This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The Knicks showed plenty of fight in Game 5 on their home floor, forcing the series back to Indiana for tonight's clash. The Pacers still hold the clear advantage, but oddsmakers are expecting a very tight contest.
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 and top players headed for heavy roster rates, there are strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding value plays for utility spots is 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.
Try our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
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 Saturday, 5/31 @ 12:00 a.m. EDT:
New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers (-3.5) (O/U: 219.0)
The Knicks forged a 17-point win in Game 5 while Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 56 points, a reminder of what New York is capable of when both players are clicking. The upside of both stars keeps the Knicks competitive in any scenario, so the tight 3.5-point spread isn't surprising.
The projected total is in the usual range it's been in all series. The most recent game in Indiana finished with 251 total points, but three others have seen 223 points or less on the scoreboard.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Tony Bradley, IND (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
The players with the three highest MVP salaries on Saturday's slate are Jalen Brunson ($21,900), Tyrese Haliburton ($21,600) and Karl-Anthony Towns ($18,600).
Brunson has now had impressive back-to-back games, averaging 46.2 standard FD points while shooting 56.8 percent, including 46.2 percent from three-point range. The star guard has only had one somewhat disappointing game in the series, so he continues to be worthy of the highest MVP salary of the slate.
Haliburton saw a significant downturn in Game 5 after coming off a memorable Game 4 performance that saw him accumulate 80.9 standard FD points on the strength of a 32-point, 15-assist, 12 rebound triple-double without any turnovers, an NBA playoff first. Haliburton took just seven shots in Game 5 and mustered 28.4 standard FD points – a series low – yet he naturally has the talent to bounce right back, especially on his home floor.
Towns played through his knee issue in Game 5 and eclipsed 40 FD points for the second straight game, and he doesn't carry an injury designation into Game 6.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Pascal Siakam ($10,600), Myles Turner ($8,000) and OG Anunoby ($7,800) should also be very popular.
Siakam has scored 36.7 to 51.5 standard FD points in four of the first five games of the series, a level of production that should certainly keep him very popular at his salary.
Turner has totaled only 23.1 and 15.4 FD points in the last two games, but he'd generated 28 to 36.3 FD points in the first three contests of the series and has been a steady contributor throughout the postseason.
Anunoby managed only 23.8 FD points in 33 minutes during Game 5, but he'd scored 28.5 to 41.3 FD points in the first four games of the series while shooting 49.0 percent, which should keep him highly rostered at his salary.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Josh Hart, NYK ($7,000)
Hart had scored 28 and 21.7 FD points in his first two games after shifting to the bench, but he bounced back with a signature performance in Game 5 that netted 33 FD points. The veteran wing provided a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double with four assists and two steals, taking a series-high eight shot attempts in the process. Hart had also opened the series with 36.1 FD points in Game 1, and going into the ECF, he'd averaged 34.5 FD points over 12 postseason games while shooting 47.8 percent, including 41.9 percent from behind the arc. He also logged at least 34 minutes for the third straight contest Thursday despite the second-unit role, and with New York facing a second straight elimination scenario, he should once again see a full workload and have a good chance of filling up the stat sheet once more.
Mikal Bridges, NYK ($6,800)
Bridges bounced back to a degree in Game 5 after back-to-back inefficient performances, draining 50.0 percent of his 12 shot attempts and tying his series high with five assists on his way to 25.1 FD points across 34 minutes. The talented wing has averaged 28.1 FD points over the first five games of the series while averaging a robust 39.2 minutes per contest. Bridges is also averaging 15.8 shot attempts per game in that span, and he should have plenty of opportunities to deliver a solid return on the modest investment required to roster him.
Bennedict Mathurin, IND ($1,800)
Mathurin has suddenly sprung into relevance over the last two games, posting 25.4 and 30.8 FD points in those contests while averaging 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists and shooting 61.1 percent. Mathurin had only averaged 10.4 minutes per contest in the previous five games, but earlier in the postseason he'd scored over 20 FD points in the first three contests of the semifinal round against the Cavaliers. Given the results of Mathurin's increased opportunity in this series and his minuscule salary, he's certainly worthy of consideration for tournament play.
ALSO CONSIDER: Aaron Nesmith, IND ($5,200); Mitchell Robinson, NYK ($4,000)
