It's wall-to-wall action on Saturday in the Association as the NBA returns with another quadruple-header.
The Magic kick things off for us as they welcome in the Pistons, followed by the Suns hosting the Thunder in search of their first win in the series. Game 4 takes us to Atlanta as the Hawks seek another upset over the Knicks before wrapping things up in Minnesota with the Timberwolves taking on the Nuggets.
Our approach for this preview won't necessarily be to break down these individual matchups. Instead, we'll seek to highlight players that offer the best value in the DraftKings Game Leaders market.
NBA Game Leader Picks, Predictions: Saturday, April 25
- Pistons vs Magic: Most 3-Pointers Made – Jalen Suggs (+357)
- Thunder vs Suns: Most 3-Pointers Made – Dillon Brooks (+473)
- Knicks vs Hawks: Assists Leader – Dyson Daniels (+630)
- Nuggets vs Timberwolves: Assists Leader – Ayo Dosunmu (+4800) / Donte DiVincenzo (+3800)
Pistons vs Magic 3-Point Leader Prediction
If you're looking for elite perimeter shooting, don't expect to find it in this Pistons–Magic series. Both teams rank at the bottom of the league in 3-point percentage during the playoffs, shooting no better than 27%.
Orlando's Desmond Bane has probably been the biggest culprit, considering he's just 3-for-15 from long range. While I do expect Bane to regain his form as a career 40.7% shooter, seeing a few more of his shots go in would do a world of good for his confidence.
One player who hasn't been shy to put up shots for the Magic is Jalen Suggs. The Orlando guard has hoisted 10 3-pointers in each game thus far despite shooting 30% from the perimeter.
Aside from Suggs and Bane, no other Orlando player is averaging more than three 3-point attempts per game in the playoffs.
Since home court should count for something, I think you can have better success with these game-leader props by targeting players on the home teams.
Suggs has the second-shortest odds for most 3-pointers at +357, and although he's not Orlando's best shooter, his shot volume makes him an appealing option until Bane can get back on track.
Pick: Most 3-Pointers Made: Jalen Suggs (+357)
Thunder vs Suns 3-Point Leader Prediction
The Phoenix Suns could do with a few more players like Dillon Brooks on their team. While I don't think many would characterize Brooks as a player with immense quality, his fearlessness is something you have to admire.
Although Brooks was never the first option on any team, since arriving in Phoenix, he understood the need to be Devin Booker's sidekick.
In his ninth season, Brooks averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game, and despite being far from the Suns' best shooter, he exudes a confidence best described by his carefree attitude.
One thing about Brooks is that he's extremely streaky, so you have to ride him when he's in good form. At the moment, he's shooting 42% from the perimeter in the playoffs and is coming off a 5-for-9 performance in Game 2.
Through two games, he's also averaging twice as many 3-point attempts (9.5) as every other Suns player except for Jalen Green (7.5).
However, Green has had anywhere near the success of Brooks, as he's shooting just 20%.
The volume should be there for Brooks, and with him really offering the Suns' only perimeter threat, he deserves some strong consideration at +473 odds.
Pick: Most 3-Pointers Made: Dillon Brooks (+473)
Knicks vs Hawks Assist Leader Prediction
It's possible that, in the playoffs, players might just revert to what comes naturally for them. Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson is a bit of a unicorn, given that he averaged 7.9 assists to go along with 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds.
In his previous two seasons, Johnson averaged 3.6 assists and followed that up with 5.0 per game.
However, during the playoffs, he recorded three assists in each of the first two games before improving to eight assists in Game 3.
Johnson has the second-shortest odds for most assists at +233, but his teammate Dyson Daniels leads the Hawks with 6.3 dimes during the playoffs.
Although Daniels (5.9) did finish behind Johnson (7.9) for the regular-season lead in assists, he is more of the traditional point guard on paper.
With points always at a premium during the playoffs, Johnson should already have plenty on his plate as a player who can finish the scoring action for the Hawks instead of being the one who starts it.
As a result, it wouldn't surprise me if we see the Hawks reprise their more traditional roles with Daniels as the primary facilitator.
The Atlanta point guard has the fourth-shortest odds at +630 and is good value to finish as Game 4's assists leader.
Pick: Most Assists: Dyson Daniels (+630)
Nuggets vs Timberwolves Assist Leader Prediction
Minnesota's Ayo Dosunmu had a breakout performance in Game 3, scoring 25 points and dishing out nine assists. The fifth-year guard has done little to disappoint when called upon, shooting no worse than 50% from the floor in the series in all three games.
Therefore, it would make sense for Wolves head coach Chris Finch to continue rewarding Dosunmu with more playing time.
One clear thing is that Minnesota appears to have a psychological edge in the series, since forward Jaden McDaniels publicly described several Nuggets players as "bad defenders".
McDaniels then backed up his claim with a 20-point (9-of-16) effort punctuated by an emphatic dunk in the fourth quarter of Game 3.
Minnesota's suffocating defense kept the Nuggets under 100 points, limiting them to just 34% from the floor. Denver's Nikola Jokic had 27 points and 15 rebounds, but his teammates' poor shooting left him with just three assists on the night.
If McDaniels' comments didn't awaken the Nuggets, I'm not sure we can expect much of a response from them in Game 4.
Although Jokic is an overwhelming favorite (-277) for most assists, his teammates' struggles could open things up for other players to lead the category. Dosunmu had a game-high with nine assists while teammate Donte DiVincenzo had the second-highest with seven.
Dosunmu's odds are priced at +4800 while DiVincenzo is available at +3800.
The focus of this play is to fade Jokic by using the tandem of Dosunmu and DiVincenzo as our options.
McDaniels wasn't wrong in his assertion that the Nuggets are bad defenders. They've been that way the whole season, ranking in the bottom-third for defensive efficiency (116.0).
Minnesota's decision not to double-team Jokic has had the biggest impact on the series, making the other Nuggets players less likely to find themselves open for uncontested looks.
Pick: Most Assists: Ayo Dosunmu (+4800) / Donte DiVincenzo (+3800)
