This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After a highly eventful trio of Game 3s on Thursday night, the other six squads in the playoff field take their turn Friday. Two teams, the Celtics and Pacers, look to extend their series leads to a likely insurmountable 3-0 in enemy territory, while the Lakers look to carry over their Game 2 momentum into a Game 3 battle at Target Center that will unknot the 1-1 series.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, 4/25 @12:00 a.m. ET:
Boston Celtics (-4.5) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 198.0)
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks (-5) (O/U: 230.5)
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (-3) (O/U: 205.5)
There aren't any major surprises on the betting front Friday, although the Celtics remaining fairly solid favorites despite the fact they expect to be without Jayson Tatum for a second straight game is perhaps mildly surprising.
Meanwhile, the Bucks' status as home favorites despite losing the first two games of the series isn't necessarily unexpected, considering they played much more competitively in Game 2 and were 27-14 at home this season.
Finally, the T-Wolves are fittingly modest favorites at home in a series that's had two fairly disparate outcomes so far, and the modest projected total is clearly a byproduct of the 179 total points scored in Game 2.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jayson Tatum, BOS (wrist): DOUBTFUL
In Tatum's likely absence, Al Horford is likely to remain in the starting five while Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis will be set for significant bumps in usage.
Other notable injuries:
Jrue Holiday, BOS (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate - Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,600) and Luka Doncic ($10,800).
Antetokounmpo has scored 55.9 and 65.1 FD points in the first two games of the series, and with Milwaukee at home and looking to avoid an 0-3 series hole, there's no question the big man will have an outsized role once again.
Doncic has shaken off some lackluster regular-season showings against Minnesota to produce 49.1 and 57.9 FD points in the first two games of the series, and he's naturally locked into a very high-usage role that makes him very safe at his salary.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($9,900)
Banchero has unsurprisingly been spearheading the Magic's efforts through the first two games and has scored 57.2 and 59.3 FD points in those contests, which is production worthy of a five-figure salary.
LeBron James, LAL ($9,400)
LeBron eclipsed 40 FD points in each of the first two games of the series and boasts an extremely safe floor, which will guarantee a very high roster rate.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,200)
Edwards mustered just 30.2 FD points in Game 2, but his upside, name value and the fact he recorded 47.1 FD points in Game 1 should all combine to get him in plenty of lineups.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,500)
Brown recorded 55.5 FD points in Game 2 and is expected to take the floor without Jayson Tatum for the second straight game, which should ensure his popularity.
Franz Wagner, ORL ($8,200)
Wagner is the other primary source of offensive production for the Magic besides Banchero and has 38.1 and 39.8 FD points in the first pair of contests in the series.
Key Values
Bobby Portis, MIL vs. IND ($6,500)
Portis surged back in a big way in Game 2 after a lackluster series opener, compiling 46.9 FD points after managing just 12.6 in 25 minutes in Game 1. The big difference was an increase of 11 shot attempts over the series opener, when he'd put the ball up just eight times from the field. The big man had also averaged 33.2 FD points on 12.7 shot attempts per game over the last three contests of the regular season after returning from a 25-game suspension, so his low usage in the series opener is almost certainly going to prove to be an outlier. With Milwaukee already in desperation mode, Portis should be in for another busy night.
Andrew Nembhard, IND at MIL ($5,600)
Nembhard has been extremely efficient over the first two games of the series, scoring 17 points apiece while shooting 60.9 percent, including 50.0 percent from three-point range. The versatile wing has added 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals to his solid offensive production, and he's clearly found his rhythm against Milwaukee's defensive approach. With an average of 11.5 shot attempts per game thus far in the series, we'll bank on Nembhard keeping up the usage and production at what is still a very reasonable salary.
Al Horford, BOS at ORL ($5,500)
Horford should be in the starting five again Friday due to Jayson Tatum's expected absence due to a wrist injury. The big man played 32 minutes in Game 2 with Tatum out and nearly furnished a double-double, totaling nine points and 10 rebounds on his way to 24.5 FD points. Horford actually has drawn 43 starts since the beginning of the regular season and usually has taken advantage of the opportunity, averaging 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while averaging 25.7 FD points per contest. Another workload of minutes in the low 30s is likely for Horford on Friday, giving him a solid chance to deliver a strong return on a modest salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Wendell Carter, ORL vs. BOS ($5,000); Brook Lopez, MIL vs. IND ($4,600)
