This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a quartet of intriguing Game 3s on Saturday, with four teams looking to inch ahead by 2-1 margins in their series, and two others, the Pacers and Thunder, trying to avoid falling into 0-3 holes. Meanwhile, the respective opponents of those two squads, the Heat and Rockets, will be gunning to take nearly insurmountable series leads, Houston notably without star guard Russell Westbrook (quadriceps).
The two teams that pulled eye-opening Game 1 upsets, the Magic and Trail Blazers, were brought back down to earth in their respective Game 2 matchups, so it will be interesting to see how each responds. Portland comes in a bit worse for wear as well, as Damian Lillard is nursing an off-hand finger injury and Zach Collins has been deemed out the rest of Portland's postseason stint because of a shoulder injury.
We'll begin by diving into the three games with particularly high projected totals Saturday, followed by an examination of the general state of each position, a review of key injuries and a look at expected chalk plays and both under-the-radar and popular value plays to consider.
Before delving into the slate, a reminder that FanDuel has reverted to its previous format of NOT dropping the lowest scoring in lineups after a one-year experiment with that feature. Therefore, it will be important to be prudent with each selection, as each player's total will count toward your final score.
Without further ado, let's get into Saturday's slate!
Slate Overview
Here's a further look at the games with the three highest-projected totals on Saturday's slate:
Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Projected total: 226.0 points)
The Magic followed up its 122-point effort in Game 1 with a very modest 96 points in Game 2. The Bucks were vastly improved on defense compared to their series-opening showing, and the dominance they exerted Thursday may simply be an indication they learned their lesson about potentially taking Orlando lightly and are set to roll the rest of the way. Given both teams have strong defenses, the total may be a bit high, especially with Aaron Gordon just a 50/50 proposition to play for Orlando.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Projected total: 224.5 points)
After combining for just 193 points in Game 1, the two squads barely upped the ante in Game 2 with 199 points. What's more, it was a highly lopsided score, as the Lakers were responsible for 111 of those points. As the first two games of the series corroborate, Portland has been stymied by a L.A. team that has taken its defense to another level with the start of the postseason, and with Lillard dealing with his aforementioned finger issue, the two teams may not get to this projected number Saturday.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets (Projected total: 224.0 points)
The Thunder have fallen flat, especially offensively, in the first two games of the series. Meanwhile, the Rockets haven't been anywhere near their scoring peak, which isn't surprising considering Russell Westbrook's absence due to a quadriceps injury that will also keep him out in Game 3. A ragged shooting effort by James Harden in Game 2 helped keep the total to a modest 209 points in that contest, and although OKC should be more aggressive than usual with their backs to the wall, it remains to be seen if this elevated total can be surpassed after the Thunder maxed out at 113 points in their three regular-season meetings with Houston.
Positional Breakdown
PG: Westbrook's absence thins out the elite portion of the positional player pool, but Damian Lillard, Malcolm Brogdon and Chris Paul offer the possibility of potentially elite production. Both Brogdon and Paul may be increasingly involved Saturday, considering the hole each of their teams is in. Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe are among the strong mid-tier options for those who want to pay down a bit in at least one of the two PG spots.
SG: Headlined by James Harden, the shooting guard spot is once again in fine shape health-wise. Jimmy Butler, CJ McCollum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Khris Middleton and Victor Oladipo are all solid choices beneath The Beard, while Terrence Ross, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson could all turn out to be rewarding value plays.
SF: It seems like we can essentially disregard the injury designations attached to Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and LeBron James (groin), so the elite part of the SF player pool should be ready to go Saturday. Those who can't quite float the salaries of either will have the likes of T.J. Warren, Danilo Gallinari, Evan Fournier, Eric Gordon and Carmelo Anthony as mid-tier-to-value-priced options.
PF: As with his teammate James, Davis sports a probable tag that he's fully expected to play through and heads up the selections at this spot. The big injury question is Aaron Gordon, who'll be a game-time decision with his hamstring injury. The pickings are a bit slim if he doesn't go, with Robert Covington, Kyle Kuzma and Jeff Green perhaps constituting the "Best of the Rest".
C: As with Thursday, you'll find Nikola Vucevic at the top of the heap and likely headed for some particularly elevated usage if Gordon misses another contest. Jusuf Nurkic, Myles Turner and Steven Adams are some of your top options below him if you're budgeting at the position, with Brook Lopez, Hassan Whiteside and P.J. Tucker as sub-$6K value selections that should see a solid allotment of minutes.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written (usually late morning Eastern time), check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
Russell Westbrook, HOU (quadriceps)
Westbrook remains out for Game 3. Eric Gordon, Jeff Green and Danuel House could be the biggest beneficiaries of Westbrook's absence outside of James Harden.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (calf)
Antetokounmpo is listed as probable with a calf bruise that he's fully expected to play through.
