It was an unforgettable regular season! The final few weeks were wild with all of the resting, but we’re done with that crap now! This is the opening night of the play-in tournament, and every game is critical from here on out. This is a great time to make some money, so let’s go ahead and get into it!

These slates are going to be tiny from here on out! We have just two games here, but both matchups have huge implications. There’s plenty to discuss, so let’s kick things off with the schedule and odds!

Schedule and Odds

CLE at BKN (BKN -7.5) O/U: 229.5

This is the 7/8 matchup in the Eastern Conference. Whoever wins will advance as the seven-seed and face the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs. Whoever loses will face the loser of the Charlotte-Atlanta game being played on Wednesday.

LAC at MIN (MIN -2.5) O/U: 230.5

This is the 7/8 matchup in the Western Conference. Whoever wins will advance as the seven-seed and face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. The loser will play the winner of the San Antonio-New Orleans game being played on Wednesday.

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

• Ben Simmons (personal) OUT
• Jarrett Allen (finger) OUT
• Collin Sexton (knee) OUT
• Joe Harris (ankle) OUT
• Kawhi Leonard (knee) OUT
• Seth Curry (ankle) Probable
• Goran Dragic (COVID) Probable

Core Plays

Karl-Anthony Towns (C – MIN): $10,300 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
Towns is the best big man on this slate, and it’s really not close. Big KAT has at least 28 DraftKings points in all 74 games played this season, averaging nearly 50 fantasy points per outing. He’s been even better recently, scoring at least 49 fantasy points in 10 of his last 19 games. The Clippers are a great matchup, too, surrendering the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

Darius Garland (PG – CLE): $9,600 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel
Ever since Sexton went down, DG has turned into an All-Star player. The breakout point guard is averaging 42 fantasy points per game this season, posting a 45-point average across his last 22 games played. We love that in a must-win game here, with Brooklyn ranked 18th in points allowed and 20th in defensive efficiency ratings. In their four matchups this year, DG has scored at least 40 DK points in all of them while generating a 46-point average.

Cash Game Considerations

Kevin Durant (PF – BKN): $12,000 DraftKings, $11,400 FanDuel
We all know that KD is one of the best players in the world, and his recent play is really showing why. The Slim Reaper has at least 52 DraftKings points in 12 of his last 16 games, averaging 57 DK points per game in that span. That makes him the easiest play on the board, especially since he has at least 54 fantasy points in his last two matchups with the Cavaliers.

Paul George (SG/SF – LAC): $9,900 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
PG has missed most of the season, but he’s been unbelievable in his limited time this season. He’s scored at least 32 DraftKings points in all 31 games played, averaging 45 fantasy points per game. He’s done that damage despite being limited for much of the season, averaging 47 fantasy points per game since his return. Minnesota is a fantastic matchup, too, with the T’Wolves ranked first in pace and 24th in points allowed. In their three meetings this year, PG13 is averaging 25.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

GPP Targets

D’Angelo Russell (PG/SG – MIN): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel
D-Lo has been in this section a ton. He’s just got too much upside to be this cheap, averaging 36 DK points per game for the season. He’s shown a 50-point upside on countless occasions, and he should be asked to do more in this must-win game. The Clippers struggle with opposing guards, too, owning a 23rd OPRK against them this season.

Caris LeVert (SG/SF – CLE): $6,900 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
LeVert has too much upside to be this cheap. He’s scored at least 29 DK points in six of his last nine games, presenting a 60-point upside on multiple occasions this season. You never see that from a sub-$6K player, and the shackles should be loose with Cleveland playing a must-win game. Not to mention, Brooklyn surrenders the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wings this season.

Value Plays

Patrick Beverley (PG/SG – MIN): $5,200 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Bev has been in this value section all season, and it’s tough to understand why he’s remained so cheap. The feisty guard has scored at least 23 fantasy points in 33 of his last 40 games, with five of those being shortened due to injury or ejection! That’s an incredible run of consistency from such a cheap player, particularly with Pat-Bev posting a 31-point average in those outings. You know he’ll be at full tilt in this playoff game, especially against his former team! In their most recent matchup, Beverley dropped 38 fantasy points in one of his best games of the season.

Marcus Morris (SF/PF – LAC): $5,500 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
Morris can be tough to trust, but he can also be one of the best values out there. This guy has played at a $7K level at times this season, scoring at least 33 fantasy points in five of his last 12 games. That’s a huge upside from such an affordable player, and he can definitely provide one of those gems against the fastest-paced team in the NBA.

Advantageous Pricing

Caris LeVert (SG/SF – CLE): $6,900 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel

Darius Garland (PG – CLE): $9,600 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel

Reggie Jackson (PG – LAC): $6,600 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel

Anthony Edwards (SG/SF – MIN): $8,300 DraftKings, $9,100 FanDuel

Norman Powell (SG/SF – LAC): $5,400 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel

Bruce Brown (SG/SF – BKN): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel

Moses Brown (C – CLE): $4,700 DraftKings, $3,600 FanDuel

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