Daily Fantasy Week 24: The NBA Play-in Tournament
With a few games left in the regular season, a lot of teams are fighting for playoff spots. Which teams are making it to the NBA play-in tournament, at the very least?
Match 1: The Portland Trailblazers vs the Los Angeles Clippers (April 1, Wednesday)
The Portland Trailblazers are 9th in the west right now, and the Los Angeles Clippers are 8th. They both have similar records, and both will most likely make the play-in tournament. The Clippers have won 5 straight games, although those are against terrible teams. Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland seem to be working well together, but the Blazers have youth and scoring. Kawhi Leonard has been having a resurgence recently, which is hard to ignore.
Suggested Daily Fantasy lineup:
Captain: Kawhi Leonard
Vice Captain: Deni Avdija
Key picks: Toumani Camara, Darius Garland, Brook Lopez, Benedict Mathurin, Scoot Henderson
Match 2: The Milwaukee Bucks vs the Houston Rockets (April 2, Thursday)
If the Bucks win their remaining 8 games (which is unlikely), they will have a 30-plus win season, their worst since 2015 (the pre-Freak era). They will have some thinking to do over the offseason, as Giannis will most likely be donning another jersey next season. They will most likely lose this contest against the Houston Rockets, who ranks #6 currently in the west, but could rank #4 at the end of the season if they get lucky. The Rockets could also slide down to the play-in tournament if they keep performing like a “mid” team.
Suggested Daily Fantasy lineup:
Captain: Alperen Sengun
Vice Captain: Kevin Durant
Key picks: Jabari Smith Jr., Gary Trent Jr, Taurean Prince, Andre Jackson Jr., Tari Eason, Amen Thompson
Match 3: The San Antonio Spurs vs the Golden State Warriors (April 2, Thursday)
The Spurs are on a 9-game winning streak. Victor Wembanyama just dropped 41 points and 16 rebounds against the lowly Chicago Bulls. Unless the Oklahoma City Thunder fumbles and gives away the top seed in the west, the number 2 seed is a lock for the Spurs. On the other hand, the Warriors have a very different story. They find themselves in 10th place, and they are guaranteed to be in the play-in tournament (the 11th Grizzlies do not have enough games to catch-up). They will probably rest Steph Curry in this game as he is still injured and is set to be reevaluated. Kristaps Porzingis has been getting a lot of minutes.
Suggested Daily Fantasy lineup:
Captain: Victor Wembanyama
Vice Captain: Stephon Castle
Key picks: Kristaps Porzingis, Gui Santos, Julian Champagnie, De’Aaron Fox, Brandin Podziemski
Match 4: The Phoenix Suns vs the Charlotte Hornets (April 3, Friday)
The Phoenix Suns can escape the pits of the play-in tournament if they start winning more consistently. They still have enough games to catch-up to the Houston Rockets, but their last 2 games of the season are against the Lakers and the Thunder. The most likely outcome for the Suns is a play-in appearance. The Hornets are currently 10th place, but if they win their next 7 games, they could very well find themselves 6th and out of the play-in tournament. It is a tough schedule, with 2 games against the Celtics, and games against the Knicks, the Pistons, and the Timberwolves.
Suggested Daily Fantasy lineup:
Captain: Devin Booker
Vice Captain: Jalen Green
Key picks: LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, Osho Ighodaro
You may use the suggested picks to play Daily Fantasy now! Here’s how to get you started.
Here are the matches this week!
