This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to avoid: Utah Jazz & LA Clippers, vs each other - The Jazz have the best defense Sunday, but they are on the road in Game 7 of a series that has been dead-even so far. As such, to pick the Jazz defense over the Clippers defense is tantamount to picking the Jazz to win, which is far from a sure thing. Essentially, this Game 7 should be hard fought and perhaps produce a lower score than the other one on the docket, but that's about as far as predictions go. And make no mistake, individuals on both sides like Chris Paul, Gordon Hayward and the centers are definitely in play as recommended players. With only two games, you can't avoid any defense entirely.
Offense to Use: Washington Wizards & Boston Celtics, vs each other - Not only are the Wizards and Celtics both perimeter-based, offensive teams that can put points on the board, they also both have teams with plenty of potential value plays outside of the stars. As such, they make fantasy-friendly offensive options for Sunday's two-game slate.
Player Recommendations
Chris Paul, LAC vs UTA ($10,200): Paul has averaged 54.6 fantasy points in his last four games against the Jazz, stepping up his play to monster levels since Blake Griffin went down with an injury. It's a Game 7, at home, and Paul is playing without his running mate. If he doesn't go big on Sunday, the Clippers have no chance to advance.
Bradley Beal, WAS at BOS ($8000): Beal has averaged 41 fantasy points in his last five games, as he caught fire and scorched the Hawks. He has a new opponent Sunday, a Celtics team that he averaged 32.3 fantasy points against in four games this season. Thus, for Sunday, set his expected value somewhere between 32 and 41 fantasy points, with upside.
Marcus Smart, BOS vs WAS ($5200): Smart was very consistent in the first round of the playoffs, scoring between 22.5 and 34 fantasy points in all six games. In four regular season games, Smart averaged 23.3 fantasy points against the Wizards. Set his expected value in the upper 20s for fantasy points, but with upside.
Gordon Hayward, UTA at LAC ($8500): Hayward has been a monster in his last three healthy games, scoring 60.8, 48.5 and 50.3 fantasy points in those games. He has taken over as the man for the Jazz, and he's leading his troops into a win-or-go-home Game 7 against the Clippers on the road in which he must produce to give them a shot.
Jae Crowder, BOS vs WAS ($5600): Crowder is dual-eligible at small forward and power forward, which makes him a potentially more interesting power forward option than Markieff Morris. Morris had two great games and four "meh" games in the first round, while Crowder's first round was more consistently in the middle (between 19 and 30.5 fantasy points in all six games). However, Crowder played better against the Wizards in the regular season (33.9 fantasy points per game) than Morris did against the Celtics (28.4 fantasy points), earning Crowder the nod here.
Luc Mbah a Moute, LAC vs UTA ($4300): Mbah a Moute is low-priced but has been reasonably productive of late, averaging 23.1 fantasy points in his last four games. He doesn't have a lot of upside, but he's averaging 33.6 minutes over that stretch so he has consistent opportunity to produce.
Rudy Gobert, UTA at LAC ($7800): Gobert sprained his ankle slightly Friday but is listed as probable for Sunday. In the three games that he has been back, even including some initial minutes restrictions, he has still averaged 38.9 fantasy points in 31 minutes. At this price, Gobert makes an intriguing option with very legitimate 40-plus fantasy-point potential.
Al Horford, BOS vs WAS ($7500): Horford has averaged 41.3 fantasy points in his last four games, establishing himself as the most consistently positive Celtics contributor in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, he faces a Wizards squad that he averaged 37.7 fantasy points against in three meetings this season.
Marcin Gortat, WAS at BOS ($5400): Gortat is all over the place, averaging an extremely volatile 27.6 fantasy points in the first round of the playoffs, with a low of 14 and a high of 44. In four games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 23.8 fantasy points. Set his expected value in the mid-20s for fantasy points, but know that you could get something drastically lower or higher than that.
