The latter stages of the first round continue to unfold Thursday with a trio of exciting Game 6 clashes that feature two potential elimination scenarios, and there's a fairly busy injury report relative to the size of the slate.
NBA Games Today
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, April 30 at 11:30 a.m. ET:
- New York Knicks (-2.5) at Atlanta Hawks (O/U: 213.5)
- Boston Celtics (-6.5) at Philadelphia 76ers (O/U: 212.5)
- Denver Nuggets (-6.5) at Minnesota Timberwolves (O/U: 224.5)
We have three games that are projected to be very competitive Thursday, and a pair of them are also expected to be defense-centric battles. That's unsurprising considering the way the Knicks-Hawks and Celtics-76ers series have unfolded so far, and considering both of the hosts are trying to stave off elimination, we should be in for another very heavy dose of the top players on either side of those matchups.
NBA Injury Report
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (knee): OUT
In Edwards' ongoing absence, Ayo Dosunmu would be in line for another start if he can clear his questionable designation due to a calf injury, while Julius Randle should be the beneficiary of a nice bump in usage.
Ayo Dosunmu, MIN (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Dosunmu is sidelined, Bones Hyland would likely draw a spot start at shooting guard if he can overcome his questionable tag due to a knee injury, while Terrence Shannon and Jaylen Clark would likely be the next men up at two-guard if both Dosunmu and Hyland are sidelined.
Josh Hart, NYK (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Hart sits out, Miles McBride and Landry Shamet could handle the majority of minutes at shooting guard.
Aaron Gordon, DEN (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Gordon remains sidelined, Spencer Jones would likely be in for another start.
Additional injuries to monitor:
Donte DiVincenzo, MIN (Achilles): OUT
Bones Hyland, MIN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Joel Embiid, PHI (abdomen): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with a five-figure salary on Thursday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,800) and Jayson Tatum ($10,000).
Jokic has scored 63.5 and 68.4 FD points in the last two games of the series, and he should play minutes in the high 30s at minimum again as Denver looks to force a Game 7.
Tatum has averaged 50.1 FD points in the first five games of the series while shooting 47.7 percent, and he should be similarly aggressive Thursday as he tries to vault Boston into the second round following a slip-up at home in Game 5.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Joel Embiid, PHI ($9,800)
Embiid has looked like himself after missing the first three games of the series, posting an average of 49.9 FD points across 36.5 minutes per contest that should ensure his popularity in Thursday's potential elimination scenario.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($9,400)
Maxey has cleared 51 FD points in three of the last four games of the series and is averaging 40.4 minutes per contest overall, so he should be very highly rostered again Thursday.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,300)
Murray is averaging 41.8 FD points and has eclipsed 44 FD points four times in the first five games of the first round, numbers that will help ensure a high roster rate Thursday.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,100)
Towns has cleared 50 FD points in each of the last three games of the series, giving him immense appeal at his salary.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,900)
Brown has taken a back seat to Jayson Tatum more often than not in the series thus far, but the former is still averaging 41.3 FD points while shooting a blistering 44.4 percent from behind the arc.
Key Values
Payton Pritchard, BOS at PHI ($5,800)
Pritchard's production has been similarly unpredictable to the regular season thus far in the series, with the talented guard offering an out-of-nowhere ceiling game but also turning in one dud over the first five installments of the first round. Pritchard is averaging a solid 26.9 FD points overall, however, with his 47.3 FD-point tally in Game 4 in Philadelphia serving as the high point of the sample. Pritchard has eclipsed 21 FD points in all but Game 2 (16.5 FD points) and has hit from deep at a 50.0 percent clip in two of the last three games, so he remains a quintessential tournament play at his salary Thursday in a game where the Celtics will be going all out to avoid a Game 7.
Naz Reid, MIN vs. DEN ($5,700)
Reid has had a bit of an up-and-down first round in his own right, averaging 20.8 FD points across 22.8 minutes per contest while shooting a middling 43.5 percent. The veteran big man has particularly struggled from long range with just a 31.6 percent success rate in that category, but he does have tallies of 23.3 and 34.8 FD points in two of the first five contests and at least six rebounds in four instances. Reid also put together an impressive body of work against Denver during the regular season that included 51.1 percent shooting and an average of 28.8 FD points per game over four contests, so the potential for a rewarding performance at his very reasonable salary is certainly there.
Quentin Grimes, PHI vs. BOS ($4,300)
Grimes is our third value play that has some risk associated with him but a very modest salary that also takes that into account. The veteran wing has provided a valuable spark off the Sixers bench over the last two games of the series in particular, averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 25.9 FD points in that sample. Grimes is also connecting on 66.7 percent of his attempts, including 50.0 percent from distance, over that pair of contests while logging a solid 24 minutes apiece in his second-unit role. Grimes did deliver 13.1 FD points or fewer in the first three games of the series, however, so the $4.3k salary is partly acknowledging the volatility that makes him best suited for tournaments.
ALSO CONSIDER: Onyeka Okongwu, ATL vs. NYK ($6,100)
