300) -- The Denver Nuggets came back from a 3-1 deficit, and Murray was a significant factor in that historic comeback. He capped off the seven-game series with 31.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game. He scored 36 points or more in four of six games versus the Utah Jazz -- the clear hot hand for the Nuggets. Versus the Clippers this season, he hasn't had the same success. He's only managed to average 13.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in three meetings against them, but he's worth a play on his current hot streak.

Shooting Guard

Louis Williams ($6,200) -- Williams has a favorable matchup in the second round with Denver and worth considering in DFS. In three meetings with the Nuggets this season, Williams has averaged 22 points and 6 assists per game, coming in an average of 27 minutes per contest. He scored 17, 23, and 26 points against the Nuggets while shooting 47% or better in all three meetings. Williams averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, but only played 26 minutes or more in four of the six games.

Norman Powell ($4,600) -- Powell has been quiet through two games for the Raptors and since they are down 2-0, they need more bench scoring. Serge Ibaka ($6,100) had 17 points off the bench, while Powell had 4 points in Game 2. The rest of the bench combined for 0 points in 15 minutes. They desperately need Powell to be involved in the offense and his five field-goal attempts aren't going to cut it. Powell scored 64 total points over his last three games versus Brooklyn, shooting above 50% in all three games. He is now shooting 26.7% versus Boston -- a significant drop from where he was producing in the first round. Game 3 seems like a good spot for him to find his groove, and if he doesn't, he's an absolute fade for Game 4.

Small Forward

Jayson Tatum ($9,200) -- Tatum and Smart carried the Celtics in their Game 2 win, combing for 55 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Tatum recorded 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists of that combined total, as he connected on 4-of-7 triples (57.1%), along with hitting all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He led the game in scoring and was only one off from leading the game in rebounds as well as assists. Speaking of rebounds, Tatum has been on a tear lately, with eight or more in his last three contests, while averaging 9.3 boards in six postseason games. numberFire's model projects 27.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 39 minutes.

Kawhi Leonard ($10,300) -- Few players outplayed Leonard in the first round as he was consistently dropping 30 points per game against the Mavericks. He added three double-doubles in six games, proving he is worth the roster spot in DFS. He had two games with nine boards, almost making it five double-doubles in the six-game series. He averaged 32.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over 39.2 minutes per game. Leonard played three games of 40 or more minutes and shot under 50% in only two of the six-games. He also added 2.3 steals per game, including five in their series-clinching win. Versus the Nuggets this season, the reigning Finals MVP averaged 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in three meetings.

Power Forward

Center

Serge Ibaka ($6,100) -- Ibaka is carrying the Raptors' bench, and without him, Toronto would have no chance of hanging with Boston. He's averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds in the two games while accounting for 31-of-55 of their bench points. He's totaled over 50% of the Raptors' bench points, rebounds, and assists through two games, so he's well worth a roster spot. numberFire's model likes Ibaka to continue his success off the bench with 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds.

Nikola Jokic ($9,500) -- Jokic hit a clutch basket late to seal the Game 7 victory and complete the 3-1 comeback. He was phenomenal, all series long, averaging 26.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 37.6 minutes. The Serbian center shot over 50% from the field and 47% from beyond the arc in the seven-game series. This could prove to be a benefit for the big fella against the Clippers' small-ball lineup. In three regular-season meetings with the Clippers, Jokic averaged 19.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in 28.3 minutes.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.com

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