After beating the defending champs, the Spurs may have been a little tired for Game 1 of the NBA Finals and that showed up later in the fourth quarter. The Knicks ultimately notched a critical series-opening victory at Frost Bank Center to put the pressure on San Antonio to bounce back on Friday.
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 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.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, June 5 @12:00 a.m. EDT:
- New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs (-6.5) (O/U: 214.5)
Despite their stumble in the opener, the Spurs are still getting plenty of respect by oddsmakers and the betting public for Game 2 based on a larger projected advantage (-4.5) with the theory they'll play with more urgency and intensity.
The modest projected total isn't surprising as both teams put on impressive defensive Game 1 performances that only led to 200 total points. There's an implied uptick in the 214.5 prediction as there's a decent chance the Spurs will be able to figure things out offensively after seeing how the Knicks defended them on Wednesday.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Elite Players
The player with the highest MVP salary on Friday's slate is Victor Wembanyama ($25,500) while Jalen Brunson ($18,600) sits second.
Wembanyama only shot 6-for-21 from the floor during Game 1, yet still finished with 49.4 non-multiplier FD points thanks to12-for-13 from the line and 12 rebounds. He's now averaging 48.7 non-multiplier FD across three starts against the Knicks since the start of the regular season.
Brunson also struggled with his efficiency on Wednesday by shooting 12-for-31, but his sheer volume still helped him to 30 actual points and 32.6 non-multiplier FD. If the opener is any indication, his usage should remain extremely elevated throughout the series.
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Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns ($11,800), Stephon Castle ($10,600) and Josh Hart ($9,000) should also be very popular as non-MVP candidates.
Towns has scored over 35 FD during six straight with a very safe floor that will continue to ensure his popularity on Friday.
Castle is averaging 35.9 FD and shooting 49.7 percent since the start of the semis while eclipsing 29 through 14 consecutive matchups.
Hart only attempted five shots with three points in Game 1, though his 15 rebounds, six assists and four steals led to 45 FD - his second-highest playoff total and his fourth exceeding 41.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
OG Anunoby, NYK ($7,600)
Anunoby's productive postseason continued on Wednesday as he tallied 26.6 FD via 17 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block across 31 minutes. The solid performance pushed his playoff average to 37.1 while the talented forward is shooting 56.1 percent, including 48.4 from behind the arc overall. Anunoby has also gone 85.7 percent from the line since the end of the regular season and pulling down an impressive 57.0 percent of his 11.6 rebounding opportunities.
Mikal Bridges, NYK ($6,400)
Bridges endured a notable offensive downturn during Game 1 as Jalen Brunson took 31 shots, yet he still drained three of his six attempts and finished with a respectable 22.1 FD. He's now averaging 31.8 since his dramatic turnaround in Game 6 of the first round series having shot 62.2 percent. Bridges' salary remains reasonable and the Spurs could certainly make some adjustments that leads to a hit in Brunson's overall usage, where Bridges would be capable of helping pick up some of the slack.
Julian Champagnie, SAN ($5,000)
Champagnie is always better suited for tournaments due to his occasional usage and production fluctuations, but the floor-spacing big enters Game 2 on a particularly impressive four-game run where he's averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 32.9 FD points through 30.8 minutes while shooting 51.1 percent - including 50.0 from distance. He's also contributed 27.4 FD per outing from the last 15 outings where he's shot 38.1 percent from deep. Champagnie can heat up at any time from long range and may be particularly aggressive on Friday given the stakes of the series.
ALSO CONSIDER: Devin Vassell, SAN ($5,600); Dylan Harper, SAN ($4,600)
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