Full Court Press Breakdown for NBA DFS 8/20:

Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers

Vegas Total: 215.0

Vegas Spread: Mia -4.0

Starting with the Heat, Jimmy Butler did what Jimmy Butler does in game one, as expected he put the team on his back in the 37 minutes that he was on the court and dropped 48.75 DraftKings points. He’s the guy they’re going to go to in late-game situations and should carry big usage throughout the playoffs, he’s a nice play at under $8k yet. Bam Adebayo had a big game as well going for 48 DraftKings points, the Pacers are actually the second-worst rebounding team in the league since the restart, and I think we can guess who number one is. I like Adebayo’s odds of getting a double-double here, we’ll have to see how big he can go after that. Goran Dragic saw a big price boost but it’s been much deserved, he’s scored at least 30 DraftKings points in five straight games and has been moved into the starting lineup while Nunn has been sent to the bench, he’s a solid play again here. Lastly, Duncan Robinson is more of a GPP guy in case he gets hot from three-point land, but that’s about it, he could be used as a value play as well if you’re stuck in that range. From the Pacers, we’ll have to see what the deal is with Victor Oladipo after he left game one early with an eye issue. He did go through walkthrough on Wednesday which makes me think he’ll play but keep an eye on his availability. TJ Warren will continue to get this matchup against his “buddy” Jimmy Butler, he had a big day in game one but I still don’t love the matchup or the price tag. Butler plays incredible defense and I would just rather go somewhere else in this range. Myles Turner hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in this matchup either, he’s another guy that I’ll leave for GPPs. The guy I want here is Malcolm Brogdon, Brogdon always played well in playoff games for the Bucks and is one of the more consistent producers on the court. He’ll take leadership here and run this offense, I like him a good deal here, and makes for an excellent cash game play at a reasonable price tag coming off a 39-minute game last time out.

5-star play: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Malcolm Brogdon

4-star play: Goran Dragic, TJ Warren

Deeper Value: Duncan Robinson

GPP Sleeper: Kendrick Nunn, Myles Turner, TJ Warren, Victor Oladipo

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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets

Vegas Total: 226.5

Vegas Spread: Hou -3.0

Starting with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really struggled in game one and I took him for a guy that I loved in this series. I’ll go back to the well here in tournaments because I do love the matchup for him but something seemed off. Steven Adams was a guy I wasn’t big on because I figured he’d get run off the court, but he played 28 minutes on his way to 36 fantasy points. As long as he’s out there he’s going to rack up points due to how small this Rockets team is, I’ll get some exposure to him today. Chris Paul had a big game one and nearly triple doubled, he’ll be able to run and gun here in this matchup, I don’t love the price tag but obviously he can produce, he’s a solid option. Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroeder should be back up to full minutes here and make for good secondary options as they’ll need all the scoring they can get from them. Lastly, Darius Bazley only saw 17 minutes but this matchup is great for him, he turned those few minutes into 22 fantasy points and makes sense as a low-range player. From the Rockets, it’s going to be the James Harden show with Russell Westbrook out. This isn’t a time where you get cute and fade him, he’s got a 43,6% usage rate and 1.81 fantasy points per minute with Westbrook off the court and should play minutes in the mid-30’s. He wasn’t overly productive to what I thought he might be in game one, but I’ll go right back to the well on him here. Eric Gordon played 30 minutes last time out which is about five more than I had him pegged for but he looked good and with Westbrook out he should see open shots and more opportunities, this is a good spot for him. Both Robert Covington and Danuel House should see a few extra shots and are good cash game options to round this team out. Lastly, Jeff Green is getting good run and picking up center minutes for this team (what a time to be alive), he’s producing well and if you need a guy in this range I’m not going to be the one to talk you off of him.

