NBA DFS Picks for June 2, 2021

We are looking at a four-game playoff slate tonight, as eight teams are playing their essential game fives. The big news we must start with for tonight is that Joel Embiid is doubtful for tonight’s game (CONFIRMED OUT as of 11:00 PST). We have already been high on the Sixers since the start of the playoffs, as they are up against the Washington Wizards who play the worst defense in the league. With Embiid out tonight we are looking to roster a lot of 76ers players. We are going with a balanced roster tonight, as we have a lot of interest in the midrange studs from Philadelphia. We have some great value here, as the Embiid injury gives us much more value than we usually see in the playoffs.

Here’s a stars and scrubs lineup For DFS Basketball 6/2/21 (using DraftKings Values)

We have been going to Ben Simmons a lot lately as he was gravely underpriced going into the playoffs. Simmons price has risen to $8,100 for tonight, which is still a great price to pay since Embiid will be off the floor. Simmons has showed fantastic upside as the heart of this team this series, and that was with Embiid playing. We have already seen two games north of 50 FPTS from Simmons this series, so we know the upside is there for a massive performance. With Embiid out, there is a lot of extra opportunity for rebounding and creating offense tonight. It would not be surprising to see Simmons take a big role playmaking here. There are a lot of ways that Simmons can produce a huge game and we are all for it.

Grayson Allen was not great last game with 16.75 FPTS, however what we did see was very promising. It appears that the Grizzlies are shortening their rotation and Allen is getting a lot of the bench minutes. We have seen him play around 30 minutes in the past two games, which is fantastic for his $3,800 price tag. If Allen is to play high 20’s to 30 minutes tonight, he can have a massive game for the price. If Allen has a decent shooting night, he should be able to hit value easily here. As always for the playoffs, we do not need a massive game from this price point. Anything in the low 20’s in FPTS fits our build very nicely.

We have gone to Kawhi Leonard every single slate since the playoffs started and we are going right back to him tonight. Leonard was comically priced coming into the playoffs; however, his price has risen to a more reasonable $9,600. Leonard has been great this series, which is not surprising as he has been a playoff beast his entire career. Leonard has scored in the 55 to 60 FPT range every game this series, which makes him one of the top producers in the entire NBA. Leonard is still too cheap here tonight as we expect another nice game in a crucial game five. Leonard played 35 minutes in a huge blowout last game and has played over 40 minutes every other game this series. Leonard should be in for a ton of floor time again tonight, making him one of our favorite spend up options on the slate.

The Washington Wizards are going to be short on forwards tonight with Davis Bertans sidelined for the next four to six weeks. We saw a massive game last time around from Rui Hachimura and we really like getting him here again before his price rises. Hachimura played 42 minutes last game and scored a whopping 45.75 FPTS. We expect him to see a similar opportunity tonight, as he is the only competent forward available from this entire Washington roster. This game is much more likely to stay close with Embiid sideline, which makes it the perfect opportunity to look at guys from both sides of this one.

Mike Scott – C ($3,400 DK)With Embiid unable to play tonight, one of the first things to consider is who will be playing center minutes for the sixers. Scott started the second half last game and we saw him play 16.4 minutes with Embiid leaving after 11 minutes of floor time. We are interested in who the 76ers start at the five tonight, as whoever it is will be a priority for us. It seems likely that Mike Scott gets the start tonight, which would make him a fantastic value option at this price. He looks solid regardless, as the minutes should be there, and we really do not need too much out of him here.

Donovan Mitchell – G ($8,200 DK) Mitchell is an interesting option for tonight as we have to speculate on what his minutes will look like. With that said, his minutes have been trending up optimistically since returning from injury. He only played 26 minutes in his first game back, then 30 and we saw him play almost 35 minutes last game. Mitchell has been taking massive usage in each game he has played, which we expect to see tonight. If Mitchell can play closer to 40 minutes here, he is a smash at this price tag. He went for 49.5 FPTS last game, and he has upside for an even bigger performance.

Tobias Harris – F ($7,800 DK) Harris is one of our favorite plays tonight as he has a ton of potential without Embiid. We are still getting Harris at a cheap price here, and he has upside for a massive performance. Harris has scored over 45 FPTS in three of the four games this series, and we are betting one of his big games tonight. Harris will be the first scoring option without Embiid, so we should see a lot of usage from him. He also has potential for a great rebounding night here, and he should have to pick up a few extra minutes. Harris could see a bit of run at center, which is just more opportunity for him to amass stats here.

Dwight Howard – Util ($4,300 DK) We really like getting to Howard for value with Embiid out. Howard could get the start tonight, but he should be in for a lot of floor time regardless. Howard has a lot of DFS upside from defensive stats and rebounds, making him a great play for tournaments. There is some risk here, as Howard only played 14 minutes last game. However, we have seen him get more run earlier in the series and it is likely he plays solid minutes here. Howard has some good minutes upside, especially if he gets the starting nod.

Here’s a balance lineup For DFS Basketball 6/2/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Raul Neto – PG ($3,800 FD) Neto has not been great this series, as his role was slowly diminishing. However, with Bertans out, we expect to see Neto find some significant minutes. Neto is likely to start today, and we saw him play 21 minutes with Bertans getting hurt halfway through last game. Neto is cheap on both sites and a solid value option here. He could be in for massive floor time as the Wizards really do not have many competent guys outside of their starting lineup.

Dillon Brooks – SG (6,800 FD) Brooks is a tournament play tonight, as he is not a priority we would put in cash lineups. However, he does have some fantastic upside, as we have seen some huge games from Brooks in the playoffs and play-ins. Brooks has consistently been playing massive minutes and putting up a lot of shots for the Grizzlies. Brooks got into some foul trouble early last game, and he ended up playing 31 minutes. We expect him to play closer to 40 minutes if he does not get in foul trouble. 

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.