This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for the two games that will determine the No. 8 seed in each conference on Friday, and given the matchups, they could well be a pair of wire-to-wire affairs. We have an injury report that features some notable names, but each of the three most prominent players on it should have a decent chance of taking the floor.
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 Friday morning, both home teams are solid 5.5-point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook. There are drastic differences between the projected totals of both games, with the Bulls-Heat tilt only checking in at 209 points given the defensive prowess of each club and the Thunder-Timberwolves up to 228.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (personal): PROBABLE
Although Butler missed Thursday's practice for personal reasons, he's fully expected to take the floor Friday.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Towns should play with his nagging calf issue considering he's already played through a questionable designation in recent games.
Rudy Gobert, MIN (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Gobert -- who missed Wednesday's loss to the Lakers due to suspension -- is unable to go Friday, Towns and Taurean Prince would likely be the biggest beneficiaries.
Kyle Lowry, MIA (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Lowry toughed it out Wednesday against the Hawks and scored a season-high 33 points, so he's in line to start Friday. Gabe Vincent (probable-back) is likely to see even more run if Lowry is out.
Other notable injuries:
Jaden McDaniels, MIN (hand): OUT
Jaylen Nowell, MIN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Gabe Vincent, MIA (back): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have one player with a five-figure salary on Friday's slate – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,900).
SGA unsurprisingly helped spearhead the Play-In win over the Pelicans on Wednesday with 52.5 FD points across 41 minutes and averaged 33.7 points (on 52.4 percent shooting, including 46.2 percent from distance), 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.0 block across three games versus the T-Wolves this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jimmy Butler, MIA ($9,900)
Butler struggled with his shot against the Hawks on Wednesday, but he's naturally still expected to be extremely popular on such a small slate ad boasts a ceiling well north of 50 FD points.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN ($9,400)
Towns will be popular under any circumstance after dropping 51.7 FD points against the Lakers on Wednesday, but even more so if Gobert is out.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,000)
Edwards went just 3-for-17 from the floor against the Lakers, but he's a big name who should be in plenty of lineups and posted three tallies of at least 46 FD points in four games against the Thunder this season.
Zach LaVine, CHI ($8,700)
LaVine lit up the Raptors for 49.7 FD points over 40 minutes on Wednesday and was just under 40 FD points in the two matchups against the Heat this year.
Josh Giddey, OKC ($8,400)
Giddey fell just short of a triple-double against the Pelicans on Wednesday on his way to 57.8 FD points in 42 minutes and contributed an effort of more than 50 FD points against the Timberwolves this season.
Key Values
Mike Conley, MIN vs. OKC ($6,500)
Conley kept up his hot play in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers by draining three critical late free throws to send the game into OT and finished with 42.8 FD points across 43 minutes. The veteran guard now faces a Thunder team that allowed 49.2 FD points per game to point guards over the last 15 games of the regular season. Conley should remain heavily involved Friday given the win-or-go home nature of the game and his postseason experience, and a Gobert absence would naturally further boost his involvement.
Luguentz Dort, OKC at MIN ($6,300)
Dort had quite the hot hand against the Pelicans, finishing with a season-high 27 points and 37.5 FD points. He also exceeded 30 FD points four times during the last 14 games of the regular season where he logged at least 30 minutes, and he had one tally of 30.6 FD points against the Timberwolves earlier in the campaign. Minnesota is also allowing the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (23.5) and an elevated 37.5 percent three-point shooting to the position.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN vs. OKC ($4,000)