5-star play: James Harden, Chris Paul

4-star play: Robert Covington, Danuel House, Danilo Gallinari, Dennis Schroeder, Eric Gordon, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Deeper Value: Ben McLemore, Austin Rivers

GPP Sleeper: Dennis Schroeder, Jeff Green

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Orlando Magic @ Milwaukee Bucks

Vegas Total: 227.0

Vegas Spread: Mil -12.5

Not going to lie, I didn’t expect to see a Bucks loss in game one but let’s be honest, they’re still going to take this series and I expect that coach Budenholzer lit a fire under their a** after the last game and I think they come out firing here. That said, I’ll get started with the Magic, the big news to watch for here is Aaron Gordon as he is questionable here, not that I really want to play him, but if he’s out it opens up more in this Orlando offense. Nikola Vucevic ripped the Bucks apart in game one as he was wide open for three all day long coming off the pick and roll. Brook Lopez just couldn’t get out to him fast enough. I do think the Bucks adjust to this and try to get Giannis on him more, but that’s what the Bucks do, they concede the three-ball and make you beat them from beyond the arch. That said, the guys I want to target here are guys that can shoot the three because that’s what the Bucks are going to give up, they’ll make the other team beat them by hitting shots. This means guys like Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross are excellent options and really pretty cheap. Evan Fournier was terrible in game one, but I expect that to keep ownership down and be a guy we can go right back to here. Lastly, Markelle Fultz is pretty cheap as well and makes sense as a secondary option or if you’re looking for some value. From the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 62.1 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Magic this season, I don’t think I need to tell you that he’s an elite play here. Khris Middleton is priced right where he should be, he’s a solid cash option as well after having a bad game one, I like going right back to him here. Eric Bledsoe is priced down but I would expect he gets back to his full minutes here and is something we can take advantage of. Lastly, Brook Lopez was on a heater for a while in the bubble, and just looked lost out there on Tuesday, keep an eye on him but he’s more of a GPP option.

5-star play: Nikola Vucevic, Giannis Antetkounmpo

4-star play: Evan Fournier, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Terrence Ross, Markelle Fultz

Deeper Value: DJ Augustin, James Ennis

GPP Sleeper: Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe

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Portland Trailblazers @ Los Angeles Lakers

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Lal -6.5

That brings us to the night game in which the Blazers lead the series 1-0.  We’ll start with the bubble MVP, Damian Lillard. He’s averaging 58.6 DraftKings points per game against the Lakers in four games this season, however, he is priced WAY up. You can make a case for him in GPPs but in the same price range due to the number of minutes he’s going to play, but I just prefer the ceiling of Harden or Giannis. Jusuf Nurkic continues to play great ball and his size will be needed here, he’s one of the better center options on the slate. CJ McCollum’s back injury doesn’t seem to be impacting his play all that much, so I don’t have an issue going back to him here although his price is pretty high. Gary Trent Jr. and Carmelo Anthony make for solid secondary options as well if you fall in this range. Lastly, Hassan Whiteside actually saw some fairly decent run here getting 26 minutes and played pretty well, I don’t hate going back to him here in GPP, we know he can be a great point per minute producer when he’s out there. From the Lakers, you know where the production is coming from and it’s LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both are solid plays here, if I needed to pick one it would be LeBron just because Davis may have his hands full with Nurkic whereas LeBron has nobody that can guard him on Portland. LeBron had a massive game in game one and I guy I’m going to target throughout this series. The only other guy I would really have interest in is Kyle Kuzma, he’s priced about where he should be but averaging 30 DraftKings points per game against the Blazers this season.

5-star play: Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, LeBron James, Anthony Davis

4-star play: CJ McCollum, Gary Trent Jr., Carmelo Anthony, Kyle Kuzma

Deeper Value: Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

GPP Sleeper: Kyle Kuzma, Damian Lillard

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NBA Lock of the Day: Eric Gordon (DK – $4.9k; FD – $4.9k)

Royce O’Neale was my lock of the day yesterday and came through big, he scored 37.25 DraftKings points and at $3.7k that put him at a 10x value on the day. Can’t ask for much better than that! Let’s stay hot here and go with Mr. Gordon. I was between Gordon and another guy, if curious about that other guy come jump in slack chat and I’ll let you know who it is, but Gordon is my official guy here. He played 30 minutes last game and appears to be fully back from injury. He scored 30 DraftKings points in game one and should see extended shots and opportunities with Westbrook out. With Westbrook off the court this season, Gordon has a 29.9% usage rate and 1.01 fantasy points per minute. He’s simply too cheap for the production that I expect to get out of him here, love me some Eric Gordon! Tweet me (@MadnessDFS) your lock predictions and if your player gets over 6.5x I’ll give you a shoutout on Twitter, let’s have some fun with this!

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