It hasn't been easy, but the Thunder are now one win away from a second consecutive NBA Finals trip. However, considering how competitive the Spurs have proven to be in the series and the fact that San Antonio is back on its home floor, we could be in store for an exciting Game 6.
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 value plays is 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
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, May 28 @ 12:00 a.m. EDT:
- Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-3.5) (O/U: 219.5)
Despite OKC's double-digit win in Game 5, oddsmakers are placing plenty of stock in the Spurs' home-floor advantage for Game 6. San Antonio is back to being a favorite in its return to Frost Bank Center, where it recorded a dominant 21-point victory in Game 4. San Antonio is 10-6 against the spread this postseason, including 8-4 at home.
The projected total of 219.5 could arguably still be considered a bit on the low side when looking specifically at the performance of each team during the series. Despite both squads boasting what are considered to be among the most talented defenses in the league, four of the first five games have finished with totals of 231 points or higher.
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 is sidelined again, Jared McCain could be set for another start.
Ajay Mitchell, OKC (calf): OUT
If Mitchell's ongoing absence, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso could be set for additional run.
Elite Players
The player with the highest MVP salary on Thursday's slate is Victor Wembanyama ($27,300). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($22,800) sports the second-highest salary in that spot.
Wembanyama has eclipsed 61 non-multiplier FD points three times in the first five games of the series and hasn't been below 41 during the entirety of that span. Given some of his scores to this point, he remains the highest-upside candidate for the MVP spot.
Gilgeous-Alexander exceeded 50 non-multiplier FD points for the third time in the series in Game 5, and he's now averaging 50.1 over the first five games against the Spurs. SGA's shot attempts were below 20 in each of Games 3-5 after he put up a combined 47 over the first two contests of the series, but he went to the line a series-high 17 times in Game 5.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Stephon Castle ($10,400), De'Aaron Fox ($8,200) and Chet Holmgren ($7,400) should also be very popular as non-MVP candidates.
Castle posted a series-high 45 FD points in Game 5 and is averaging 36.8 for the series, which should lock him into a high roster rate again Thursday.
Fox has exceeded 31 FD points in each of his first three games back from his ankle injury, so he should remain highly rostered at his salary Thursday.
The fact Holmgren managed to bounce back with 33.7 FD points on the strength of a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double in Game 5 should make him highly rostered at his very reasonable salary.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Devin Vassell, SAN ($6,200)
Vassell uncharacteristically struggled with his shot in Game 5, but despite going 2-for-11 from the floor, he still netted a respectable 24.8 FD points with the help of a trio of steals. He'd been enjoying a very productive series through the first four games, as he was averaging 33.1 FD points on the strength of 17.0 points (on 45.2 percent from three-point range), 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks across 39.5 minutes per contest. Vassell has been over 20 FD points in all but one playoff game overall, and since the start of the regular season, he's averaging 27.3 FD points across nine games against the Thunder.
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC ($5,600)
Hartenstein delivered handsomely as a value suggestion in Game 5, racking up 36 FD points via a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double across 31 minutes. The big man is now averaging 27.0 FD points across 24.2 minutes per game over his first 13 postseason contests while shooting 67.1 percent overall. He's also now converting an outstanding 63.4 percent of his 14.2 rebounding opportunities per game in the current series despite the presence of Victor Wembanyama down low, and he's been a more productive offensive player on the road this postseason with an average of 10.2 points (8.4 per game at home) across 25.0 minutes per contest over six games.
Julian Champagnie, SAN ($4,400)
Champagnie broke out for his best game of the series in the Spurs' Game 5 loss, posting 40.1 FD points via a postseason-high 22 points on crisp 8-for-15 shooting, including 4-for-8 from three-point range. The veteran forward has only one clunker in the series thus far – he delivered just 12.8 FD points across 29 minutes in Game 4, but he's still averaging 25.8 FD points in the series thanks to having tallied at least 20 FD points in the other four games. Champagnie has struggled with his shot outside of Game 5 and therefore carries some risk, but his very modest salary and his 50.0 percent rebound-opportunity conversion rate on 12.4 chances per game do help make his case as a tournament play at home, where he shot 38.2 percent from three-point range during the regular season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Alex Caruso, OKC ($4,800)
