We have three Playoff games on the schedule for today’s MomentRanks Play games — daily fantasy using Top Shot Moments.
The heavily-favored Brooklyn Nets look to take a 2-0 lead with ease; the Los Angeles Clippers attempt to stave off disaster against Luka Magic; and the Suns try to make a statement against LeBron James and the defending-champion Lakers. How you choose to play the top options and taking risks on sleepers will depend heavily on how you see these games playing out.
When building a roster of five Moments for tournament play, stars are your only way to truly stay competitive. That means you are probably looking to James Harden, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic as your main three players if their Moments are in your collection. However, since they are stars, the price of their Moments on the Top Shot marketplace can climb quickly, so I will present some other cost-effective options to complement them.
As you may be aware, each Moment can potentially unlock a Moment Boost by achieving over their last ten game averages (L10). This makes the specific Moment of a player crucial to your lineup’s success. So how are you supposed to know which is best?
First, make sure to understand the updated scoring and bonuses for Play if you haven’t already, as a few things have changed since launch. Keep in mind: play type will dictate the Moment Boost if a player goes over their 10-game averages. Handles Moments now get boosts for Assists.
Make sure to also participate in the First Round Head-to-Head Playoff Contest that MomentRanks launched. The contest runs from May 22 to June 6. At the end of the first round, the GMs with the top 50 records across public head-to-heads will be rewarded with Packs or Moments — including Cool Cats Drop 1 packs top the top three.
Core Moments
James Harden — Series 2 Common /35,000 Layup ($11)
The Beard is sitting with a L10 points per game of just 21.3 and came in just under the number with 21 points scored in Game 1. I actually got to see this game live and it felt like the Nets weren’t in their groove just yet. I think tonight they pick up the pace and blow out the Celtics early behind Harden’s 3-point shooting. Surpassing 21 points should be very possible, I’ll play his cheapest scoring moment here since I don’t want to pay to get a 3-pointer Moment in the premium pivot.
Premium Pivot option: S2 Rare /2021 3-Pointer ($135)
Kawhi Leonard — Series 2 Common /40,000+ Jump Shot ($7)
Full disclosure, I just bought this Moment today to include in my lineups; that’s how much I like it. The Clippers need to win tonight, and that means the Board Man is going to get paid. Look for Leonard to blow past the 21 points he needs to unlock his Moment Boost. Consensus Vegas odds have his projected points at 26.5 tonight, and it could easily go higher. This is my go-to play of the day.
Luka Doncic — Series 2 Common /40,000+ Assist ($7)
The three cheapest Doncic Moments are all assists, so it is very likely that the majority of GMs will be using the same play type. This makes it essentially a chalky must-start moment. Doncic needs eight assists tonight to unlock his Moment Boost and has only failed to reach this number twice in his seven career Playoff games — all of which have come against the Clippers. With the Moment Boost, I see his assist Moment out-scoring his layup Moment, so I won’t include the premium pivot here.
Sleeper Moments
Devin Booker — Series 2 Common /35,000 3-Pointer ($6)
This Moment did very well for us on Sunday, as Booker had a great night and nailed three shots from 3-point range and landed in some winning lineups. The great thing is that his L10 average is still at 1.6 three-pointers per game. I know it is only Game 2, but the Suns can not afford to give the Lakers a road win and the momentum heading back to LA. Look for another strong performance from Booker and the Suns to move the series to 2-0 and for his Moment Boost to be reached without much of a sweat.
LeBron James — Series 2 Common /40,000+ Block ($25)
It would be wrong to not chase a block bonus in the sleeper section, the same way it would be wrong not to include a LeBron Moment in my writeups. Knocking both out with one stone is the cheapest LeBron on the Market, and the cheapest block of any high scoring player, too. You could go with a Tacko Fall block, but that’s only for the very bold. King James just needs one block to earn you the boost as his blocks per game over his last 10 games is 0.8. This is a must-play if you think he can notch two blocks, or if you just want some LeBron in your lineup.
Have questions about setting your lineup on Play? Check out the Play FAQ, or send me a tweet, @JustinPerri8.