NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & DFS Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel 4/17

After a very exciting first NBA playoff slate yesterday, we run it back tonight with another four games. This slate is all about the spreads, as two teams are double-digit favorites and no team has a closer spread than 4 points. However, yesterday had two upsets; will today be more of the same? It will be important to stay up to date on Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page to find out who is in and out tonight, even though there shouldn’t be that much news for the playoffs. These plays below are driven by Awesemo’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust Tool as we narrow down three boom and one bust play.

Boom/Bust NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & Picks Today

Boom: Nikola Vucevic: $7,700 DK/$6,900 FD

25.9% DraftKings Boom/41.8% FanDuel Boom

The Chicago Bulls had a fantastic start to the season before slowly dropping down to the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. They got a terrible draw facing the reigning NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Many have this being a quick series as the Bucks are double digit favorites tonight. The Bucks beat the Bulls in all four matchups, but this seems like a great spot to target Nikola Vucevic who is popping as the second-highest boom percentage on FanDuel in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool.

In the Bulls’ most recent game against the Bucks, Vucevic shot an abysmal 3-for-19 from the field, which was by far his worst game against the Bucks this season. For the other three games, he averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting 53.3% from the field and 50% from behind the arc making at least two 3-pointers per game. The Bucks have allowed the most 3-pointers made and attempted this season in the league. Prioritize Vucevic on FanDuel where he has the highest value in Awesemo’s daily projections tonight.

Boom: Giannis Antetokounmpo: $11,000 DK/$11,500 FD

48.5% DraftKings Boom/43.5% FanDuel Boom

Staying in the same game, Giannis Antetokounmpo is by far the best pay-up option on the slate. He is the most expensive, but not by much over Kevin Durant on either site. The Bucks are heavy home favorites, not only in this game but for this entire series against the Bulls. This game has the highest total on the slate at 229.5 points as the Bucks are implied for a slate-high 120 points. Giannis has the highest boom percentage on DraftKings and FanDuel in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool. It isn’t particularly that close.

Giannis seems to be getting better every year which is a scary sight. He posted a career-high 29.9 points per game this season as he shot over 55% from the field for the fourth consecutive year. There is enough value on this slate to get to Giannis which is why he is showing up as the highest owned player among the upper pricing tier. This matchup is fantastic. The Bulls rank 26th in defensive rating this season, allowing opponents to shoot 57.4% from the field. If you take out the blowout game between these two teams where Giannis only played 24 minutes, he is averaging 29.7 points, 15 rebounds, and 60.6 DraftKings points per game in their other three matchups.

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Boom: Marcus Smart: $5,500 DK/$6,200 FD

37.4% DraftKings Boom/25.7% FanDuel Boom

The value guard that is popping the most is Celtics point guard Marcus Smart. He is in the running for defensive player of the year this season as his defensive presence will be needed against Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant tonight and in this series moving forward. Prioritize Smart on DraftKings where he has the third-highest boom percentage in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool. Smart is also leading the slate on DraftKings in Awesemo’s ownership projections where he is also coming in fourth on FanDuel. He is a great salary saver tonight.

The Celtics will be without Robert Williams their starting center who has been a fantastic shot blocker in the paint. Without him, Smart is going to have to play as many minutes as he can handle against Irving and Durant. Awesemo’s projection model has Smart projected to play 37.1 minutes and be the second-best DraftKings value play behind Giannis tonight. Smart has also shown that he can get it going on the offensive side as well. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will take care of most of the usage, but Smart can get hot from the perimeter.

Bust: Kyrie Irving: $10,200 DK/$10,100 FD

54.0% DraftKings Bust/57.7% FanDuel Bust

This Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics series is going to be probably one of the best to watch in the first round. The offensive fire power from both sites is incredible. The Nets have Irving and Kevin Durant while the Celtics have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Fading Irving against the Celtics is a scary proposition, but Irving has by far the highest bust percentage in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool of the players at the top of the salary range mainly due to his steep price.

The Nets are the closest underdog on the slate at 4.5 points, as they have a 110 implied point total. In his one game against the Celtics this season, Irving had 19 points, four rebounds and six assists while shooting 44.4% from the field. However, the last two games he has caught fire scoring 34.5 points per game while shooting a ridiculous 77.1% from the field! The Celtics present a tough matchup as they have the best defensive rating, allowing a league best 104.5 points per game. Irving has a D value on DraftKings and a C value on FanDuel in Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings, which is the worst of anyone in his pricing tier. Risky fade, but the numbers don’t lie.

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