The first round of the NBA Playoffs are set to kick off this afternoon. If you’re anything like me you’re excited to use your Top Shot Moments for the largest set of games on MomentRanks Play since it was opened to the public.
With it, MomentRanks launched the First Round Head-to-Head Playoff Contest. The contest starts today and will end on June 6, the final day of the First Round. At the end of which, the GMs with the top 50 records will be rewarded with Top Shot Packs or Moments.
Many of the biggest names in the NBA are playing today in the 2021 NBA Playoffs debut including Giannis Antetekounmpo, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Nikola Jokic and more. So how are you going to choose just five Top Shot Moments to represent a lineup? Or determine which play type gives a player the best upside?
Well first, I recommend understanding the updated scoring and bonuses for Play if you haven’t already, as a few things have changed since launch. Today, I have targeted a few core Moments and sleepers that might help your team separate from the pack if a player vastly exceeds his last 10 game (L10) averages. Good luck to your teams today!
Core Moments
Giannis Antetokounmpo — Series 2 Common /40,000+ Dunk
Taking advantage of Giannis’s L10 points per game of 23.6 is a safe way to lock in a boost on a top player of the Day. Giannis is projected to score 29.5 points according to consensus Vegas player props, which would set him up for an easy boost in today’s game.
Nikola Jokic — Series 2 Common /35,000 Assist
Jokic has been fairly consistent with his points scoring, but his L10 APG is only at 6.2. He has shown the ability to rack up double-digit assists, as he averaged 8.2 on the season. If he can hit double-digits in a big game tonight, he would add over 20 points to his MR score via Moment Boost.
Jokic is projected 8.5 assists tonight by consensus Vegas player props, but could be pushed into more if the Trail Blazers force him to pass.
James Harden — Series 2 Common /35,000 Layup
With Harden’s assists per game in his L10 sitting above 10, it will be hard to get value from him unless we go with points. Scoring is the easy way to unlock the Moment Boost, as we can expect Harden to go over his 24.6 points per game average over his L10
Sleeper Moments
Kevin Durant — Series 2 Common /15,000 3-Pointer
Durant has averaged 2.2 three-pointers over his L10. Tonight against the Celtics, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him come out firing from deep in a competitive game. I expect he hits at least four three-pointers tonight and hits his Moment Boost.
Giannis Antetokounmpo — Series 2 Common /35,000 Block
Blocks are the biggest risk in MR Play; if you get it right you’ll likely have one of the top lineups and a huge boost. But it can be very easy to miss the bonus on a stat where the expected range is 0-2 on a given night. Giannis has a block Moment that could quickly rack up points if he gets 2+ blocks tonight, as he’s averaging only .7 blocks L10.
Michael Porter Jr. — Series 2 Common /40,000+ Dunk
With point guard Jamal Murray sidelined for the season, MPJ is expected to be a large part of the Denver attack plan tonight and might be overlooked for some bigger names. He’s a classic sleeper tonight that can leverage you against the field.
Have questions about setting your lineup on Play? Check out the Play FAQ, or send me a tweet, @JustinPerri8.