This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a compact five-game slate Thursday night before two big ledgers to wrap up the season Friday and Sunday, and there's a chance that a few big-name Celtics players take the night off or play abbreviated minutes Thursday with Boston's postseason position long set in stone. There are also several Jazz players sitting out, and both scenarios could open up some solid value opportunities.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, April 11 @1:30 a.m. ET:
Chicago Bulls (-9.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 218.0)
New York Knicks (-1.5) at Boston Celtics (O/U: 214.0)
Houston Rockets (-10.5) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 226.5)
New Orleans Pelicans at Sacramento Kings (-1) (O/U: 218.5)
Golden State Warriors (-14) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 222.5)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
Spreads are truly a mixed bag Thursday, considering they run the gamut from double-digit figures to the two narrow lines attached to Knicks-Celtics and Pelicans-Kings. Meanwhile, projected totals are on the lower side, but that's unsurprising given it's one of the last nights of the season and there should be plenty of big-name players out of action.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Jayson Tatum, BOS (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Tatum were to sit out, Al Horford could be due for a start at power forward.
Kristaps Porzingis, BOS (hamstring injury management): QUESTIONABLE
If Porzingis sits out, Xavier Tillman and Al Horford would be set for additional frontcourt opportunities.
Jaylen Brown, BOS (hand): QUESTIONABLE
If Brown is sidelined, Sam Hauser is likely to draw the start at small forward.
Cade Cunningham, DET (knee injury management): QUESTIONABLE
If Cunningham is out, Malachi Flynn and Marcus Sasser will likely draw most of the point guard minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Collin Sexton, UTA (illness): OUT
Jordan Clarkson, UTA (back): OUT
Lauri Markkanen, UTA (shoulder): OUT
John Collins, UTA (back): OUT
Alperen Sengun, HOU (ankle): OUT
Brandon Ingram, NOP (knee): OUT
Anfernee Simons, POR (knee): OUT
Jerami Grant, POR (hamstring): OUT
Malcolm Brogdon, POR (elbow): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (back): QUESTIONABLE
Keegan Murray, SAC (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
Alex Caruso, CHI (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate – Domantas Sabonis ($10,600) and Jalen Brunson ($10,000).
Sabonis finally saw his double-double streak end Tuesday against the Thunder, but he still offers plenty of upside given his typically robust stat lines and could see a normal allotment of minutes given Sacramento still has a thin chance at getting to the No. 6 seed.
Brunson has scored at least 59.7 FD points in four straight games, and with New York trying to hold on to the No. 3 seed at minimum, he could be in for a typical amount of playing time.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($9,800)
Fox posted 55.6 FD points against the Thunder on Tuesday and has the upside of a five-figure-salary player, which should keep him very popular Thursday.
Zion Williamson, NOP ($8,900)
Williamson scored 65.5 FD points two games ago, and he should have a chance to be highly rostered at his salary on such a compact slate.
Deandre Ayton, POR ($8,700)
Ayton is more or less the last man standing in Portland and is averaging 51.5 FD points in his last four games, which could make him the most popular center on the slate Thursday.
DeMar DeRozan, CHI ($8,600)
DeRozan continues to offer one of the safest floors of any player in his salary range and is averaging 43.3 FD points per contest in his last eight games.
Fred VanVleet, HOU ($8,300)
VanVleet's recent body of work – he's scored 42.3 to 59.6 FD points in four of his last five contests – should help keep him very highly rostered at his salary.
Key Values
Scoot Henderson, POR vs. GSW ($6,900)
Besides Ayton, Henderson is one of the other primary sources of production left on the injury-ravaged Trail Blazers, and the rookie has picked up his game of late by averaging 33.5 FD points per contest in his last 11 games. That sample includes a pair of tallies over 40 FD points, including in his most recent game against the Pelicans on Tuesday. Henderson's shot is still a work in progress, but he's shooting a solid 36.5 percent from behind the arc during that span and now faces a Warriors team he's shot 44.4 percent against in three games this season, a marked improvement from the sub-38.0 percent figure he's clocked against all other opponents. Golden State is surrendering 38.6 percent three-point shooting to point guards as well, along with 48.1 FD points per contest to ones in the last 15 games.
Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA vs. HOU ($5,600)
Much like Henderson, Horton-Tucker is enjoying a more prominent role with the Jazz now missing four key players. The veteran is seeing expanded minutes with the shooting guard depth chart particularly depleted, and Horton-Tucker has parlayed the extra opportunity into totals of 27.1 and 32.6 FD points across an average of 29 minutes in his last two games. He's also exceeded 30 FD points on 11 occasions this season, so the upside is certainly there at his very reasonable salary if he continues to see the boost in playing time.
Javonte Green, CHI at DET ($5,000)
Green has stepped into a starting role over the last two games after producing a whopping 50.1 FD points three games ago off the bench, and he's responded by averaging 30.3 FD points on 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over that pair of turns with the first unit. The fifth-year veteran should have a chance for another solid allotment of playing time Thursday against a Pistons team that's allowed 47.3 percent shooting, including 38.9 percent from behind the arc, to small forwards, as well as the second-most FD points per game to the position (45.0) in the last 15 contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Payton Pritchard, BOS vs. NYK ($5,300); Dillon Brooks, HOU at UTA ($4,800)
