With the end of our NBA DFS 2K Bracket featuring historic rosters comes a new form of video game simulations and contests brought to you by FanDuel. For the month of April, we will be using NBA 2K20 to simulate the NBA playoffs that would have started this month were it not for the suspension of the season. The playoff sim continues tonight with our first quarterfinal matchup.
As with the Throwback 2K Tournament, we’re giving away prizes with Daily Contests where you are asked to predict aspects of the day’s simulated game(s). Get the most correct answers and you’ll be eligible to win loads of prizes! Today’s winner will receive $200 cash! Enter now (and every day) by clicking on the following link:
Tonight’s NBA DFS playoff simulation slate features Nets taking on the 76ers. Stream kicks off at 8 p.m. EST.
The Teams
Brooklyn Nets
Starters:
PG – Kyrie Irving
SG – Spencer Dinwiddie
SF – Caris LeVert
PF – Kevin Durant
C – Jarrett Allen
As expected, Brooklyn’s ringer of Kevin Durant made their seventh seed a misnomer. Though he did not play a single second of the 2019-20 season, Durant is still on Brooklyn’s roster and dropped 28 points on just 18 shots, leading the Nets to an “upset” 70-65 win over the Raptors. Brooklyn shot 60 percent from the field and held Toronto to 47 percent. The separation was largely made in the second half when the Nets hit 75 percent of shots to Toronto’s 41 percent. And that came with Irving being relatively quiet, going for 11 on 3-for-8 shooting with three turnovers.
Truth be told, Brooklyn pulling out that win without exceptional play from Irving is promising for them because Irving has a brutal matchup here with Ben Simmons. Fortunately, Durant gets Al Horford who played 16 minutes at power forward last game. Horford maybe a couple of years ago could have hung with Durant to a degree, but at this point, his skill set has waned considerably and I would expect Durant to get whatever he wants tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers
Starters:
PG – Ben Simmons
SG – Josh Richardson
SF – Tobias Harris
PF – Al Horford
C – Joel Embiid
The 76ers’ win over the Celtics can hardly be considered an upset; on paper, they outweigh Boston’s star power. However, the Celtics were 5 1/2 games up in the standings and the three seed, and Philadelphia’s road record was historically bad, so their dominating win in Boston came as a bit of a surprise. The glass was easily the largest factor with the Sixers out-rebounding Boston 30 to 14. Boston simply could not match up with Joel Embiid‘s size, and the result was 21 and 11 on 9-for-9 shooting.
Philadelphia got plenty of other contributions as well. Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle each had 11 and the Sixers hit 57 percent of shots. But Embiid was easily the star of the game. Brooklyn has a couple of centers who, at least athletically, can stand up to Embiid, so Philadelphia may need a bit more from Simmons than last game’s eight points, one rebound and one assist.
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FanDuel Plays
MVP – Joel Embiid – $14,500
You could certainly swap where I have Embiid and Durant as each put up crazy numbers in their first games and project to do so again. I, however, lean towards Embiid because of his dominance on the boards. He went for 21 and 11 last game and did not miss a shot, totaling a slate-high 40.7 fantasy points. Granted, that was primarily working against Daniel Theis whereas Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan may have a bit more defensive punch. But Jordan and Allen combined for nine rebounds last game and their post defense ratings are in the low-to-mid 80s, not a huge upgrade from Theis’ 79. As such, I still like Embiid to come at least close to a double-double again and maybe get a few more blocks than the one he got last time.
Star – Kevin Durant – $15,000
Horford has a 90 rating for interior defense, fifth-best in the game, but he ranks 311th in perimeter defense with a 63 rating. In other words, Durant should cook him alive like he did Pascal Siakam. 20 points real points should be the floor here, and if Brooklyn operates at all similar to last time out, 30 or more is in play. The only pitfall here would be if Irving, upset about his slow last game, decides to iso a lot more and takes shots away from Durant. But last matchup was much better for Irving and he still shot under 40 percent. Durant and Embiid at the top to me seems like close to a sure thing to headline winning lineups.
Pro – Caris LeVert – $10,500
LeVert’s 14.4 fantasy points last game do not jump off the page, but the way he got his points does. All but one of his shot attempts came from beyond the arc and he scored all 12 on 3’s. With Durant and Irving dominating possession, Dinwiddie and LeVert seem to be reduced to catch-and-shoot guys, and LeVert hit more of those shots. Dinwiddie had a better fantasy game due to five assists and two steals, but LeVert is $1,500 cheaper and their offensive roles will essentially be the same. And going cheaper with LeVert opens up Utility spots for two quality players or even a stud and a punt, so I prefer the lineup flexibility over Dinwiddie’s possible assist upside.
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