This article is part of our Daily Games Cheat Sheet series.
TEAM ANALYSIS
Defenses to Avoid
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors: The Rockets are coming off a seven-game series, straight into the toughest road environment in the NBA. The Warriors have owned Houston this season (4-0) and have won by double-digits in each contest. Even though things have changed since their last meeting in January, this is pretty close to a wait-and-see situation.
Offenses to Use
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors: Not only are the Warriors a scary defense, they are loaded offensively, and they absolutely tore up the Rockets this season. No team shot better against Houston than the Warriors, and with a talented roster available, this matchup should be exploited for the first game of the series.
First game of a back-to-back: None
Second game of a back-to-back: None
DraftKings.com DAILY PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
Point Guard
Stephen Curry, PG, GS ($10,400): Curry averaged 51 DraftKings points against Houston this season, and that number could go even higher in this series. With no Patrick Beverley (wrist) to check the MVP, Curry could put up some savory stat lines. It's between him and LeBron James on the must-start-studs list.
Other suggestions: Jeff Teague (vs. CLE)
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson, SG, GS ($7,300): Why not have the complete set of Splash Brothers? He finally found consistency at the end of the Memphis series and now gets a far easier matchup with Houston. Thompson averaged 39 DraftKings points against the Rockets this year.
Other suggestions: J.R. Smith (at ATL), James Harden (at GS)
Small Forward
Harrison Barnes, SF, GS ($4,900): The ideal choice at small forward is LeBron James, but if you can't find a way to squeeze him into your lineup, Barnes isn't a bad fallback option. His price isn't extremely low, but he's good for 20-25 DraftKings points on most nights. He's probably the safest option in his price range.
Other suggestions: LeBron James (at ATL), DeMarre Carroll (vs. CLE)
Power Forward
Tristan Thompson, PF, CLE ($5,800): I'm under the impression that Thompson (shoulder) will play, and his matchup has potential to be a great one. The Hawks are undersized on the frontline, and Thompson's ability to snag offensive boards could lead to a bunch of extra DraftKings points. He's one of my favorite plays, assuming he is healthy enough to play.
Other suggestions: Paul Millsap (vs. CLE), Terrence Jones (at GS)
Center
Andrew Bogut, C, GS ($5,000): Bogut is a nice cost-cutting option at his position for this set of contests. He averaged nearly 30 DraftKings points against Houston in the regular season and should see his fair share of time on the court checking Dwight Howard. Bogut doesn't have the upside of the top two guys, but he should provide enough to be worth a look.
Other suggestions: Al Horford (vs. CLE), Timofey Mozgov (at ATL)
INJURY REPORT
Out
K.J. McDaniels (wrist)
Kevin Love (shoulder)
Marreese Speights (calf)
Game-Time Decision
Kyrie Irving (knee/foot)
Tristan Thompson (shoulder)
