April 20-21 Eastern Conference Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Individual Performances | Donovan Mitchell, Josh Hart, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Maxey and More

Discussing the first game of each Eastern Conference first round playoff series.

The NBA playoffs are underway, with each series a game into things. Before any series hits game 2, let’s break down what happened in game 1 so that you know which fantasy players to get into your lineups.

We’ll start with a breakdown of the Eastern Conference matchups here. Check back shortly for the Western Conference recap.

Cavaliers 97, Magic 83

Unsurprisingly, Donovan Mitchell powered Cleveland to a 1-0 series lead. Mitchell scored 30 points while adding three assists and steals and two rebounds across 36 minutes. He shot 11-of-21 overall and 3-of-8 from 3-point land.

Evan Mobley played 36 minutes as well, tallying 16 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Jarrett Allen added 16 points, 18 rebounds and two assists and steals in 35 minutes. Darius Garland chipped in 14 points, eight assists, three rebounds and a steal in 32 minutes.

Max Strus played just under 33 minutes, but only tallied seven points, nine rebounds and one assist and steal. In 24+ minutes, Georges Niang had five points, three boards, two assists and one steal. 

Caris LeVert finished with five points, four boards and two assists in just under 20 minutes, and Isaac Okoro had four points, two boards and one steal and block in under 19 minutes. 

Paolo Banchero made 9-of-17 shots to tally 24 points for the visiting Magic. He also had seven rebounds and five assists across 41+ minutes.

Franz Wagner totaled 18 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and assists and one steal in 37 1/2 minutes. Jalen Suggs added 13 points, four rebounds and assists, two steals and one block in 32 1/2 minutes. 

Jonathan Isaac and Moritz Wagner each scored 10 points. Isaac also had five boards, three steals and blocks and one assist, while Wagner had five rebounds and one steal.

Gary Harris was held scoreless over 33 minutes. No other Orlando player played more than 15 minutes, or scored over five points.

Knicks 111, 76ers 104

New York pulled away in the fourth quarter to go up 1-0.

Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson each scored 22 points for New York, while Miles McBride added 21 points. Hart also had 13 boards, two assists and one steal, while McBride made five 3-pointers and had four assists, three boards and one steal. Brunson shot just 8-of-26, while also posting seven assists and rebounds and one steal.

Bojan Bogdanovic recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and one assist in game 1, while OG Anunoby had 11 points, four boards and one steal. 

Donte DiVincenzo and Mitchell Robinson added eight points each. Robinson also had 12 boards, four blocks and one assist and steal, while DiVincenzo had two rebounds and assists and one steal and block. Isaiah Hartenstein contributed six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Robinson played 30 minutes to just 17 for Hartenstein.

Tyrese Maxey led Philly with 33 points, while also having four assists and two rebounds and blocks. Joel Embiid totaled 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals and avoided a big-time injury. Maxey and Embiid are both questionable for game 2.

Kyle Lowry made four 3-pointers on his way to an 18-point outing. He also had four rebounds, two assists and one steal and block. Kelly Oubre Jr. provided 10 points, five steals, three rebounds and one assist and block, while Tobias Harris had seven points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Philly’s bench combined for just seven points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

Celtics 114, Heat 94

Boston eased past Miami in the first game of their series.

Jayson Tatum posted 23 points, 10 rebounds and assists and two steals across 41 minutes for Boston. Derrick White added 20 points, four assists, three boards and one block in 33 1/2 minutes.

Kristaps Porzingis tallied 18 points, four rebounds, two blocks and one assist and steal, while Jaylen Brown had 17 points, eight boards, three assists and one steal. Jrue Holiday only had six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals and blocks.

Sam Hauser totaled 12 points and one rebound, assist and steal across under 14 minutes off the bench. Al Horford added 10 points and seven boards in under 26 minutes, while Payton Pritchard had eight points, five assists and four rebounds in 24 minutes.

Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists in 36 1/2 minutes. 

Delon Wright provided 17 points, three assists, two steals and one rebound, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 16 points, four assists and rebounds and one steal.

Tyler Herro finished with 11 points, four assists and rebounds and one steal, while Nikola Jovic had 10 points, six boards and one block. Kevin Love went for seven points, four boards and two assists in just 13 minutes. Duncan Robinson scored just five points in 15 minutes, Caleb Martin had four points in 28 1/2 minutes and Haywood Highsmith contributed no points across 25 1/2 minutes.

Bucks 109, Pacers 94

Milwaukee eased past Indiana despite not having Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Damian Lillard led the Bucks with 35 points (all in the first half), six rebounds and three assists across nearly 38 minutes. 

Khris Middleton added 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one block. Bobby Portis started for Antetokounmpo and posted 15 points, 11 rebounds and one assist.

Brook Lopez added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists and blocks, while Patrick Beverley had five points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals.

Malik Beasley hit three 3-pointers off the bench for Milwaukee to score nine points across nearly 29 minutes. Pat Connaughton had six points, three steals, two rebounds and one assist in under 22 minutes. Jae Crowder played 12 minutes, while A.J. Green had 5 1/2 minutes.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 36 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and blocks and one steal in 40 minutes. Myles Turner added 17 points, eight boards and two assists and steals.

T.J. McConnell was the only other Pacer in double figures, posting 10 points, two rebounds and one assist across 18 minutes off the bench. 

Tyrese Haliburton was limited to nine points, seven rebounds, eight assists and one steal and block in under 38 minutes, while Aaron Nesmith had seven points, four boards, three assists and one block. Obi Toppin and Jalen Smith each played 13 minutes off the bench.

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