With the end of our NBA DFS 2K Bracket featuring historic rosters comes a new form of video game simulations and contests brought to you by FanDuel. For the month of April, we will be using NBA 2K20 to simulate the NBA playoffs that would have started this month were it not for the suspension of the season. The playoff sim will start with play-in games this week to finalize the 16-team postseason bracket, and then the main tournament will kick off Monday, April 13.
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Tonight is the final play-in game for the western conference as we are looking to solidify who will be the eight seed in the bracket. We started a few days ago with six contenders and are now down to just the Blazers and the Grizzlies who are playing for the right to take on the No. 1 seed Lakers.
The Teams
Portland Trail Blazers
Starters:
PG – Damian Lillard
SG – C.J. McCollum
SF – Trevor Ariza
PF – Carmelo Anthony
C – Hassan Whiteside
The Blazers had to win two games to reach the final matchup against Memphis and did so thanks to their spectacular backcourt. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are a problem for whoever sees the Blazers and so far they’ve had little resistance in this tournament. In the opening round, they crushed the Kings and followed it up with another impressive victory over the Pelicans.
In addition to the backcourt, they have a healthy Jusuf Nurkic and Hassan Whiteside on the interior which has been a problem for opposing bigs. Whiteside in particular has racked up the blocks and Memphis has to contend with them on the boards in order to come away with a victory.
Memphis Grizzlies
Starters:
PG – Ja Morant
SG – Dillon Brooks
SF – Justise Winslow
PF – Jaren Jackson Jr.
C – Jonas Valanciunas
The Grizzlies currently sit in the eighth spot in the Western Conference so if the playoffs actually started today they would get the nod. However, a brutal closing stretch of games made a lot of people believe they ultimately wouldn’t have gotten the last spot and a team like the Blazers was more deserving. The Grizzlies apparently heard that noise in their first game as they took out their frustration against the Suns. They won by 32 points and controlled the game from start to finish.
Memphis may not have a superstar like Lillard, but they are a deep team with a ton of balance in their lineup. Ja Morant is explosive and then you have Jonas Valanciunas and Jaren Jackson on the inside to combat the bigs that Portland will throw out there. The Grizzlies also have a handful of wings to surround these guys with and we saw against Phoenix how a balanced scoring attack can overwhelm an opponent. They also found a way to limit Devon Booker to just four points.. If they are able to do anything remotely similar to Lillard, they will win this game and move onto the playoff round.
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The Studs
Damian Lillard – PG – Blazers – 15,000 FanDuel
There is no surprise here as Lillard is the alpha in this game and the type of player who can take over at any time. He isn’t shy so volume will never be an issue. And it is not like the Blazers are a one-man team so opponents won’t be able to key on Lillard and force others to beat them.
Lillard is the most expensive option on this FanDuel slate, but with both of these teams running deep benches, it is an easy salary to start with and he is a likely MVP or Star player with the upside he possesses.
Ja Morant – PG – Grizzlies – 14,500 FanDuel
Guards seem to be the move at the MVP spot in NBA 2K as they have the usage and get to control the gameplan. Morant may be a rookie, but his upside and explosiveness are undeniable. In the first game for Memphis, we saw Morant have four dunks and get out in the open floor which is one of the ways he can exploit the Blazers. With Lillard being the overwhelming MVP choice, you can look to Morant as a possible ownership discount, or pair them up for a solid one-two punch in any lineup.
Hassan Whiteside – C – Blazers – 13,500 FanDuel
If you want to really be different in the MVP spot, then Whiteside is the high-upside, lower-floor option that could be the difference in a large-field tournament like this. We have seen many times where he takes over a game with his ability to dominate inside and rack up the blocks and boards. The two games so far in this tournament have shown that with Whiteside having multiple blocks in both. Add in the seven points and 10 boards that he averaged over the first two contests and we have a big-time option to consider.
The guards on the Blazers are going to get the most interest, but don’t sleep on Whiteside leading them. If he does rack up blocks again, that multiplier could result in a GPP-winning stat line even with the massive risk you are taking.
Jonas Valanciunas – C – Grizzlies – 11,500 FanDuel
If the Grizzlies are going to win this game, then they must control the paint and stop the bigs of the Blazers. Valanciunas wasn’t needed in terms of scoring with the Suns not being competitive, but he still managed to grab eight rebounds in the blowout win. That production gives him a huge ceiling if he can manage a few putback buckets and add to the scoring column. I would consider putting the big man in a multiplier spot and hope that he approaches double-double territory.
Gary Trent Jr – SG – Blazers – 7,000 FanDuel
With all the top-end talent we want to get in our roster, we may need to look down the board for a salary saver. With six-minute quarters, the opportunity for these guys to see the floor is limited, but they also do not need much to return value. In the two games the Blazers played, Trent was a quality role player with 13 points against the Kings and another seven last night against the Pelicans. He added in a few boards and assists which is enough to create value for this price. If he continues to see minutes off the bench like he has, there is no reason to think he cannot replicate similar production for a third straight night.
Final Thoughts
We have two teams that both have enough talent to be included in the Western Conference playoff bracket. The Grizzlies are the current eighth seed and ahead of schedule with their rebuilding plans. They have a deep balanced lineup and multiple bigs who can control the boards and an explosive point guard in Morant. On the other side, the Blazers have had minor success in the playoffs in recent years and are a dangerous team regardless of seed. The combo of Lillard and McCollum is good enough to push any team and if they move on, the Lakers will need to bring their A-game to avoid a huge first-Â round upset.
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