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FanDuel Daily Fantasy Picks and Helper: NBA Finals Game 2 (Mavericks at Celtics)

Aidan Cotter
Aidan CotterAidanCotterFD

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Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into Game 2's Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics single-game slate on FanDuel.

NBA Finals Single-Game DFS Picks for Mavericks-Celtics

Game 2 Preview

All NBA odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Date and Time: Sunday, June 9th at 8:00 p.m. ET

Spread: Celtics -7 (-110)

Total: 215 (-108/-112)

Studs to Target

Luka Doncic ($17,000) -- Luka Doncic's 45.5 FanDuel points (FPs) in Game 1 were his second fewest of the postseason but were still the second most on the night. He finished with 30 real-world points and 10 rebounds, but a season-low one assist capped his fantasy upside. Outside of Doncic, Dallas struggled to create any sort of offense. They had just nine assists as a team, and non-Luka Mavs shot a measly 23-of-58 (39.7%) from the floor. Still, Doncic had seven potential assists and Dallas went 2-of-11 on open threes, a stark contrast to the 38.1% they shot on open threes the rest of the postseason. He's still the biggest stat-getter left and is the definition of chalk for the 2x MVP slot.

Jayson Tatum ($15,000) -- Jayson Tatum had only 33.7 FPs and shot 6-of-16 in Game 1, but the Celtics didn't need him to do much else. Even in their 18-point win, Tatum played 42 minutes, racking up 11 rebounds and five assists to salvage his fantasy night. We've seen Tatum and Jaylen Brown ($14,500) flip-flop the entire postseason, so better days are on the horizon for JT. He still posted a 25% usage rate and took the most shots (16) on the team, and nothing about how Dallas defended him worries me going forward. The only thing we're really worried about is more balanced offensive play from Boston now that they're fully healthy, but Tatum's upside to too high to ignore. He's my favorite contrarian MVP.

Mid-Range Options

Kristaps Porzingis ($12,000) -- I (rightfully) assumed the Celtics wouldn't push Kristaps Porzingis in his first game back -- I just underestimated how impactful he would be. In only 20 minutes, Porzingis scored 20 actual points and 35.2 FanDuel points, adding six rebounds and three blocks for good measure. His size and shooting prowess were on display early and often, with the unicorn finishing 8-of-13 overall and 2-of-4 from three. The Mavs don't really have a big with the versatility to step out and defend Porzingis on the perimeter, so we can expect KP's numbers to tick up as they allocate him more minutes. He's a rock-solid option in either the 1.5x STAR or 1.2x PRO multiplier slots.

Derrick White ($11,500) -- Derrick White took a step back in Game 1, amassing just 25.9 FPs after exceeding 40 FPs the four games prior. But he still saw a 18.4% usage rate and attempted 11 shots -- marks right in line with 18.8% usage rate and 13.2 field goal attempts he's averaged this postseason. He notably recorded just one stock and had only two rebounds, hindering his final fantasy output. Still, with White's usage remaining feasible, I'm bullish he bounces back in Game 2 and will happily snag him at a discounted salary.

Value Plays

P.J. Washington ($10,000) -- For better or worse, PJ Washington is going to play a big role in this series. He logged the third-most minutes (36) and took the third-most shot attempts (11) on the team in Game 1, finishing with 14 real-world points and eight rebounds. That resulted in only 25.1 FPs, but it presented a strong floor given how much Dallas struggled. We saw the Mavs bounce back from Game 1 losses in the first two rounds, and Washington is going to need to be a part of any comeback effort.

Dereck Lively ($9,000) -- Game 1 was downright brutal for both Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford ($8,500), but I find it hard to believe they're both non-factors going forward. Neither cracked 20 minutes in the blowout, with Gafford (16.1 FPs) proving to be a tad more effective than Lively (10.5 FPs). But we've seen both put up duds on numerous occasions this postseason, and they've managed to regroup and perform better as Dallas adjusts. I'm more optimistic about Lively's playing time given his defensive versatility, but both Dallas bigs are serviceable at their current salaries.


All customers get a No Sweat Token to use on any 3+ leg Same Game Parlay placed on Game 1 of the NBA Finals happening June 6th! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Interested in playing NBA daily fantasy? FanDuel has plenty of contest options to make every moment more. Be sure to check out the NBA betting options, as well.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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