This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a trio of Game 3 clashes Thursday, and two of those involve series that are knotted at 1-1. We're once again blessed with an extremely light injury report, giving us a solid player pool to work with relative to the number of teams in action.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, 4/24 at 11:00 a.m. EDT:
New York Knicks (-1.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 214.0)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-9.5) at Memphis Grizzlies (O/U: 227.0)
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (-5) (O/U: 213.0)
Thursday's betting lines each tell their own story and theoretically have solid ground beneath them given there's now two games of sample size to work with in each series.
The Knicks-Pistons spread is arguably the most eye-catching, considering the road venue for New York and the fact Detroit was able to carve out a split in the Big Apple.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are what could be considered modest favorites by their standards, as oddsmakers clearly anticipate Memphis giving OKC what may be the toughest game of the series as they try to avoid falling into an 0-3 series hole in front of the home crowd.
Finally, the Clippers would be what would have to be considered fairly heavy favorites, as they've proven to oddsmakers and the public that they match up very well with Denver in any setting and now will have the home crowd behind them.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Michael Porter, DEN (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Porter can't suit up, Peyton Watson could draw a start at small forward.
Other notable injuries:
Isaiah Stewart, DET (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($11,800) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200).
Jokic has scored 67.8 and 56.2 FD points in the first two games of the series, playing 46 and 43 minutes in those contests. Given how close the first two games have been, he should be a lock for another full workload Thursday.
SGA recorded 48.1 FD points in 38 minutes in Game 2, which was exponentially more competitive in Game 1. Considering Game 3 is in Memphis and the Grizzlies are in desperation mode, he could be in for even more involvement and minutes Thursday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Cade Cunningham, DET ($9,700)
Cunningham put up 52.9 FD points in Game 2 and has the upside of a five-figure-salary player, which will keep him very popular Thursday.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,500)
Towns turned in a Game 2 dud (20.2 FD points), but his 61.7 FD points from Game 1 and his overall upside will keep him very popular on the small slate.
James Harden, LAC ($9,400)
Harden's production went down in Game 2, but he posted 56.7 FD points in Game 1 and will undoubtedly have a major role as the series shifts to Los Angeles.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($9,000)
Kawhi was the star of Game 2 with a 58.1 FD-point tally, and with the series now in Los Angeles, both he and Harden could have stellar production in what should be another hard-fought game.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,600)
Brunson's salary is significantly discounted, especially after he scored 47.4 and 51.1 FD points in the first two games of the series, and he should therefore be very highly rostered.
Key Values
Tobias Harris, DET vs. NYK ($6,600)
Harris has been the veteran leader the Pistons need during the first two games of the series, posting tallies of 37.2 and 34.1 FD points while averaging 20.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest on 58.3 percent shooting, including 55.6 percent from behind the arc. Harris has logged a whopping 40 and 43 minutes in that first pair of contests and averaged 12.0 shots per game, and as long as he can maintain that level of efficiency – which is supported by the fact he also shot very well against New York during the regular season – he could pay big dividends again on what is a very reasonable salary.
Aaron Gordon, DEN at LAC ($6,100)
Gordon has opened the series with a pair of solid showings, supplying 39.1 and 21.7 FD points in his first two games and shooting 48.1 percent overall. With Michael Porter questionable for Thursday's game, Gordon's potential value climbs even higher, as he averages 30.7 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammate on the floor. Gordon has encouragingly averaged 13.5 shot attempts per contest with Porter on the floor in the first two games, so he figures to have a solid level of offensive usage irrespective of the latter's availability Thursday.
Norman Powell, LAC vs. DEN ($5,200)
Powell can be rostered for a bargain salary Thursday, making him a very viable tournament consideration that is likely to be extremely popular. The veteran marksman hasn't been at his sharpest in the first two games of the series, but Powell has still managed to average 24.6 FD points and has drained 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts in that sample. He's also contributed four total steals – three in Game 2 – to help boost his production, and with plenty of attention undoubtedly set to be bestowed on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, Powell could once again get his share of good looks at the basket Thursday.
ALSO CONSIDER: Malik Beasley, DET vs. NYK ($5,300)
