There is a pair of Game 2’s in the NBA tonight, and each home team comfortably won their opener. Be it the Celtics taking advantage of a banged-up Cavaliers team or the Thunder beating a hobbled Dallas squad, the first games went to the favorites. It is hard to imagine much changing in either series tonight, as both Jarrett Allen and Luka Doncic are still injured and both Cleveland and Dallas simply can’t play from behind. Here are the top plays for DraftKings Pick6 on Thursday, April 9!
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Here’s the lowdown on DraftKings Pick6: It is meant to mirror most pick’em sites, allowing you to build a two- to six-leg entry with larger payouts for more correct choices. However, the new product is peer-to-peer, meaning the strategy lies in beating other players in pre-selected tournaments rather than beating the house, making it important to be contrarian!
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DraftKings Pick6 Predictions Today — NBA Slate
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Luke Kornet M/L Than 4.5 Rebounds
In the battle of missing big men, it was the Celtics who looked just fine minus Kristaps Porzingis. Cleveland can’t say the same. With little to no depth behind Allen, the Cavaliers were pushed around en route to a blowout loss. That opened the door for 21 minutes for Luke Kornet, and he snatched 10 boards. This play rests primarily on the number of minutes Kornet sees on the floor. That’s where it makes the most sense; there’s not much to point to with the Cavaliers that indicates this game remains close.
After a successful run in the first game, Kornet should be a healthy part of the center rotation to fill the void. He should see minutes hovering in the low 20s once again, be it due to blowout or simply being part of the rotation. OddsShopper’s pick’em tool gives a nice edge by going more than 4.5 rebounds. The implied Pick6 odds are -136, which beats the -156 true odds and nets us a 5.8% EV edge.
DraftKings Pick6 Prediction: Luke Kornet MORE Than 4.5 Rebounds
Darius Garland M/L Than 14.5 Points
This is basically it for the Cavaliers. The Celtics are an impossible team to solve while trailing 0-2, and it won’t matter where these games are played if Allen remains out. Even if he’s back, there’s little hope following another loss. We all know, as does Boston, that the Cavaliers will funnel the offense through Donovan Mitchell. The best counter to that would be setting up a secondary scorer to remove some early pressure on Mitchell. The best candidate for this is Darius Garland, even in a bad loss.
He finished with 14 in their opener, but the Cavaliers pulled starters in the fourth with this game totally lost. Even if the Cavaliers are on the bad side of a loss, the ball should move through Garland earlier in the game and he should knock down a few more shots. The pick’em tool gives this play a 3.7% EV edge, as -136 implied odds beat the -148 true odds, which is the pathway to long-term profit.
DraftKings Pick6 Prediction: Darius Garland MORE Than 14.5 Points
Daniel Gafford M/L Than 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
The Mavericks are outmatched with a hobbled Luka Doncic, but one matchup they can exploit is down low. The rise of Chet Holmgren comes with a few bumps in the road, primarily defending a bigger and stronger body like Daniel Gafford. This is a clear physical advantage the Mavericks have, one that should continue to yield rebounds to Gafford over the weaker Holmgren. The latter has played well with help defense like preventing Doncic from getting to the rim, but he has little answer against Gafford.
Gafford opened up the series with a powerful 16-point, 11-rebound double-double. He forced some fouls on Holmgren and remains a force that Oklahoma City’s young phenom can’t guard alone. There will not be much doubling on Gafford, even with the matchup going his way. This is a great play on strength over anything else; rebounding being the key difference between the two and the main reason Gafford will clear this again.
DraftKings Pick6 Prediction: Daniel Gafford MORE Than 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
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