Western Conference semi-finals don’t resume until Friday night, which means that Thursday will be the second consecutive night with only one game on the schedule. The Toronto Raptors came out firing against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals series but they faded in the second and third quarters before eventually losing 102-96 in overtime. Now Toronto is in what amounts to a must-win situation heading in to Thursday’s contest and that is worth taking in to account when building a winning fantasy roster. If you’re playing the Thursday-Friday NBA fantasy daily leagues, here’s a look at your best options from Thursday’s action.
PG: Goran Dragic, Miami
Salary: $6,000
Dragic was the star of Game 1 in this series with 26 points, six rebounds, two assist and three three-point shots so we will ride the hot hand for Game 2. The Raptors can help themselves out by attacking Dragic at the offensive end of the floor and forcing him to play defense but they didn’t do that very well in Game 1 and the veteran point guard made them pay. The fact that he is available at just $6K despite the potential for him to produce the best overall NBA fantasy score on Thursday is enough to make him a lock in our minds.
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto
Salary: $7,100
DeRozan came out firing in Game 1 but struggled to find his shot in the second half and then completely disappeared in overtime. Now he will look to bring a more complete effort to the table once again with the pressure on Toronto to bounce back. DeRozan still finished with 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal in Game 1 so he is a very safe bet to deliver again in Game 2 on Thursday night.
SF: Luol Deng, Miami
Salary: $6,900
Deng was solid for Miami in 39 minutes in Game 1 and he has the potential to be even better in Game 2 if the Heat offense can find its rhythm. Deng scored 10 points with four rebounds, three assists and four steals in the opening game of the series and we consider that the absolute floor for his production heading in to Game 2.
PF: Patrick Patterson, Toronto
Salary: $3,800
Chris Bosh is injured so Luis Scola and Udonis Haslem are the only other options on the board for Thursday at the PF position. Patterson had just two points and three rebounds off the bench in Game 1 versus Miami but he provided a spark for the Raptors off the bench at different points in the opening round against the Indiana Pacers so it only makes sense to plug him in here.
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto
Salary: $6,600
Valanciunas was clearly the Raptors’ best player in the opening game of the series so the fact that he attempted only two shots in the third quarter is pretty incredible. Head coach Dwane Casey clearly needs to make sure his star center gets more touches in Game 2 and that could put him in line for one of the best performances of the night on Thursday. Valanciunas scored a team-high 24 points with 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in Game 1 and we expect similar production with the Raptors leaning even more on him in Game 2.
G: Kyle Lowry, Toronto
Salary: $7,500
Lowry’s shooting woes continued in Game 1 when he went just 3-of-13 from the field despite an epic three-point heave from half court that tied the game at the end of regulation. Lowry spent time shooting the rock after the game and then again after he showered and the reality is that Toronto basketball fans are still waiting for a breakthrough playoff performance that could come at any time. Lowry has averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 three-point shot per game this postseason so we expect him to at least hit those averages at the very minimum in a must-win for Game 2.
F: DeMarre Carroll, Toronto
Salary: $4,300
Carroll looked good for the Raptors in Game 1 with 10 points, four rebounds, two steals, two three-point shots and one block and that is a decent amount of production for a reasonably priced forward option. Carroll certainly has the potential to top those numbers in Game 2 so we will take a chance on him at this position with the hope that he delivers an even better NBA fantasy performance.
FLEX: Hassan Whiteside, Miami
Salary: $7,800
Whiteside survived an injury scare and played 39 minutes in Game 1, scoring nine points with 17 rebounds, two steals and one block. The potential is there for him to deliver a better point total in Game 2 while still dominating on the glass. Dwyane Wade is the only remaining player that we can’t afford with the remaining money that we have left over for this FLEX spot and Whiteside fits in perfectly at $7.8K for NBA fantasy.
