This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Two more teams will be facing elimination Thursday. The Celtics will have to try and stay alive in their series on the road, while the Suns will be on their home floor as they try to force a Game 7 in theirs. Let's dig into both games and highlight some players to target on Yahoo, as well as a few to possibly avoid.
GUARDS
Devin Booker, PHO vs. DEN ($45): Booker finally had an off shooting night, going 8-for-19 from the field in Game 5. Still, he scored 28 points because he hit four three-pointers and went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. He is averaging 34.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game in the series, and he should be extremely aggressive right from the tip to try and help the Suns survive.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI vs. BOS ($26): Maxey's performance in Game 5 is one of the main reasons why the 76ers are in a position to advance. He shot 6-for-12 from behind the arc on his way to scoring 30 points. He has logged at least 40 minutes in each of the last three games and has scored at least 33.1 Yahoo points three times in the series. With the Celtics having to focus on slowing down Joel Embiid and James Harden, Maxey could continue to thrive from behind the arc.
Guard to Avoid
Derrick White, BOS at PHI ($17): There haven't been many shot attempts for White in this series. He only took six of them in Game 5 and is averaging 8.0 attempts per game in the series. With him scoring 22.2 Yahoo points or fewer in each game, there isn't much upside that comes with adding him to your lineup.
FORWARDS
Kevin Durant, PHO vs. DEN ($44): Durant also struggled with his efficiency Tuesday, shooting 10-for-24 from the field. However, his overall stellar stat line still helped him score 47.7 Yahoo points. He has been just as good as Booker, putting up 30.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 blocks per game in this series. Expect him to play around 40 minutes again, leaving him with an incredibly high upside.
Michael Porter Jr., DEN at PHO ($21): When Porter gets hot from behind the arc, the Nuggets are difficult to beat. He went 5-for-8 on three-pointers in Game 5, scoring 34.6 Yahoo points along the way. While not exactly known for his rebounding prowess, Porter has also hauled in at least eight rebounds in each of the last three games.
Forward to Avoid
Tobias Harris, PHI vs. BOS ($20): Harris is shooting 51.9 percent from the field in this series, but he has only averaged 13.2 points on 10.8 shot attempts per game. While he has chipped in some rebounds, he has averaged just 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.4 blocks. His limited usage rate and lack of assists and defensive stats should continue to leave him with underwhelming stat lines, more often than not.
CENTERS
Nikola Jokic, DEN at PHO ($55): Jokic is steamrolling the Suns. He has two triple-doubles in this series to go along with his 53-point performance in Game 4. This game being on the road might actually help him. The Nuggets have won all three home games by at least 10 points, but they lost the two road games. In what should be a close game, Jokic should play a ton and stuff the stat sheet in multiple departments along the way.
Jock Landale, PHO vs. DEN ($10): With so many stars to choose from, finding players with cheap salaries to help balance out your budget will be key. One at the minimum salary to consider is Landale, who has played more the last three games than he did earlier in the series. In the two previous games that were played in Phoenix, he scored 18.8 and 21.5 Yahoo points, respectively.
Center to Avoid
Deandre Ayton, PHO vs. DEN ($22): Ayton (ribs) is officially listed as questionable on the injury report, but it would be a shock if he doesn't play. It's an all hands on deck situation with the Suns trying to keep their season alive. The problem for Ayton is, he has had a difficult series while trying to slow down Jokic. He has scored fewer than 29 Yahoo points in four of the five games, making it difficult to justify taking a chance on him.
