ESPN's fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night's games. Here you'll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Friday's games
Friday night features a trio of big games. The first one sees the Boston Celtics on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers, fresh off the 76ers' upset in Game 2. Joel Embiid is doubtful to make his playoffs debut on Friday, but he wasn't needed on Tuesday when VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey combined for 59 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the 76ers to victory. The Celtics will have to make the adjustments coming into this game, and history suggests they will do so. The Celtics were 20-6 after losses this season, and are 59-13 after losses over the past three seasons.
The middle game tonight is the only one in which one team leads the other 2-0. After winning both games at home, the Los Angeles Lakers go on the road tonight against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets got Kevin Durant (knee) back for Game 2 after he had to miss the opener, but the result stayed the same with another loss. Game 3 a must-win for the Rockets -- and history may not be on their side. In his long career, LeBron James' teams are a combined 24-0 in playoff series in which his team has gotten off to a 2-0 lead.
The last game of the night has the San Antonio Spurs visiting the Portland Trail Blazers with the series knotted at 1-1. The Trail Blazers came back to win Game 2 in San Antonio with a fourth-quarter run. Victor Wembanyama had to leave the game in the second quarter due to a concussion and his absence was felt in his team's loss. Wemby has not yet cleared the league's concussion policy, but he was cleared to travel with the team and is listed as questionable tonight.
These storylines and many more will play out on this Friday night. Let's dig a bit deeper and identify some betting angles and DFS players of interest for tonight's action.
Dre's Bets for Friday
Jaylen Brown over 26.5 points (-117): Brown has faced the 76ers three times in the last two months, including the first two games of this series. In those three, he has averaged 29.7 PPG with at least 26 in each game. He dropped 36 in Game 2 as one of the only Celtics to score well in a down effort. He seems to thrive in his matchups against the 76ers frontcourt and will be locked in tonight to try to help the Celtics get a win and re-take home court advantage in the series.
Amen Thompson over 5.5 assists (-125): Durant is again listed as questionable for tonight's game, this time with an ankle he apparently sprained in Game 2 after missing Game 1. With the uncertainty around his availability, I look to a different Rocket for tonight's prop. Thompson has been a primary distribution hub in this series, notching seven assists in Game 1 without Durant and nine assists in Game 2 next to Durant. If you go back over recent weeks, including the regular season, Thompson has had at least six assists in three straight games, five of his last six, and seven of his last nine.
Scoot Henderson over 14.5 points (-118): Henderson had a huge performance in Game 2 of this series, notching 31 points to help lead the Trail Blazers to a road upset win. But this just continued Henderson's strong play against the Spurs. He has faced them three times in the month of April and has scored at least 18 points in all three games. He really seems to match up well against the Spurs defense. Tonight's game is in Portland, and young players like Henderson tend to play better at home than on the road.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ Salaries
Jayson Tatum, SF, Celtics ($9,700): Tatum has been an all-around-game monster going back to late March. Since March 25, Tatum has notched at least 50 fantasy points in nine of his last 10 games.
Alperen Sengun, C, Rockets ($8,300): Sengun has played strong all-around games in both games of the series. Including the regular season, he has produced between 40-55 fantasy points in three straight games.
$6,100-$8,000 Salaries
Amen Thompson, PG, Rockets ($7,900): Including the regular season, Thompson has produced more than 33 fantasy points in 14 straight games and in 17 of his last 18. He is averaging almost 40 FP/G in the first two games of this series.
Stephon Castle, SG, Spurs ($8,000): Castle finished his sophomore season strong and is one of the go-to producers for the Spurs. With questions about Wembanyama's availability, Castle could carry a larger role than usual tonight.
$3,500-$6,000 Salaries
Luke Kennard, SG, Lakers ($5,900): Kennard has stepped up in the absence of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and is producing as more than just a 3-point shooter. In the first two games of the series, Kennard has averaged 25.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 2.5 APG.
Scoot Henderson, PG, Trail Blazers ($5,000): Henderson has played well against the Spurs, notching 35.8 FP, 27.8 FP and 37.8 FP in his three games against the Spurs since April 8.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
7 p.m. ET
Line: Celtics -7.5 (-112) | 76ers +7.5 (-108)
Money line: Celtics -325 | 76ers +260
Total: 214.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Celtics by 3.9, straight up 62%, 211.4 total points.
Injury Report:
Celtics: None reported
76ers: None reported
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
8 p.m. ET
Line: Lakers +8.5 (-108) | Rockets -8.5 (-112)
Money line: Lakers +260 | Rockets -325
Total: 206.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Rockets by 5.3, straight up 66%, 211.4 total points.
Injury Report:
Lakers: Austin Reaves, (GTD - Oblique); Luka Doncic, (OUT - Hamstring)
Rockets: Kevin Durant, (GTD - Ankle); Fred VanVleet, (OUT - Knee); Steven Adams, (OFS - Ankle)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers
10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Spurs -2.5 (-110) | Blazers +2.5 (-110)
Money line: Spurs -135 | Blazers +114
Total: 220.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 5.5, straight up 67%, 219.5 total points.
Injury Report:
Spurs: David Jones Garcia, (OFS - Ankle)
Blazers: Damian Lillard, (OFS - Achilles)
