This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a three-game playoff slate on tap Tuesday night, one that features a trio of potential elimination contests. Considering two of the squads on the brink of seeing their seasons end will also be missing star players, it shapes up as a night where there could be relatively lopsided results across the board.
Slate Overview
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We have a rarity for a postseason slate Tuesday as all three games have especially elevated spreads, with two of them in double digits. The one exception is the 9.5-point figure the Nuggets are favored by, but given the outcome of the first two games of the series at Ball Arena, Denver could well end up a sizable winner anyhow.
In terms of projected totals, all three games are 221 points or higher on FanDuel Sportsbook as of late Monday, but none have figures above 230.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Kawhi Leonard, LAC (knee): OUT
Leonard's third straight absence should lead to another massive usage rate for Russell Westbrook, as well as another start for Norman Powell.
Dejounte Murray, ATL (suspension): OUT
In Murray's absence, Bogdan Bogdanovic is likely to draw a start at shooting guard, while AJ Griffin sees additional time off the bench.
Other notable injuries:
Paul George, LAC (knee): OUT
Kyle Anderson, MIN (eye): OUT
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Tuesday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($11,400), Jayson Tatum ($10,800), Anthony Edwards ($10,700), Devin Booker ($10,300) and Kevin Durant ($10,000).
Jokic is coming off his most productive fantasy performance of the series (67.2 FD points) and has posted at least 48.3 since Game 2.
Tatum has at least 50.5 FD points in three straight games in the series and will face a short-handed Hawks team that will be hurt defensively by the suspension of Dejounte Murray.
Edwards has been the Timberwolves' most reliable offensive producer by far in the series, scoring 60.9 to 63.4 FD points in the last three games.
Booker has scored 52.7 to 71.7 FD points in the last three games of the series and is shooting a stellar 57.1 percent, including 43.5 percent from three-point range, over the four games against the Clippers.
Durant was back up over 50 FD points in Game 4 after being under that mark in Games 2 and 3 and is shooting 51.5 percent overall in the series.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Trae Young, ATL ($9,900)
Young averages 51.7 FD points per 36 minutes without Murray on the floor and has scored 57.7 and 66.1 FD points in the last two games.
Russell Westbrook, LAC ($9,700)
Westbrook has scored 63.6 and 52.2 FD points in the last two games with Leonard out and is now averaging 50.4 FD points per 36 minutes with both George and Leonard out.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($8,900)
Murray dipped to 31.9 FD points in Game 4, but he'd scored 44.7 to 53.1 FD points in the first three contests.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,300)
Brown is coming off having scored 38.3 FD points in Game 4 and also contributed 44.9 in Game 1, solid-to-excellent returns on his current salary.
Chris Paul, PHO ($8,300)
Paul put together his best game of the series in Game 4 with 55.3 FD points and hasn't scored less than 37.7 in the series, which should help keep him very popular Tuesday.
Key Values
Aaron Gordon, DEN vs. MIN ($5,800)
Gordon certainly hasn't produced the gaudy numbers of teammates Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter during the series, but he's averaged a solid 25.8 FD points on 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 51.4 percent, including 44.4 percent from three-point range in the first four games. The Timberwolves will be down defensive specialist Kyle Anderson (eye) for Tuesday's game as well, which could clear out an even easier path than usual for Gordon against a Minnesota squad that now sports the second-lowest rebounding rate (46.0 percent) of any team in the postseason field.
De'Andre Hunter, ATL at BOS ($5,700)
Hunter stepped up his contributions significantly in Game 4, producing a series-high 27 points on an 11-for-17 tally from the field, leading to 43.4 FD points. Hunter has been under 20 FD points in two other games during the series, but he also contributed 32.9 back at TD Garden in Game 2. Tuesday, he'll take the floor with Murray, a scenario in which Hunter averages 29 FD points per 36 minutes and which should give him a strong chance of once again overdelivering on a salary that remains very modest.
Taurean Prince, MIN at DEN ($3,800)
As mentioned earlier, Kyle Anderson will sit out Game 5 with a eye injury suffered late in Game 4, which will likely lead to Prince entering the starting five at a salary that is nowhere commensurate to his role. The veteran's production and offensive usage can certainly fluctuate, but he does have tallies of 23.6, 34.5 and 42 FD points in three of his starts dating back to the regular season, so the upside at his current salary is certainly there. Prince also scored 17.1 FD points in a Game 2 start in this series while shooting 50.0 percent overall and from behind the arc, and he's averaging 24.7 FD points per 36 minutes with Anderson and Jaden McDaniels (hand) off the floor.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL at BOS ($6,300); Robert Williams, BOS vs. ATL ($6,000)
