After the Pistons and Thunder both grinded their way to 2-0 series leads Thursday, we're set for our first pair of Game 3 clashes Friday night. The 76ers are looking to avoid falling into a likely insurmountable 0-3 hole while the T-Wolves and Spurs will be fighting to snap a 1-1 tie, teeing up what should be a fun night of DFS play.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, May 8 at 11:00 a.m. EDT:
- New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers (-1.5) (O/U: 213.5)
- San Antonio Spurs (-4.5) at Minnesota Timberwolves (O/U: 216.5)
In contrast to a Thursday slate that featured one modest favorite and one projected blowout, Friday sees both the host 76ers and visiting Spurs with very narrow projected advantages. Both games are also expected to be on the lower-scoring side, which will likely be the case as long as the contests remain competitive.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Joel Embiid, PHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Embiid can't suit up, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona should handle the center minutes, while Tyrese Maxey and Paul George will benefit from big bumps in usage.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Edwards can't play, Ayo Dosunmu (questionable-heel) or Bones Hyland would potentially draw a start, while the rest of the first unit would see increases in usage.
OG Anunoby, NYK (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Anunoby can't play, Mohamed Diawara and Jeremy Sochan could handle most of the power forward minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Josh Hart, NYK (thumb): QUESTIONABLE
Ayo Dosunmu, MIN (heel): QUESTIONABLE
Mitchell Robinson, NYK (illness): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have one player with a five-figure salary on Friday's slate – Victor Wembanyama ($12,600).
Wembanyama provided 69.5 and 47 FD points in the first two games of the series, and he's averaging 61.7 FD points over the last four contests overall.
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Joel Embiid, PHI ($9,600)
If Embiid is fully cleared to play, he should remain very popular after scoring at least 45 FD points in each postseason game in which he's played normal minutes so far.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($9,500)
Maxey bounced back to an extent with 35.6 FD points in Game 2 after a forgettable in Game 1, and he averaged 46.0 FD points per contest in the first round against the Celtics.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,300)
Towns' highly productive postseason so far, which includes an average of 45.9 FD points per contest, should lock in a high roster rate.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,800)
Brunson has delivered at least 36.2 FD points in four consecutive games, which should keep his roster rate high Friday.
Key Values
VJ Edgecombe, PHI vs. NYK ($6,200)
Edgecombe already carries what would be considered a justifiable salary based on his upside, but the number will look even better if Joel Embiid is ruled out due to his ankle injury. As it stands, Edgecombe is an intriguing option after providing 26.5 FD points in Game 2 and averaging 28.8 FD points across 37.3 minutes over nine postseason contests overall. That sample includes four tallies of over 33 FD points, with two of those coming with Embiid on the floor. Meanwhile, if the big man misses, it's worth noting Edgecombe is averaging 35.3 FD points per 36 minutes with Embiid off the floor since the start of the regular season.
Naz Reid, MIN vs. SAN ($5,400)
Reid saw some fluctuations on his production throughout the regular season, but he's been a relatively steady contributor since Game 2 of the first-round series against the Nuggets. Reid is averaging 23.5 FD points via 11.9 points (on 50.0 percent shooting, including 40.7 percent from distance), 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 26.0 minutes per contest in that seven-game sample, eclipsing 25 FD points on three occasions. The big man is averaging 21.4 over 25.5 minutes per game in the first two contests of the current series, and he also produced tallies of 29.5 and 40.2 FD points in the two regular-season meetings against the Spurs in which he played a normal allotment of minutes.
Mikal Bridges, NYK at PHI ($5,200)
There was a multi-game stretch during the first round where Bridges did a concerning disappearing act, but he's surged back to his usual level of production over the last three contests. The veteran wing averaged an abysmal 7.9 FD points in Games 3-5 against the Hawks while putting up just 4.3 shot attempts per contest, but he's sitting on 33.5 FD points across 30.7 minutes and 11.7 shot attempts per game in the subsequent trio of matchups. Bridges is shooting an ultra-elite 74.3 percent in the latter span including 55.6 percent from downtown. There's also the possibility at least one of OG Anunoby and Josh Hart sits out Friday because of their respective hamstring and thumb issues; Bridges is averaging 35.6 FD points per 36 minutes with both players off the floor since the start of the regular season, as well as 33.5 with just Anunoby absent and 33.7 when it's just Hart on the bench.
ALSO CONSIDER: Julian Champagnie, SAN at MIN ($4,600)
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