Announcements

1) Make sure you follow our Twitter for game-time updates (like yesterday's update on Barton)! We haven't done a great job of this in the past, but we're going to start giving you guys lineup advice RIGHT UP UNTIL TIPOFF!

2) Check out our blog where I'll be writing articles on the NBA playoffs and making HOT TAKES along the way.

3) We are hosting the Official Standings for the Clockwork Sports NBA Playoff Challenge on our website! Compete for a chance to win $25 cash, Clockwork sports VIP access for the NBA finals, or an NBA TopShot moment! Learn more here.

QUICK HITTERS (6/14)

- Today's main slate features 2 games. Nobody is on a back to back.

- As of this writing, the game with the highest over/under is PHI v ATL at 225.5 points. The game with the lowest over/under is LAC v UTA at 223.5 points.

PLAYOFF BLUEPRINT

Welcome to our brand new section for the NBA Playoffs! This section will provide you with a full breakdown (or 'blueprint') of both players and strategies we like for tonight's games. Our goal is for this section to replace our usual 'Need to Know' and 'Core Plays' sections, as there is typically much less injury news in the playoffs and we want to focus in more on matchups and lineup construction!

Tonight's Lineup Construction: 

This sub-section will briefly breakdown lineup construction strategies to consider for tonight's slate. Are there high tier must plays? Is there a ton of cheap value? Should you go Stars and Scrubs? Etc.

I think the low-tier is really strong tonight. First of all, I think you’re able to exploit what happened with Solomon Hill in the second half of last game; there’s a good chance that he gets phased out, in which case guys like Snell, Huerter, and Gallinari (all guys in the low-tier) would have potential to get the start and see far more minutes tonight. Snell started the 2nd half for Hill last game but is the site minimum today, so I would like to take a flyer on him tonight. I also could see either Huerter or Gallinari getting the start, in which case I would lock them into my lineup as well. Besides them, I really like Batum in this low-tier; LAC went back to small ball and they’re going to do it again tonight, so Batum is definitely underpriced. Locking in some of these low-tier guys into your lineup (especially Snell at 3k) would allow you to spend up on some guys in this top-tier (you could potentially even get BOTH Kawhi and Embiid into your lineup). 

Tier 1 ($8,000 +)

Each of the following tiers will provide our top 2-3 value plays (depending on how many games there are) of the night from within the specified price range. 

Note: We will be using DraftKings prices for the price-range classifications. This free newsletter will provide our second and third favorite play(s) from each tier! 

For our FULL PLAYOFF BLUEPRINT, which includes all our favorite plays from each tier, start your 1 week free trial of our AC Plus membership today!

2. Donovan Mitchell ($9,000) 

Donovan Mitchell has taken 30, 29, and 24 shots in the first three games of this series, so I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t take a similar amount tonight. He’s everything for this UTA offense, and I expect him to have another high usage, high points night in a super important game 4. If Conley plays, I would be a little less excited about Mitchell (unless Conley is on a significant minutes restriction), but I would be surprised if Conley plays tonight anyway. Mitchell has been successful from all 3 levels (3, midrange, basket), and I think that bodes really well for his dfs numbers moving forward.

3. Joel Embiid ($10,500)

The Hawks put a little more pressure on Embiid in game 3, but all it resulted in is more assists for Embiid. He handled the double team really well and was able to pass out of it super effectively, so I could see ATL playing him straight up tonight. Either way, Embiid has proven he can be successful no matter what defense they throw at him, and I think it’s super important that they win this series as quickly as possible, especially because Embiid is battling a partially torn meniscus; if Embiid is able to get a lot of rest between this series and the ECF, he’ll be far more prepared to make a finals run.

Tier 2 ($5,000-$7,900)

2. Joe Ingles ($5,000)

Assuming Mike Conley sits again tonight, Ingles is going to get the start and see starter-type minutes. At the absolute bottom end of this mid-tier, you’re getting a guy that has a ceiling potential of 20 and 10, which is a lot better than most guys near his price tag. If Conley plays (and doesn’t have a minutes limit), I would like Ingles less, but I would still feel pretty solid about his floor. He’ll get spot up threes, and he’ll have lots of opportunities to make plays for Gobert off of that high screen and roll. If Mitchell somehow isn’t playing well, he’ll become a focal point of the offense.

3. Ben Simmons ($7,600)

Ben Simmons knows perfectly well how to succeed while Embiid is being doubled; he makes excellent cuts to the hoop, and he gets out in transition before the Hawks have a chance to set up their defense. I like his chances to have another solid game tonight with his ability to get literally every stat in the book. He’ll probably see a slightly higher workload tonight as a result of Green being out, and I think he comes out tonight with tons of intensity, because he knows the importance of finishing this series as quickly as possible.

Tier 3 ($3,000-$4,900)

2. Nicolas Batum ($4,500)

The Clippers went back to small-ball in game 3, and it went well for them. They’re definitely going to start the same lineup tonight, which means Batum will see 30+ minutes and the start. He’s able to take advantage of the rim protection of Gobert by spotting up at the three point line and aggressively driving the closeout, and he’ll continue to look to do that tonight. At only 4.5k, you’re getting excellent value for Batum tonight.

3. Kevin Huerter ($4,800) 

Huerter had a rough game 3 as he got into some early foul trouble, which really limited his ability to get any kind of flow offensively. I think Hill could be phased out of the lineup tonight (he didn’t start the second half in game 3 and he’s played really poorly this series), so Huerter should see more minutes than normal. Before last game, Huerter was showing new developments in his game by the minute, and I think we could continue to see those skills tonight.

TODAY'S PROJECTION TABLES