After a fascinating first two games of the Western Conference Finals in which the Spurs sent a clear message they're not giving the defending champion Thunder an inch, we're set for what should be an intriguing Game 3 on San Antonio's home floor Friday. There is a prominent questionable tag on each team, which adds even more intrigue to the pivotal battle.
With only one matchup, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters comprised as follows:
- MVP- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
- Five Utility spots- (Garner points at normal rate)
With salaries also being different than conventional FanDuel contests on multi-game slates and top players inevitably headed for heavy rostering, there are strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for some of utility spots is undoubtedly key as it enables you to roster a superstar in the MVP slot where salaries for each player are 1.5x higher than if you were rostering them as a Utility.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, May 22 @12:00 a.m. ET:
- Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-1.5) (O/U: 217.5)
The Spurs' status as home favorites is certainly noteworthy and is naturally a direct reflection on how competitive San Antonio has been in the first pair of contests.
The Spurs are 36-10 straight up at home since the start of the regular season and 26-19-1 against the spread as well in that split. Meanwhile, the Thunder are an NBA-best 34-10 straight up on the road since the start of the season but just 22-22 against the number in that split.
The total is notably low when considering the first two games of the series have finished with 237 and 235 combined points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jalen Williams, OKC (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Williams sits out, Ajay Mitchell is likely to reenter the starting five after having filled in for Williams for six games earlier this postseason.
De'Aaron Fox, SAN (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox remains sidelined, Dylan Harper (hip) could remain on the first unit if he can play through his questionable tag, while Keldon Johnson could enter the starting five if both players are sidelined.
Other injuries to monitor:
Dylan Harper, SAN (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
The player with the highest MVP salary on Friday's slate is Victor Wembanyama ($25,800). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($22,500) represents the other elite.
Wembanyama has averaged an outstanding 72.3 non-multiplier FD points over the first two games of the series, and he's put up 52.2 FD points per contest in 12 playoff games to date.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 59.6 and 56.3 non-multiplier FD points in the first two games of the series and bounced back to shoot 50.0 percent in Game 2 after going just 7-for-23 from the floor in Game 1. He's exceeded 56.0 non-multiplier FD points in three straight games against the Spurs dating back to the regular season, and he's averaged 49.6 overall in six games versus San Antonio since the start of the campaign.
Go to RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Stephon Castle ($11,000), Chet Holmgren ($9,200) and De'Aaron Fox ($8,000) should also be popular as non-MVP candidates.
Castle has scored over 32 FD points in five straight postseason games and last scored under 30 FD points in the final game of the first round, and that measure of consistency should ensure his popularity Friday.
Holmgren has underperformed in the first two games of the series, but his average of 39.6 FD points in the previous eight postseason contests and the potential absence of Jalen Williams should combine to ensure a high roster rate.
If Fox is cleared to play through his ankle injury, he should be in plenty of lineups after averaging 34.1 FD points in his first 11 postseason games.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Devin Vassell, SAN ($6,600)
Irrespective of Fox's availability Friday, Vassell is a prudent value option after averaging 28.1 FD points on 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals across 34.2 minutes over his first 13 playoff games. Vassell is shooting just 42.4 percent in that span, but he's upped that to 46.2 percent in the first two games of the series against the Thunder. Vassell also had tallies of 40.0 and 24.5 FD points in two of his regular-season encounters with OKC, and it is worth noting he's averaging 30.7 FD points per 36 minutes with Fox off the floor since the start of the regular season.
Ajay Mitchell, OKC ($6,000)
Mitchell has proven his worth as a starter on multiple occasions during this postseason, and with Jalen Williams very questionable to suit up Friday, the former could well be on the first unit again Friday. When Williams was sidelined from Game 3 of the first round through the entirety of the four-game sweep of the Lakers in the second round, Mitchell drew six consecutive starts and averaged 35.7 FD points via 21.2 points (on 48.0 percent shooting), 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals across 31.2 minutes per contest. That sample included tallies of 48.6 and 52.8 FD points, a glimpse at Mitchell's significant ceiling. Even if Fox is available, Mitchell has averaged 25.6 FD points in his four games as a reserve this postseason, keeping him in play under any circumstance.
Alex Caruso, OKC ($3,600)
Caruso has outpaced his current salary significantly in the first two games of the series, recording 44.9 and 31.1 FD points in those contests on the strength of 24.0 points (on 61.5 percent, including 61.1 percent from three-point range), 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Zooming further out to the last eight games, Caruso is averaging 24.2 FD points while eclipsing 20 FD points in seven instances during that span. Naturally, a Williams absence would also brighten Caruso's outlook, but he's a very viable play in any scenario thanks to his extremely modest salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Julian Champagnie, SAN ($4,600)
Try our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
