The Cleveland Cavaliers did something they had never done before in their history when they won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, marking their first victory in a playoff series opener in 15 tries. An injury to DeMarre Carroll combined with dominant performances by LeBron James and J.R. Smith in Game 1 have shifted the perception of this series even further in the Cavaliers’ favor. Now they will have a chance to put a stranglehold on the series and take a 2-0 series lead on the road Friday night. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Friday’s DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Jeff Teague, Atlanta
Salary: $7,300
Teague was Atlanta’s best player by a mile in Game 1 when he scored a team-high 27 points with four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a three-point shot. Teague spent most of the game using his speed, quickness, vision and shooting ability creating for himself and with Carroll hurt, he will need another great performance to give the Hawks a chance. Teague is likely to again lead Atlanta in scoring and if he can pad his stats in the other categories like his assist totals and have better efforts from his teammates, he will be an absolute steal at just over $7,000 in the PG spot.
SG: J.R. Smith, Cleveland
Salary: $4,900
Smith had quietly been very good for the Cavaliers throughout the playoffs but there was nothing subtle about his performance in Game 1. He rocked the house with a career playoff-high 28 points including eight three-point shots. Meanwhile Iman Shumpert, James Jones and Matthew Dellavedova combined for four points. Smith has stepped up his game since arriving in Cleveland and with the opportunity to really shine next to LeBron while Kyrie Irving is dealing with a nagging injury, he will be an excellent bargain value play and a lock in winning fantasy lineups for Friday night.
SF: LeBron James, Cleveland
Salary: $11,400
LeBron has stepped up big time in the postseason and he delivered another monster fantasy performance in Game 1 when he recorded a game-high 31 points with eight rebounds, six assists and one steal. The Cavaliers have an excellent opportunity to push Atlanta to the brink with a second consecutive road win on Friday and James has to feel the need for urgency in this position with a chance to put this series away as soon as possible. They’d love to stay healthy and fresh for a potential fifth straight NBA Finals. LeBron should put up the best fantasy stat line again on Friday night, so play him here.
PF: Paul Millsap, Atlanta
Salary: $8,000
Millsap struggled on the boards in Game 1 dealing with LeBron, Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov. It seemed like he wore down enough in defensive aspects of his game that it really took away from his offensive production. Millsap finished with 13 points on three-of-11 from the field along with seven rebounds, three assists and a block. It’s reasonable to expect a much more efficient performance from him in Game 2 as the Hawks make the necessary adjustments heading in to what is basically a must-win game, so we feel comfortable plugging in Millsap to this PF spot.
C: Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland
Salary: $4,800
Mozgov played well enough in Game 1 to go back to him in Game 2 as he finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. Al Horford was the top center on the board when he finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes but that isn’t a big enough disparity to make it worth spending $3,000 more in order to take him instead of Mozgov. The point and rebound totals should be similar for Mozgov in Game 2 and if he can add in a couple of blocks or assists, it would be worth taking him here.
G: Iman Shumpert, Cleveland
Salary: $5,200
Shumpert is the one player we will take for Friday’s lineup that really struggled in Game 1 when he was limited to four points on one-for-seven shooting including 0-for-three from beyond the arc. We expect him to put up better scoring numbers in Game 2. Shumpert still had seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block and if he can put up similar statistics in those categories with a better point total, he will be a strong play in this spot.
F: Tristan Thompson, Cleveland
Salary: $6,000
Thompson has really stepped up with Kevin Love out and he thrived playing a game-high 42 minutes for Cleveland in Game 1. Thompson scored 14 points on five-for-seven shooting from the field with 10 rebounds and two blocks and as long as he continues to hold his own at both ends of the floor, the Cavaliers will continue to give him big minutes.
FLEX: Kent Bazemore, Atlanta
Salary: $2,300
Bazemore was the only Atlanta player that provided a bit of a spark for them off the bench in Game 1 when he scored 10 points on four-for-five shooting with four rebounds in just 16 minutes. Bazemore has the potential to put up even better totals with Carroll injured heading in to Game 2 and that will make him an excellent value bargain play. That fits perfectly in to the FLEX spot with the remaining salary we have left on the board.
