The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers failed to secure second-round upsets earlier this week but will get a chance to close things out on their home floors on Friday. The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are looking to force Game 7's. Can they pull it off in tough road environments? The NBA's daily pick 'em contest is offering up prizes for the most accurate contestants and we've evaluated three props for teams and players alongside a premier DFS target ahead of the weekend. You can view the rest of the options here.
Better field goal percentage, MIA and NYK: MIA
Miami has been a strong defensive team all season and has a chance to put on another masterclass after falling short at Madison Square Garden. The Heat have played four home games this postseason and have held opponents to 100.0 points and 42.4 percent shooting in those contests. Those are dynamic numbers when you account for the fact that Miami hosted the Milwaukee Bucks twice in the first round.
Will Mitchell Robinson grab more than eight rebounds: No
Robinson came close to a double-double thanks to some late free throw attempts in Game 5 with eight points and a series-high 11 boards. However, he hasn't been great at the Kaseya Center. The Knicks big man is snaring just 6.0 rebounds per contest on the road in the second round and hasn't reached eight boards yet in enemy territory. Miami is +11 on the boards at home and will likely make limiting second-chance points from offensive rebounds a priority on Friday.
More made free throws, LAL and GSW: LAL
The Lakers' ability to get to the line powered them through the back half of the regular season and has helped them tremendously in the postseason. They only lost the free throw battle in Game 5 of its current series and tied or won it outright in the previous four contests. The Lakers have been especially effective at Cryto.com Arena, where they've made 48 free throws to the Dubs' 21. Andrew Wiggins is struggling with a rib injury, so Golden State could have a tough time dealing with the size of LeBron James and Anthony Davis down low.
Thursday DFS play
Green was extremely aggressive on offense in Game 5 and finished with 20 points and 10 assists on 7-for-11 shooting. That wasn't by chance, as the Warriors realized he needs to show he's willing to shoot to take pressure off Golden State's other weapons. Green's playmaking, defense, and rebounding will be of the utmost importance in a game where the Warriors don't know what they'll get from Wiggins. Especially given that the Warriors are short on dependable bigs.
