The series between the Knicks and Celtics is heating up as Boston rallied back following two straight losses. The Celtics have been hearing a lot about their play style, specifically when it comes to three-pointers and how frequently they shoot them.
That style won out in Game 3, though, and Boston will likely continue to play that way. DFS players can make a lot of money by pinpointing which Celtics are going to be consistent from three-point range, and there’s one very cheap player that should give big value for Game 4.
Lock of the Game
Jalen Brunson
New York Knicks
vs.
Boston Celtics
(1-2)
For most players in the NBA, scoring 27 points is an amazing night. For Jalen Brunson, it was one of the lowest-scoring performances of his playoffs so far. Of course, he was in more of a position to dish out the ball because Karl Anthony-Towns was playing great in Game 3 as well.
Usually, though, the Knicks score a lot because Jalen Brunson is weaving in and out of the paint, doing his thing. Now that the Celtics have won a game, it does put pressure on New York to respond, and Jalen Brunson might take on that responsibility personally.
Start ‘Em
Payton Pritchard
Boston Celtics
AT
New York Knicks
(2-1)
Obviously, most DFS players know about the big names in Boston (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, etc.). The highest score from Game 3 for the Celtics, though, was Payton Pritchard. He got 23 points while shooting 5-10 from three-point range. Pritchard also benefited from being on the floor longer than usual: 35 minutes to be exact. If he continues to play that long, he will be shooting threes, and he will be making lots of them. That’s a lot of value for a player worth 4.5 K on Draft Kings.
OG Anunoby
New York Knicks
vs.
Boston Celtics
(1-2)
It seems like the big men from the Knicks (Anthony-Towns and Anunoby) do this thing where they alternate who has the big night. That explains why Anunoby scored in the twenties for the first game of the series and only scored in single digits for the last two. In Game 3, Anthony-Towns had the big game with 21 points.
It’s likely, therefore, he will attract more attention from the defense, which in turn would leave Anunoby open. He is only worth 5.8 K for his poor performances, so it’s a good opportunity to buy low here.
Sit ‘Em
Mikal Bridges
New York Knicks
vs.
Boston Celtics
(1-2)
Bridges has been playing phenomenal defense throughout this series, and it’s hard to recommend sitting him without giving him the praise he deserves. That being said, he hasn’t scored above 14 points in this entire series.
Bridges shoots when he gets the ball, he doesn’t force his own shot. There are plenty of possessions where he just watches while Jalen Brunson drives to the basket. Therefore, he’s an admirable player, but not a good look for DFS, despite him being worth only 6 K.
Jrue Holiday
Boston Celtics
AT
New York Knicks
(2-1)
There are two big reasons why Jrue Holiday isn’t a good start for DFS in this game. First of all is recent history; in his last five games, Holiday scored nine, 11, 16, 10, and eight points, respectively. The second reason is play time.
In Game 3, Holiday only played 25 minutes. That was wise for the Celtics to do because Pritchard had the hot hand during that game, and he deserved to be on the court more.
After his 23-point performance, the Celtics likely would want Pritchard to play a lot again, which means less game time for Holiday. That means he might walk away with 10 points or something, but Holiday won’t pop off or anything.
Fade of the Game
Mitchell Robinson
New York Knicks
vs.
Boston Celtics
(1-2)
With the sole exception of Game 5 against Detroit, Robinson has scored single digits in every game he has played in this playoffs so far. While he doesn’t always get enough playing time, he’s been on the court quite a lot against Boston.
The Knicks have a bench problem in general; they don’t usually have big performances from players who aren’t starting. At 3.7 K, Mitchell Robinson might be tempting as a cheap pick-up, but he won’t be scoring a lot in Game 4.
