Following a thrilling Game 1 that saw the Knicks stun the Cavaliers with a historic comeback, we're set for a pivotal Game 2 clash at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. The good news is that there are actually no injuries to report, so we'll be treated to two full-strength juggernauts doing 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 in conventional FanDuel contests on multi-game slates and top players inevitably headed for heavy rostering, there are definitely 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 in a Utility spot.
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 Thursday, May 21 @ 12:00 a.m. EDT:
- Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (-6.5) (O/U: 215.5)
The Knicks are naturally still solid favorites Thursday, but the spread has narrowed by a point. We've also had a slight reduction in the projected total compared to Tuesday's early line, which seems reasonable considering Game 1 ended with 219 total points despite it going to overtime.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
None as of this writing
Elite Players
The player with the highest MVP salary on Thursday's slate is Jalen Brunson ($21,000), Donovan Mitchell ($20,100) sports the second-highest salary in that spot.
Brunson struggled with his efficiency against the Cavaliers during the regular season and for stretches in Game 1, but he ultimately finished with 59 non-multiplier FD points on 15-for-29 shooting. Other than perhaps Mitchell, Brunson is the highest-upside candidate for the MVP spot.
Mitchell delivered in Game 1 while James Harden struggled, recording 56.5 non-multiplier FD points via 29 points on 12-for-23 shooting. It was his second straight game with more than 50 FD points and fourth such tally in the last six contests overall.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns ($12,600), Evan Mobley ($12,200) and James Harden ($11,000) should also be very popular as non-MVP candidates.
Towns has seen a significant reduction in offensive production throughout most of the postseason, but his rebounding and assists have helped him to still average 43.5 FD points over 11 playoff games.
Mobley is averaging 39.9 FD points over 15 playoff contests, and the fact he's eclipsed 42 in four of the last five games alone should ensure his popularity Thursday.
Harden has fallen into a concerning shooting slump over the last two games, but his upside and the fact he averaged 39.8 FD points over his first 13 contests should help ensure a robust roster rate Thursday.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Josh Hart, NYK ($8,000)
Hart delivered nicely as a value suggestion Tuesday, recording 28.4 FD points across 30 minutes while once again checking off every box on the stat sheet except blocks. The veteran wing has filled his signature complementary, stat-sheet-stuffing role consistently during the postseason, now averaging 30.6 FD points on the strength of 10.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals across 33.5 minutes over his first 11 playoff games. The veteran wing has eclipsed 25 FD points in nine of those contests as well, including four 34+ FD-point tallies. Hart has also shot a crisp 50.0 percent over the last six games, and he also averaged 23.4 FD points over just 26.0 minutes per game in two regular-season encounters against the Cavaliers.
Jarrett Allen, CLE ($7,600)
Allen was also a solid contributor as a suggested value play Tuesday, posting 27.9 FD points over 35 minutes. He's enjoyed a solid postseason overall despite one outlier single-digit FD-point tally, averaging 30.7 FD points on the strength of 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals across 29.1 minutes per game. Allen pulled down another seven rebounds in Game 1 as well, marking his fourth consecutive tally of at least that many boards. With a very reasonable salary still attached and nine performances of 30 FD points or more thus far in the playoffs, Allen is right back in play.
Mikal Bridges, NYK ($6,000)
Bridges close out our repeat trio of value plays from Game 1 on Thursday, as he came through with 28.5 FD points over 42 minutes in the OT thriller. Bridges' red-hot shooting continued with a 7-for-11 showing from the field, and he's now averaging 32.8 FD points while shooting an outstanding 67.1 percent, including 47.4 percent from behind the arc, over the last six games. Bridges' strong numbers Monday encouragingly came even with OG Anunoby returning to action, and it's also worth keeping in mind Bridges averaged 37.1 FD points against the Cavs over three regular-season games.
ALSO CONSIDER: OG Anunoby, NYK ($8,200)