LeBron James, LAL (groin)
James is probable with the groin soreness that's plagued him on and off for several months. He's fully expected to play.
Anthony Davis, LAL (knee)
Davis is probable with right knee soreness and is fully expected to play in Game 3.
Jae Crowder, MIA (ankle)
Crowder carries a questionable tag to face the Pacers in Game 3, but he notably played through the same designation in Game 2.
Derrick Jones, MIA (ankle)
Jones will be listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain he suffered in Game 2.
Rajon Rondo, LAL (thumb)
Rondo is considered questionable for Game 3. He was medically cleared for Game 2 but was declared inactive for the contest.
Aaron Gordon, ORL (hamstring)
Gordon is questionable for Game 3 with the hamstring issue that's now cost him six games. If he's unable to suit up, Gary Clark is likely to draw the start at power forward again in his stead.
Michael Carter-Williams, ORL (foot)
Carter-Williams is doubtful for Game 3.
Other injuries to monitor:
Luc Mbah a Moute, HOU (knee)- OUT
Longer-term injuries of note: Nassir Little, POR; Zach Collins, POR; Domantas Sabonis, IND
Elite Players
We'll have four players sporting five-figure salaries Saturday, with James Harden ($11.7K) leading the way. The Beard has somewhat collectively underwhelmed over the first two games of the series considering he's playing without Westbrook, but naturally, he's a candidate for massive 70-to-80-fantasy-point tally any time he takes the court, and especially without his talented teammate. Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11.3K) is also very appealing and comes off a 25-point, 20-rebound effort in Game 2, but he may have trouble giving you more than 5x return considering the massive salary.
Anthony Davis ($10.7K) and LeBron James ($10.2K) are your other two highest-priced players, but it's worth noting each played under 30 minutes in the Game 2 blowout win. If the Lakers are able to perform in similar manner Saturday, each could be a bust relative to the investment required to roster them, as coach Frank Vogel is likely to prioritize giving his two stars whatever downtime he can.
Damian Lillard ($9.5K) and Nikola Vucevic ($8.5K) are two other less expensive selections that could certainly churn out elite-level numbers.
Expected Chalk
You can bank on all the players mentioned in the previous section being on plenty of rosters, even with some in the DFS landscape having been burned by James' abbreviated outing in particular in Game 2. The two teams facing a potential 0-3 hole in their series, the Thunder and Pacers, could also see some of their most important players enjoy an uptick in popularity, given how aggressive they're expected to be.
Additionally, as usual, I've also compiled the names of some sub-$6K value plays that should also find themselves on plenty of rosters and listed them under the next section.
Key Values
Danuel House, HOU vs. OKC ($4,500)
I tabbed House in Thursday's column as well when he was just $300 cheaper and he responded with an impressive 34.3 FD points in 38 minutes, so I see no reason to pivot off him Saturday. The talented three-point shooter can get hot in a hurry, and as he demonstrated in that Game 2 contest, he can be an effective rebounder as well. House should continue to enjoy a starting role and see elevated usage with Westbrook's absence, and his salary remains one he could easily outpace.
JaKarr Sampson, IND vs. MIA ($3,700)
Sampson also makes a repeat appearance in this space Saturday, as he responded Thursday with a solid 21.2 FD points across just 17 minutes off the bench in the Game 2 loss. Sampson would have likely seen even more time had he not racked up four fouls in fairly short order, lending credence to the notion he could offer an even better return Saturday. Sampson now has a pair of 20-plus fantasy-point tallies against Miami this regular season and postseason, and his ability to contribute in both scoring and rebounding coupled with his modest $100 rise in salary put him firmly in play as an under-the-radar bargain again.
Other under-the-radar-plays to consider: Justin Holiday, IND ($4,400); Wenyen Gabriel, POR ($3,500)
Popular value plays to consider: Victor Oladipo, IND ($5,900); Steven Adams, OKC ($5,800); Markelle Fultz, ORL ($5,500); Carmelo Anthony, POR ($5,000); D.J. Augustin, ORL ($4,500); James Ennis, ORL ($4,400); Duncan Robinson, MIA ($4,400); Gary Clark, ORL ($4,100); P.J. Tucker, HOU ($4,000); Aaron Holiday, IND ($4,000)
