The Knicks have now officially punched their Finals ticket after executing a clean sweep of the Cavaliers, but the Thunder find themselves in the thick of a dogfight with the Spurs. San Antonio's ability to knot the series at 2-2 with a Game 4 win sets up a pivotal showdown as the teams return to Paycom Center on Tuesday night.
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 the 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.
NBA Games Today
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, May 26 @2:00 a.m. ET:
- San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5) (O/U: 216.5)
The Thunder is unsurprisingly a home favorite Tuesday, but the modest projected advantage is a testament to how competitive the Spurs have proven capable of being and the matchup problems they can present to the defending champions. Additionally, the fact San Antonio was able to already notch one win in enemy territory in this series certainly is also playing a role.
The projected total seems relatively reasonable despite the fact the first three games of the series surprisingly finished over 230 points each, as the Spurs' Game 4 victory went to the other extreme with only 185 total points being scored in a game where the Thunder waved the white flag early.
NBA Injury Report
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, Cason Wallace could be set for another start.
Ajay Mitchell, OKC (calf): OUT
In Mitchell's ongoing absence, more minutes could be available off the bench for Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain.
Elite Players
The player with the highest MVP salary on Tuesday's slate is Victor Wembanyama ($27,000). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($22,200) sports the second-highest salary in that spot.
Wembanyama has eclipsed 61 non-multiplier FD points twice in the last three games, and he's averaging 62.0 per game for the series. The 2023 first overall pick is also shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range over the first four games vs. OKC and has the highest upside of any player for the MVP slot due to his often stellar contributions on the defensive end.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 49.9 non-multiplier FD points over the first four games of the series despite shooting only 39.2 percent, and he eclipsed 56 in both Games 1 and 2 on his home floor.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Stephon Castle ($10,200) and De'Aaron Fox ($8,400) should also be very popular as non-MVP candidates.
Castle has exceeded 30 FD points in each of the first four games of the series and is averaging 35.2 FD points per game during the postseason, numbers that should make him very popular Tuesday.
Fox has exceeded 31 FD points in each of his first two games back from his ankle injury, so he should remain highly rostered at his salary Tuesday.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Devin Vassell, SAN ($6,800)
Vassell has picked up his production during the series despite the tough defensive matchup, as he's 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. The veteran wing has been over 20 FD points in all but one playoff game overall, and since the start of the regular season, he's averaging 27.6 FD points across eight games against the Thunder while shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range. Given how steady his production has been, Vassell fits the bill for either tournaments or cash games.
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC ($5,400)
Hartenstein is averaging 26.3 FD points across 23.6 minutes per game over his first 12 postseason contests while shooting an efficient 66.2 percent. The big man didn't get the current series off to an encouraging start, as he played only 12 minutes in Game 1. However, Hartenstein has logged between 18 and 27 minutes in the subsequent three contests, and he's averaged 23.2 FD points in that stretch. Hartenstein is also converting 60.0 percent of his 12.5 rebounding opportunities per game in the current series despite the presence of Victor Wembanyama down low, making him a very viable option.
Jared McCain, OKC ($3,200)
McCain's salary is quite the eye-opener, considering he posted 29.7 and 29.3 FD points three and two games ago, respectively. Like the rest of the Thunder, McCain had a big downturn in a disastrous Game 4 for OKC, shooting only 1-for-10 on his way to four points across 24 minutes. Nevertheless, with Ajay Mitchell already confirmed out and Jalen Williams potentially set for a third consecutive absence, McCain should be in for another solid workload off the bench and could very well deliver another very strong return on investment.
ALSO CONSIDER: Alex Caruso, OKC ($4,400)
