This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After yet another Pacers postseason late-game masterpiece to kick off what already looks like will be a nail-biter of a series, we're set for Game 2 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. The atmosphere should be electric given the circumstances, and with the likelihood of another wire-to-wire battle, there should be several prolific individual performances on tap once again that will help determine the outcome of DFS contests.
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 on multi-game slates and top players inevitably headed for heavy rostering, there are definitely strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for some of utility spots is undoubtedly 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.
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Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, 5/23 @11:30 a.m. ET:
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks (-6) (O/U: 224.5)
The fact the Knicks are favored on their home floor despite Wednesday night's Game 1 outcome isn't a surprise, but the amount of points the Pacers are getting does seem a bit on the elevated side. Nevertheless, despite their multiple fourth-quarter and overtime surges this postseason, the Pacers have been taken a pair of double-digit playoff losses in the first two rounds, so a big New York bounce-back performance is certainly within the range of outcomes.
The total seems fitting given 273 total points were scored in Game 1, including 250 in regulation. The Over is notably 7-4 in Indiana's playoff games to date, and it carries a slightly worse 6-6-1 mark in New York's postseason contests.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Elite Players
The players with the three highest MVP salaries on Friday's slate are Jalen Brunson ($21,300), Tyrese Haliburton ($20,700) and Karl-Anthony Towns ($18,900).
Brunson went off for 43 actual points in Game 1, but he finished with just 44.7 standard FD points anyhow thanks to seven turnovers. Yet, the star guard certainly carries as much upside as any player on either side, and a more efficient performance from the ball-security standpoint could make him the player you have to have in the 1.5x multiplier spot to win a tournament.
Haliburton outscored Brunson fantasy-wise in Game 1 courtesy of his second straight game with 31 actual points and an 11-assist tally. Haliburton tallied 53.3 standard FD points overall after contributing 52.2 in the decisive Game 5 win over the Cavs and has eclipsed 50 in four playoff games overall.
Towns was masterful in Game 1 on his way to 57.4 standard FD points via a 35-point, 12-rebound double-double. The floor-spacing big man went an impressive 4-for-8 from three-point range, and if he remains hot on the boards and from distance, he could overdeliver on a salary that isn't truly befitting his upside.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Pascal Siakam ($10,600), Josh Hart ($9,200), Myles Turner ($9,000) and OG Anunoby ($8,400) should also be very popular.
Siakam has scored 34.7 to 44.1 FD points in his last three playoff games and is shooting 53.5 percent overall this postseason, giving him a floor that should keep him very popular at his salary Friday.
Hart's stat-sheet-stuffing ways typically make him a very safe mid-salary play, and he's carrying a streak of three straight games with at least 34 FD points into Friday's contest.
Turner has only had one dud during Indiana's 11-game postseason run and is averaging 33.5 FD points while shooting 43.2 percent from behind the arc, numbers that should help keep his roster rate high Friday.
Anunoby's couple of postseason clunkers aside, he presents very good value on this slate at his salary after scoring 37.6 FD points in Game 1 and averaging 30.9 overall in New York's 13 playoff games to date.
Key Values
The following players are strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Mikal Bridges, NYK ($8,000)
Bridges opened the series in fine fashion, providing 36.7 FD points across 46 minutes while going 8-for-16 from the floor. The versatile wing has dipped just below 20 FD points on two occasions this postseason, but otherwise, Bridges has scored at least 33 FD points in seven instances and is doing a fine job rounding out his production on the defensive end of the floor with 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest. He's regularly logging minutes in the high 30s and up as well, so he could certainly pay strong dividends at his salary Friday.
Andrew Nembhard, IND ($6,800)
Nembhard had a well-rounded Game 1, totaling 22.8 FD points with a crisp 60.0 percent shooting performance and a 15-point, four-rebound, four-assist tally. The third-year wing surprisingly didn't record any defensive stats, but Nembhard has been doing a fine job supplementing his numbers on that end of the floor with an average of 1.3 steals per contest. Nembhard is shooting 51.1 percent from long range during Indiana's 11 playoff games as well, and he could outpace his Game 1 efforts fairly easily if he gets back to logging at least a couple of pilfers and is a touch more active from long range.
Aaron Nesmith, IND ($6,400)
Nesmith's hot hand was one of the driving forces behind the Pacers' latest late-game fireworks, as the veteran finished with 30 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including a scorching 8-for-9 tally from beyond the arc, in Game 1. Six of those threes came within the final five minutes of regulation, and if Nesmith can carry over some of that momentum into Friday, he can overdeliver handsomely on his salary again. He totaled 41.4 FD points in Game 1 – his second playoff game with more than 41 FD points – and he's averaging 29.8 per contest overall during Indiana's playoff run while also recording a pair of double-doubles and supplying 6.1 boards per game.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mitchell Robinson, NYK ($3,200); T.J. McConnell, IND ($2,800)
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