The Celtics and Knicks will have trouble matching the intensity that came from the Game 1 overtime thriller they had. While the Celtics are looking to repeat last year’s championship run, New York proved they’re not going out easily based on the play of two players in particular. The Celtics, on the other hand, didn’t have a single player score more than 23 points. Rest assured, they’ll be looking to turn that around in Game 2.
Lock of the Game
Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics
VS
New York Knicks
(1-0)
Tatum’s 23-point total from Game 1 has been his lowest score for quite a while. He proved that he could still get his shot off whenever, though. There were times in the game when Jalen Brunson was covering Tatum, and he would pull off his step-back jumper reliably.
The issue for Tatum in that game was inaccuracy; he was 7-23 from the field. He should be much more accurate in Game 2, making him a solid start for DFS at 9.2 K.
Start ‘Em
OG Anunoby
New York Knicks
AT
Boston Celtics
(0-1)
The biggest surprise from Game 1 of this series was OG Anunoby balling out the way he did. He matched Jalen Brunson for the team high with 29 points. He got there by shooting 6 three-pointers as well as being a reliable option on the low block.
Anunoby is poised to have a strong game again in Game 2 unless the Celtics decide to guard him with Horford or Porzingis. Doing that just leaves Karl Anthony-Towns open, though, so it’s more likely that Anunoby has another strong performance. He is also a steal at 6 K for Draft Kings.
Jalen Brunson
New York Knicks
AT
Boston Celtics
(0-1)
It seems that there are now three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Jalen Brunson scoring over 25. He had a more difficult time dealing with the Celtics’ defense, but that didn’t stop him from weaving in and out of the defense and getting to the basket. Brunson is also more guaranteed to perform since Boston prefers to share the ball more, whereas the New York offense clearly is driven by Brunson. He will be worth the 8.2 K easily.
Sit ‘Em
Karl Anthony-Towns
New York Knicks
AT
Boston Celtics
(0-1)
Karl Anthony-Towns didn’t have the strongest Game 1 (he only scored 14 points). The big reason why he didn’t score more, though, was that OG Anunoby was having a huge game. Towards the end of the game (and certainly in overtime), Anunoby became the post option for the team.
Anthony-Towns also wasn’t stretching the floor as much as usual, since he was 0-1 from three. So, seeing as New York will probably try to feed OG Anunoby again in Game 2, and Porzingis and Horford will likely be guarding Anthony-Towns, all those ingredients lead to the possibility that he might not have a big Game 2, or at least not good enough for the 7.6 K it takes to buy him on Draft Kings.
Kristaps Prozingis
Boston Celtics
VS
New York Knicks
(1-0)
In Game 1, it was difficult for Porzingis to contribute offensively. There were several reasons why this happened. First of all, he only played 13 minutes. In that play time, he went 0-4 from the field.
Looking at the way Boston plays, though, Porzingis didn’t need to shoot too often since Tatum and Brown were running the half-court offense with occasional kick-out shots for Derrick White. Therefore, Porzingis was coming out a lot for Horford to get in and play defense.
Boston might use a similar game plan in the second game. Porzingis is also a game-time decision for Game 2, so he may not even play.
Fade of the Game
Sam Hauser
Boston Celtics
VS
New York Knicks
(1-0)
In a tight series like this, it’s harder for bench players to make an impact. Such is certainly the case for Sam Hauser, who is an up-and-coming three-and-d player. He only played four minutes in Game 1, so Boston might not have him on the court too often.
It’s clear they want the starting guards and Payton Pritchard on the court as much as possible, so Hauser won’t see the ball enough to score. There is also a chance he doesn’t play at all, considering he is a game-time decision.
