This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have another two-game playoff slate on tap Tuesday night, with one potential elimination game on tap and a critical key Game 5 of a Nuggets-Thunder series that's knotted at 2-2. There's one significant injury looming over the slate in that of Donovan Mitchell as well, and his availability or lack thereof will determine plenty in terms of lineup construction.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, May 13 @12:30 a.m. ET:
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5) (O/U: 229.0)
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-10.5) (O/U: 221.0)
The Pacers-Cavaliers line is definitely the most eye-catching of the two Tuesday, as Cleveland is a solid favorite despite the potential absence of Donovan Mitchell. Oddsmakers appear to be putting some faith in Mitchell, who's considered a game-time decision, taking the floor, but both the spread and total will naturally change significantly if he's ruled out.
The Thunder's sizable projected advantage is a bit eye-opening as well, considering Denver has already recorded two wins in the series and one of their two losses came by five points. Yet, it appears there's no shortage of faith OKC will seize control in front of the home crowd, and it's worth noting they notched a 43-point victory that last time the two teams met on the Paycom Center floor back 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.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Mitchell can't play, Sam Merrill may draw the start at shooting guard while Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus would all be due for bumps in usage.
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($11,500) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600).
Jokic has eclipsed 50 FD points in each of the last two games of the series despite shooting struggles, and he also opened with 79.4 FD points in Game 1. Given his usual offensive efficiency and ultra-safe floor, he remains one of the slate's most coveted plays despite the sky-high salary.
SGA opened the series with 65 FD points and has followed up with 44.2 to 49.1 FD points in the subsequent three contests, giving him an extremely safe floor at his salary.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,300)
If Mitchell is somehow cleared to play, the star guard should be very popular after posting 77.5 and 62.3 FD points in Games 2 and 3, his last two non-injury-shortened contests.
Jalen Williams, OKC ($8,200)
Williams has scored 37.3 to 41.4 FD points in three of the first four games of the series and should be highly rostered as usual due to his reliability.
Evan Mobley, CLE ($7,900)
Mobley is likely to be highly rostered under any circumstance after scoring 57.6 FD points two games ago, and even more so if Mitchell is ruled out.
Chet Holmgren, OKC ($7,600)
Holmgren dipped to 21.6 FD points in Game 4, but he'd scored 35.2 to 46.2 FD points in the previous three games and offers more upside than his salary implies.
Pascal Siakam, IND ($6,800)
A sub-$7K salary is a rarity when it comes to Siakam, who's eclipsed 33 FD points in two of the first four games of the series and is shooting 59.6 percent, including 45.5 percent from three-point range.
Key Values
Aaron Gordon, DEN at OKC ($6,700)
Gordon is averaging 35.5 FD points over the first four games of the series, shooting an outstanding 54.5 percent from behind the arc in that span. The floor-spacing forward has a pair of double-doubles as well, and he's taken double-digit shot attempts in every game. Gordon's ability to mostly remain consistent offensively against the Thunder's elite defense affords him a relatively safe floor, and the Game 5 context of a deadlocked series should certainly ensure he'll remain aggressive as Denver looks to take a one-game lead in enemy territory.
Darius Garland, CLE vs. IND ($6,500)
Garland stepped up in Game 4 with Mitchell exiting early due to his ankle injury, providing 31.2 FD points over 27 minutes with the help of 6-for-11 shooting from the field. Garland had also averaged 39.1 and 35.9 FD points in the first two games of the first-round series against Miami before sustaining a big toe sprain, so he's had a productive postseason overall. Garland also boasts a team-high 30.8 percent usage and averages 46.9 FD points per 36 minutes with Mitchell off the floor since the start of the regular season, so he'll be an especially valuable play if his star backcourt mate's absence comes to pass.
Myles Turner, IND at CLE ($6,300)
Turner is having a highly productive postseason overall, as he'll enter Tuesday with averages of 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.3 blocks on 51.5 percent shooting, including 44.7 percent from behind the arc. That's led to Turner supplying 34.6 FD points per contest in nine playoff games so far, and against Cleveland's typically stingy defense, he's shooting 57.1 percent from three-point range over the first four games. With a series-clinching scenario in front of Indiana on Tuesday, Turner should remain a rewarding value play considering his salary has remained in the low $6K range despite his production.
ALSO CONSIDER: Max Strus, CLE vs. IND ($5,500); Michael Porter, DEN at OKC ($5,200)
