This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a third consecutive three-game NBA Playoffs slate Thursday night, with a trio of critical Game 3 matchups on tap. Both the Nets and Warriors will be looking to avoid a virtually insurmountable three-game deficit on their home floor, while the Suns will look to build on their Game 2 victory as their series with the Clippers shifts to Crypto.com Arena.
Slate Overview
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We have our biggest collection of narrow spreads yet this week, as there is no line greater than the 5.5 points the Warriors are favored by as of early Thursday.
The tight lines are always an encouraging sign for DFS purposes, as is the fact the two Western Conference showdowns carry projected totals of 227 points (Suns-Clippers) and 239 points (Kings-Warriors) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Paul George, LAC (knee): OUT
In George's continued absence, Eric Gordon should draw another start at shooting guard, while Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook should see elevated usage.
Draymond Green, GSW (suspension): OUT
With Green unavailable, Jonathan Kuminga could draw a start at power forward.
Andrew Wiggins, GSW (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Wiggins isn't able to suit up, Donte DiVincenzo could draw the start at small forward.
Other notable injuries:
Jordan Poole, GSW (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Gary Payton, GSW (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate – Joel Embiid ($11,200), Kawhi Leonard ($10,600), Kevin Durant ($10,400) and De'Aaron Fox ($10,000).
Embiid jumped up to 57.3 FD points across 37 minutes in Game 2 and notably boosted his rebounds from a Game 1 total of five to 19 in the process, and he should naturally once again have an outsized role Thursday.
Leonard has been outstanding over the first two games of the series, shooting 54.5 percent, including 60.0 percent from three-point range, and averaging 55.8 FD points per contest.
Durant opened the series with 62.3 FD points and saw that figure tumble to 43.7 in Game 2, but although he's shooting a crisp 50.0 percent overall in the first pair of contests, he's knocked down his three-point attempts at a sub-standard 27.3 percent clip.
Fox scored 52.7 and 56.5 FD points in the first two games of the series, leading to his bump into the five-figure range. The star point guard has notably augmented his overall production with seven steals over that span.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,900)
Booker is averaging 50.2 FD points over the first two games of the series while shooting 58.5 percent, which should help keep him very popular Thursday.
Stephen Curry, GSW ($9,400)
Curry has yet to clear 40 FD points in the first two games of the series, but he's shooting a solid 48.8 percent overall and should be even more aggressive than usual with the Warriors down two games.
James Harden, PHI ($9,200)
Harden had an off night in Game 2 with only 31.5 FD points, but his upside and 46.3 FD-point performance in Game 1 should keep him in plenty of lineups Thursday.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,000)
Sabonis is averaging 38.5 FD points per contest in the first two games and should naturally remain a popular choice for either cash games or tournaments at his salary.
Russell Westbrook, LAC ($8,700)
Westbrook bounced back from an abysmal shooting night in Game 1 to go 9-for-16 from the field and collect 44.5 FD points across 36 minutes.
Key Values
Malik Monk, SAC at GSW ($6,000)
Monk has been a true offensive force off the bench in the series' first two games, averaging 34.1 FD points while shooting 50.0 percent, including 45.5 percent from three-point range. The talented guard has encouragingly logged 29 and 31 minutes in the first pair of contests while averaging a robust 14 shot attempts per game, and although the Warriors are typically a much different defensive team on their home floor, they rank No. 19 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to second-unit players (41.4) and also allowed a pair of tallies of greater than 40 FD points to Monk during the regular season.
Torrey Craig, PHO AT LAC ($5,500)
Craig has been a surprising source of scoring for the Suns in the first two games, contributing 18.5 points per contest on his way to 30.3 and 29.6 FD points in those contests. He's seen a salary bump after Game 2, but just by a few hundred dollars, and given how well he's thrived in the matchup, he still could overdeliver by an appreciable degree Thursday. Craig's blistering hot hand – he's shot 71.4 percent, including 58.3 percent from three-point range – is one befitting a much higher salary, and the fact the Clippers are surrendering the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards since the start of the regular season (27.6) and are now surrendering 49.7 percent shooting to the position only strengthens Craig's case.
Jonathan Kuminga, GSW vs. SAC ($3,900)
As mentioned previously, Kuminga could get the starting call at power forward with Green suspended, and he exceeded 20 FD points in 12 of 16 starting opportunities this past regular season. That sample included six tallies greater than 30 FD points, outstanding returns for Kuminga's current salary. The Kings make for appealing targets from a positional perspective as well, as Sacramento is allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards since the start of the regular season (27.5) and finished the campaign surrendering 46.8 FD points per contest to PFs in the final 15 games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Cameron Johnson, BKN vs. PHI ($6,300); Harrison Barnes, SAC at GSW ($5,900); Kevin Huerter, SAC at GSW ($4,600)
