Mon May 5 7:13pm ET
Field Level Media
It only took Kenny Atkinson one season to make a splash in the Eastern Conference, and he was rewarded handsomely as the Cleveland Cavaliers frontman was named the NBA Coach of the Year, it was announced on Monday.
Atkinson, who guided the Cavs to 64 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, beat out J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons and Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets. Interestingly, Atkinson took over Cleveland after the team fired Bickerstaff last May.
The Cavaliers recorded the franchise's second-most regular-season wins under Atkinson, who joins Bill Fitch (1976) and Mike Brown (2009) as the only Cleveland coaches to win the honor. The 64 victories also tied for the fourth-most by a head coach in his first season with a team.
After Atkinson left an assistant coach position with the Golden State Warriors to take over in Cleveland, the Cavaliers won their first 15 games of the season to equal the second-best start in NBA history. They also strung together a team-record 16 wins spanning February and March.
In addition, Cleveland saw Evan Mobley establish himself as a force down low, becoming the first Cavalier to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum struggled to hit shots in Monday's Game 1 against the New York Knicks, but still had an impressive outing in a 108-105 overtime loss. The Celtics superstar finished the contest with 23 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block. Tatum did most of his scoring during a hot spell in the first quarter when he scored 13 consecutive points for Boston. He was 7-for-23 from the field and 4-for-15 from downtown in the game. It was a poor shooting performance overall for Joe Mazzulla's team, yet they still lost by only three, which says a lot about Boston's quality. Tatum is sure to deliver a much more efficient performance in Wednesday's Game 2.
Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (ankle) was limited to only four minutes of action in Monday's Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks. Hauser injured his right ankle in the third quarter while trying to contest an OG Anunoby three-point attempt. He exited the action with zero points, missing both of his field-goal attempts. Hauser was one of the best three-point shooters in the league during the regular season, nailing 41.6 percent of his attempts from deep. However, he has struggled to make an impact in the postseason, averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 13.0 minutes. Therefore, the Celtics likely won't miss Hauser much if he is forced to sit out a spell. Payton Pritchard, the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and Al Horford will continue to lead the second unit.
Denver's C Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double, scoring 42 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in a 121-119 win over Oklahoma City on Monday, May. 5.
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is questionable to return to Monday's playoff clash with the Knicks. Leading up to his premature exit, he logged only 13 minutes, failing to score a point while adding four rebounds. The C's have a decisive lead heading toward the fourth quarter, so it's certainly possible Porzingis won't be back on Monday night. If that's the case, Luke Kornet and Al Horford should handle things underneath the basket the rest of the way.
Golden State Warriors guard/forward Gary Payton II (illness) is regarded as questionable for Tuesday's Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The veteran sat out Sunday's Game 7 against the Houston Rockets due to an illness and still isn't fully recovered. With Payton II out, we again had a Jonathan Kuminga sighting on Sunday, but he played only seven minutes. Moses Moody could get more action off the bench if Payton II remains unavailable for Tuesday night. He logged just 11 minutes on Sunday as Golden State relied heavily on its starters in the must-win game.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley (ankle) may be forced to sit out Tuesday's Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers after the team listed him as questionable for the clash. Mobley opened the series with an impressive performance on Sunday, but he also injured his left ankle. The first-year All-Star finished Game 1 with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 36 minutes. De'Andre Hunter (thumb) was also hurt in the contest, and Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said after Monday's practice that there is "real concern" about the availability of the two for Tuesday night. Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro will have to step up if Mobley and Hunter can't take the court on Tuesday, while Atkinson may also introduce a new big man into the rotation.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (thumb) is considered questionable for Tuesday's meeting with the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Following Sunday's Game 1, he has been left nursing a right thumb sprain. Hunter is a right-handed shooter, meaning he may have difficulty performing at a high level even if he suits up for the game. In the series opener, Hunter shot a solid 4-for-8 from the field to contribute 11 points in 30 minutes off the bench. He also recorded four rebounds and one assist. Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade can expect to be more involved on Tuesday night if Hunter can't play, while his absence might also help Javonte Green regain a spot in the rotation.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland (toe) has been listed as questionable for Tuesday's Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. He was out for the series opener on Sunday due to a toe sprain, missing a third consecutive contest. Now, Garland is in danger of missing another game, which would be a big blow for the Cavaliers, who dropped Game 1 on home court 121-112. Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has used Sam Merrill as Garland's replacement in the starting lineup, but he played only 18 minutes on Sunday, finishing with six points, four rebounds, and four assists. At the same time, Ty Jerome's workload increased to 29 minutes off the bench, and he made many DFS managers happy with a 21-point, eight-assist effort.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome had 21 Points in Sunday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. He added eight assists and one steal. Darius Garland (toe) remained out for this one, so Jerome continued to get more opportunities to produce, with the 27-year-old and Donovan Mitchell combing for 50 shot attempts on the night. Garland may be back for Game 2 on Tuesday. However, he could be limited if he does return. Still, it's hard to imagine Jerome staying as involved on the scoring end, regardless of Garland's status.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had 12 Points, five boards, and two steals in the loss to Indiana on Sunday night. Allen wasn't much of a factor offensively, although he did shoot an efficient 6-for-7 from the field. Darius Garland (toe) wasn't available for this one. However, there's a chance he could be back for Game 2 on Tuesday night. If so, Allen should be more involved on the offensive end. But if Garland doesn't return, Allen could continue to struggle to put up points.
Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam had 17 points, eight rebounds, and one steal in Sunday's win over the Cavs. While Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Myles Turner were also productive, Siakam did his part to help Indiana take the opening game of the series. The Cavs had trouble keeping up with the speedy Pacers' offense. It's likely head coach Rick Carlisle will look to keep things moving in Game 2 on Tuesday evening, meaning Siakam should continue to be involved on both ends of the floor.
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner finished with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double in Sunday's win over the Cavaliers. He added three steals and two blocks. Turner had a nice showing for DFS participants in Game 1, which also could be said for Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and Pascal Siakam. With that said, the 29-year-old wasn't as productive versus the Cavs during the regular season, at least on the glass, amassing 5.8 boards in four meetings. Still, Turner should get all the work he can handle, leaving little room for involvement from Thomas Bryant, who had two points, two rebounds, and one block in six minutes.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points in Sunday's win over the Cavs. He added 13 assists, three blocks, and one steal. The 25-year-old was all over the place in Game 1, and he was also efficient shooting the ball, going 9-for-15 from the field. Cleveland fought hard to get back into the contest. However, it wasn't enough, with Indiana taking the series opener, mostly due to Haliburton's efforts on both ends of the floor. The teams will meet again on Tuesday night. With that in mind, DFS managers should expect to see an increase in Haliburton's rostering cost after the superb outing.
Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard scored a team-high 23 points in Sunday's win over the Cavaliers. The 25-year-old also logged 37 minutes, more than anyone else on the roster, while missing only one of his six tries from behind the arc. While Nembhard struggled versus Cleveland during the regular season, averaging 8.5 points in four meetings, DFS managers must keep him on the radar on Tuesday night after such a strong effort.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semi-finals versus Indiana. He added two steals. Unfortunately, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year had trouble taking care of the ball, committing a game-high four turnovers on the night. Still, Mobley was at least efficient from the field, going 9-for-13, while draining two of his five attempts from deep. With the Pacers taking Game 1, both clubs will go at it again on Tuesday night. While head coach Kenny Atkinson will surely make some adjustments, Mobley will likely see between 30-35 minutes of work.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 33 points in the Game 1 Eastern Conference semi-final meeting with Indiana. He added five rebounds, four assists, and one steal. While Mitchell was productive, he struggled shooting the ball, going 13-for-30 from the field and 1-for-11 from behind the three-point line. He did have a strong run in the third quarter. Still, his efforts weren't good enough to lead the Cavs to a victory. With Cleveland dropping the first game of the series, both clubs will do it again on Tuesday night. Mitchell should remain heavily involved on the offensive end even if Darius Garland (toe) is back in the mix.
Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski will start in Sunday's postseason meeting with the Rockets. Gary Payton II (illness) was ruled out, so head coach Steve Kerr made the call to move Podziemski back into the starting lineup. He logged 29 minutes off the bench in Friday's loss to Houston, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal. However, those marks fall in line with what Podziemski has averaged throughout the series, meaning the move back to the starting lineup won't increase or decrease his DFS ceiling.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (toe) won't play on Sunday against the Pacers. NBA TV's Jared Greenberg indicated Garland has been battling a left toe sprain, an injury that's been causing him a great deal of pain. Greenberg also added that had this injury occurred during the regular season, he likely would have been shut down for "a week to two weeks." But now it appears Donovan Mitchell will continue to handle most of the play making duties, at least for Game 1, with Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter both expected to benefit from a fantasy standpoint.
Golden State Warriors guard/forward Gary Payton II (illness) won't play on Sunday night versus the Rockets. He popped up on the injury report earlier in the day. Unfortunately, Payton's illness will keep him on the floor for the series finale. Although he hasn't done much on the offensive end during the series, his absence will be felt on the defensive side of the ball. At any rate, DFS managers should expect more involvement from Moses Moody, Quinten Post, and Buddy Hield. There is also a chance Jonathan Kuminga works his way back into the rotation for Game 7.
Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (hamstring) isn't listed on the injury report heading into Monday's Eastern Conference semi-final clash with the Knicks. The 34-year-old missed the last three games of the C's series versus the Orlando Magic. As a result, Al Horford had been getting the start, most recently amassing nine points, six boards, one block, and one steal in Game 5. While Horford will presumably head back to the bench, he should still remain involved enough to continue receiving lineup consideration from DFS managers.
Rotate for more data.