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Well, the 2022 NBA Playoffs bracket is officially complete, with the 8-seeds in the respective conferences being determined Friday night. Ice Trae infuriated another fan base in the first game of the doubleheader, while the Clippers fell short in its quest to navigate a big game without one of its key stars in the nightcap. Without further ado, let’s get into the action.
Hawks 107, Cavaliers 101
Atlanta went into the halftime break in a terrible position, even though they were down by just ten points at the time. Trae Young was held in check by the Cavaliers, and starting center Clint Capela hyperextended his right knee late in the second quarter. But Young flipped the proverbial switch in the second half, and a few other Hawks stepped up on both ends of the floor to help spark the rally. The end result for Nate McMillan’s team was a six-point victory, and they’ll take on East top-seed Miami in the first round, beginning on Sunday.
The actual injury that Capela (seven points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes) suffered and its severity was unknown at the time of publishing, so that’s something to look out for Saturday afternoon. Onyeka Okongwu became a player of even greater importance due to Capela’s injury, and in 29 minutes he tallied two points, nine rebounds, and one steal. Not the best line, but he’ll be an obvious DFS target if Capela is not available on Sunday. As for Young, after getting off to a slow start he finished with 38 points (13-of-25 FGs), three rebounds, nine assists, one blocked shot, and four 3-pointers in 40 minutes.
Cleveland made the baffling decision to allow Lauri Markkanen to soft switch onto Young (who scored 32 in the second half) in ball-screen situations on multiple occasions, and that meant one thing: barbecue chicken. We’ll see how Miami decides to defend Young in the first round, but it feels safe to assume that they’ll make life more difficult on “Ice Trae” due in large part to the presence of Bam Adebayo.
Also stepping forward for the Hawks were reserves Bogdan Bogdanovic (19/5/2/3 with two 3-pointers in 29 minutes) and Delon Wright (2/6/1/0/1 in 21 minutes), with the latter being a key factor on the defensive end of the floor. Bogdanovic, who was listed as questionable due to a sprained ankle, is a solid look in DFS, especially for players who are looking to spend a little more at other positions. Danilo Gallinari (14/3/1/0/1 with two 3-pointers), Kevin Huerter (13/2/2/1 with one 3-pointer), and De’Andre Hunter (10 points, five rebounds) also finished in double figures for the winners.
The Cavaliers received some very good news before the game, as Jarrett Allen was cleared to play after missing more than a month due to a fractured left middle finger. The impact of his return gave Cleveland a welcome boost early on, especially defensively, as Allen’s presence grants Evan Mobley (18/8/5/0/2 with one 3-pointer) more freedom on that end of the floor. Allen played 36 minutes, finishing with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Allen finishes the season as a 3rd-round player in 9-cat formats, and a 4th-round player in 8-cat, a very good return considering the fact that he had a Yahoo ADP of 61.8.
As for Mobley, the betting favorite for Rookie of the Year, he provided 7th-round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats. Given how well he played, and how well the partnership between him and Allen worked when both were healthy, viewing Mobley as a top-50 pick for next season feels conservative (his Yahoo ADP was 88.1). Also set to experience a boost in his draft value is Darius Garland (21/3/9/3 with one 3-pointer in 43 minutes), whose Yahoo ADP was 71.3. Providing 4th-round value in 9-cat, he was a top-25 player in 8-cat. We’ll see what the Cavs do with Collin Sexton, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, but it’s clear that Garland will be the focal point of the team’s perimeter attack.
Garland was just 9-of-27 from the field on Friday, and he committed five turnovers, but Cleveland’s lack of consistent perimeter scoring options didn’t help matters. While Markkanen (26/8/0/2/1 with six 3-pointers) played well, shooting 10-of-27 on the night, Caris LeVert (16/3/5/1 with four 3-pointers) was relatively quiet, and Isaac Okoro (six points, five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench) remains a liability on offense. Getting Sexton back into the fold would help matters but, as noted above, we need to see what kind of investment the Cavs are willing to make there. Cleveland went ice cold for much of the second half, and yet Kevin Love (three points, four rebounds, one steal, and one 3-pointer in 10 minutes) was not seen until the team was in desperation mode.
Love surprised many with the season that he had, beginning with his willingness to take on a reserve role. An 11th-round player in both 8- and 9-cat formats, he’s a player who will be worth taking a late-round flier on (at best) in drafts ahead of the 2022-23 season. Markkanen will be a good option just outside of the middle rounds; that being said, how Cleveland addresses its clear need for a consistent wing scorer will impact how he and Love are viewed in fantasy circles.
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Pelicans 105, Clippers 101
New Orleans began this season with a 1-12 record…and now they’re headed to the playoffs. Friday’s matchup with the Clippers shifted in a major way in the afternoon, as Paul George was ruled out due to health and safety protocols. While he was replaced in the starting lineup by Terance Mann, George’s absence was also going to mean more scoring opportunities for Norman Powell. Mann (4/8/4/1/1) posted a full stat line but did not do much from a scoring standpoint, while Powell (17/4/0/1/1 with one 3-pointer) shot 6-of-16 from the field. The fantasy values of both players heading into next season are difficult to peg, as the Clippers rotation stands to look a lot different with George and Kawhi Leonard set to be available.
Reggie Jackson (27/7/8/2/1 with two 3-pointers) and Marcus Morris (27/9/5 with four 3-pointers) shouldered most of the scoring load for the Clippers starters, but they shot a combined 18-of-42 from the field. The Clippers went into the halftime break in some trouble, trailing by 10, but Tyronn Lue made a change to his rotation that turned things around. Ivica Zubac (8/4/1 in 13 minutes) was out and Robert Covington (14/3/1/1 with two 3-pointers) was in, with the decision to go small sparking the home team’s rally. Zubac only played 13 minutes and Isaiah Hartenstein six, with the matchup being a poor one for both Clippers big men. Both were solid fantasy options this season, but they’ll be in difficult spots next season for the reasons mentioned above.
New Orleans would answer by going small itself, resulting in increased playing time for Larry Nance (14/16/4/1/1) and Trey Murphy (14/5/2 with four 3-pointers). Both made big plays in the second half, including the latter hitting a three that gave New Orleans a seven-point lead with 2:10 remaining. Nance did not make his Pelicans debut until March 24 due to a knee injury that sidelined him for nearly three months, and his performance Friday night was why he was included in the trade headlined by C.J. McCollum. As for Murphy, the first-round pick out of Virginia struggled for playing time early this season, but he’s come on over the last few weeks. New Orleans will need contributions from both if they are to have any chance of knocking off Phoenix in the first round.
Offensively it was Brandon Ingram (30/6/6) who led the way, shooting 14-of-21 from the field on the night. As his reward, he’ll play in the postseason for the first time in his career, and we’re in for a fun matchup between Ingram and Mikal Bridges. McCollum (19/2/3/0/1 with one 3-pointer) shot just 9-of-24 from the field, which obviously isn’t the norm for him. New Orleans’ big men were neutralized in this one, with Jonas Valanciunas (eight points, nine rebounds) playing 25 minutes and Jaxson Hayes (4/3/1/1) playing 15. In the Pelicans’ lone win over the Suns during the regular season, McCollum and Ingram combined to score 60 points, but that was a game that Chris Paul missed due to injury.
