This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After an exciting Play-In Round, we're finally set for the start of the playoffs with four first-round games on an all-day Saturday slate. Fortunately, the injury report is very light, and the few players are on it are thought to have a good chance of taking the floor. With eight teams in action, we have the equivalent of a compact Tuesday or Thursday regular-season ledger, for example, which affords us plenty of options across the salary cap to build lineups with.
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.
As of late Friday, point spreads are all across the spectrum, with the Kings checking in as the slimmest favorites (-1) and the Celtics (-9) as the largest. Projected totals are a mix of low and high as well – two games are under 220 points, while the other pair is above 230 points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Julius Randle, NYK (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Randle is believed to have an excellent chance of making his first appearance since March 29, but his status likely won't be officially known until pregame warmups. If he were to sit out, Obi Toppin and Jericho Sims would be direct beneficiaries, while the likes of Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett would see bumps in usage.
Other notable injuries:
None
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Joel Embiid ($11,800), Jayson Tatum ($11,000) and Stephen Curry ($10,200).
Embiid will be very well rested after having last played April 6. The big man averaged 31.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals across 36 minutes in two games against the Nets this season.
Tatum sat out two of the last three games of the regular season to rest some nagging hip soreness, and he only played 20 minutes in the one contest he suited up for in the sample. The time off should have certainly done him some good in that regard, and he'll be facing a Hawks squad he averaged 26.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 blocks against the Hawks in two games this season.
Curry put up 46.4 FD points against the Kings in the penultimate game of the regular season and averaged 33.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 58.4 percent, including 50.0 percent from three-point range, across four games versus Sacramento this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,900)
Mitchell scored over 50 FD points in each of his last four regular-season games and averaged 31.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks against the Knicks in four games this season.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,800)
Sabonis scored over 40 FD points in 13 of the last 14 regular-season games he played a standard allotment of minutes in and averaged 21.3 points, 16.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists across three games versus the Warriors this season.
James Harden, PHI ($9,600)
Harden scored 44.8 to 50 FD points in three of the last five games and shot 43.8 percent from behind the arc in two games versus the Nets this regular season.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,500)
Young finished the regular season scoring 46.6 to 63.6 FD points in his last three games before compiling 40.1 against the Heat in Tuesday's Play-In victory.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($9,000)
Fox scored 42.5 to 51 FD points in three of the last four regular-season games in which he played a normal allotment of minutes and has gotten some much-needed rest for the sore ankle that plagued him at the end of the season.
Key Values
Tobias Harris, PHI vs. BKN ($5,900)
Harris' salary is one he's amply proven capable of outpacing this season, including versus the Nets, against which he posted 25.8 and 32.7 FD points in two of three meetings. Brooklyn was also vulnerable to small forwards overall during the regular season, allowing the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to the position (23.6), along with 39.6 percent three-point shooting. Harris was at his most productive at home as well, putting up 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 50.8 percent, including 40.1 percent from three-point range.
Kevin Huerter, SAC vs. GSW ($5,500)
Huerter had one tally of 26 FD points against the Warriors this season and Golden State was inefficient against two-guards, surrendering the fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating to the position (25.0). The Dubs were also highly vulnerable to three-point shooting on the road, surrendering a 39.7 percent success rate in that split, compared to just 33.0 percent at home. Huerter was also far and away at his best at home, where he averaged 17.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 52.3 percent, including 44.8 percent from distance.
Kevon Looney, GSW at SAC ($5,400)
Looney generally enjoyed his encounters with the Kings' frontcourt this season, averaging 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 blocks across 26 minutes per contest. The veteran finished the regular season on a tear as well, averaging 30.2 FD points on the strength of 7.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.9 minutes per contest. Sacramento allowed 53.7 FD points per game to centers in that same span, and the Kings also yielded the third-most points in the paint per home game in the regular season (55.4); in turn, Looney scored a career-high 80.3 percent of his points in that part of the floor.
ALSO CONSIDER: Andrew Wiggins, GSW at SAC ($6,100); Marcus Smart, BOS vs. ATL ($5,800); Saddiq Bey, ATL at BOS ($5,600)
