This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're primed for a three-game playoff slate Thursday that has a pair of games that will likely be very defensive-centric contests. Additionally, we have a very light injury report in terms of noteworthy players, and the one star with a questionable tag, Joel Embiid, is likely to play.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, April 25 @ 10:00 a.m. EDT:
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic (-2.5) (O/U: 201.5)
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers (-5) (O/U: 203.5)
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers (-1) (O/U: 217.0)
As already alluded to, the Cavs-Magic and Knicks-76ers are likely to be grindy, low-scoring clashes if the first two games of each series are any indication. Orlando has particularly had a difficult time generating any offense versus Cleveland, and Philadelphia has done a terrific job making Jalen Brunson's life miserable thus far, a trend that could certainly continue on the Sixers' home floor.
Spreads do portend very close games, and considering each home team is down 0-2 in their respective series, we could well be in store for a trio of wire-to-wire matchups, or something very close.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Embiid has played 37 and 39 minutes in the first two games of the series despite carrying a questionable tag, so he's likely to be out there again Thursday for a normal workload as long as there are no in-game issues.
Other notable injuries:
Anthony Davis, LAL (back): PROBABLE
LeBron James, LAL (ankle): PROBABLE
Mitchell Robinson, NYK (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
De'Anthony Melton, PHI (back): QUESTIONABLE
Jarred Vanderbilt, LAL (foot): OUT
Christian Wood, LAL (knee): OUT
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,200), Joel Embiid ($11,300), Anthony Davis ($11,000) and LeBron James ($10,500).
Jokic has scored 62.9 and 69 FD points in the first two games of the series, arguably making his salary a bit on the low side for his upside in this matchup.
Embiid has clearly not been at full strength due to his knee issues, but he's still produced 51.6 and 56 FD points in the first two games. He carries some risk of limitations/in-game injury but still clearly has the upside to warrant his current salary.
Davis opened the series with a tally of 66.3 FD points before adding 50.2 in Game 2 and should naturally continue to enjoy massive usage in Game 3.
James shot up to 63.6 FD points in Game 2 and should certainly be going all out again Thursday in front of the home crowd as the Lakers look to avoid an 0-3 series deficit.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,500)
Brunson has shot just 29.1 percent over the first two games of the series but has a well-documented ceiling north of 60 FD points, which should keep him popular at his salary.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,100)
Mitchell has scored over 41 FD points in the first two games of the series while taking over 20 shots in each, and he should remain in plenty of lineups at his reasonable salary.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($8,800)
Maxey is fresh off having scored 56.8 FD points in Game 2 of the series and should once again take on a massive role in Game 3 with Embiid potentially somewhat limited and the Sixers approaching desperation mode.
Josh Hart, NYK ($7,800)
Hart has been outstanding over the first two games of the series with totals of 41.6 and 53.5 FD points, which should help keep him highly rostered Thursday.
Key Values
Aaron Gordon, DEN at LAL ($6,500)
Gordon has served as a solid complementary source of production over the first two games of the series, averaging 30.3 FD points on the strength of 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 47.6 percent shooting. Gordon reduced his long-distance shooting significantly this past season and hasn't taken a three-point shot over the first pair of contests, but he also drained 57.1 percent of his shots during the regular season against Los Angeles and scored 28.3 to 39.9 FD points in those three meetings as well. The Lakers rank No. 22 in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to power forwards (28.5), strengthening Gordon's case even further.
Kelly Oubre, NYK at PHI ($5,900)
Oubre turned in a disappointing 18.9 FD points in Game 2 despite recording three blocks, but he certainly has the talent to bounce back and offer a strong return on Thursday's modest salary. The talented wing had opened the series by producing 31.1 FD points in Game 1 with the help of five steals, and his ability to offer contributions in that category while also occasionally getting hot from the field have helped him to record 31 games of more than 30 FD points – including two over 50 FD points – since the start of the regular season. With the 76ers back home and in urgent need of a victory, Oubre could also be more aggressive on the offensive end than in the first two games of the series, when he took just seven shots apiece.
Jalen Suggs, ORL vs. CLE ($5,800)
The Magic have mostly been miserable offensively over the first two games of the series, and Suggs has been part of the trouble with just 28.6 percent shooting, including an alarming 10.0 percent from three-point range. However, he's still produced 31.8 and 25.7 FD points in those games with some solid work across the rest of the stat sheet, and after shooting 47.1 percent, including a career-best 39.7 percent from behind the arc, during the regular season, there's no question he has the ability to bounce back. The Cavaliers allowed Suggs a 38.5 percent success rate from deep in four regular-season meetings this season as well, furthering his case for a potential resurgence in front of the home crowd Thursday.
ALSO CONSIDER: Max Strus, CLE at ORL ($5,600)
