This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a two-game playoff slate Friday night as we inch closer to the second round. Tonight's series represent the final two first-round battles, with the Warriors and Lakers primed to move on if they can notch home victories.
Slate Overview
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As of Friday morning, the Warriors and Lakers are favored by 7.5 and 4.5 points, respectively, at FanDuel Sportsbook.
There's a notable disparity in projected totals, as the Sacramento-Golden State tilt's 236 points significantly outpaces the Memphis-Los Angeles clash's projected figure of 219.5. Both numbers are in line with the history of each series, as the latter has been a much more defense-centric set so far.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Luke Kennard, MEM (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Kennard sits, John Konchar would likely be in line to absorb the majority of backup shooting guard minutes.
Other notable injuries:
LeBron James, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Dennis Schroder, LAL (Achilles): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Anthony Davis ($11,500), LeBron James ($10,700), Ja Morant ($10,500) and De'Aaron Fox ($10,000).
Davis is fully expected to play through his foot injury and bounced back from a forgettable Game 4 to post a 31-point, 19-rebound double-double Wednesday that netted 63.3 FD points across 35 minutes.
James, who's also poised to play through his probable designation as usual, dipped to 35.5 FD points in that same game, but he's exceeded 50 in three of the other four contests in the series.
Morant, like Davis, also experienced a resurgent Game 5 by turning in a 31-point, 10-rebound effort en route to 54.5 FD points over 38 minutes.
Fox played through his finger fracture Wednesday and totaled 48.9 FD points in 42 minutes, though his shooting appeared notably hampered considering his 9-for-25 tally from the field.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Stephen Curry, GSW ($9,500)
Curry has scored over 30 actual points in three straight games and has managed at least 40.4 FD points in those matchups.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,300)
Sabonis has posted over 40 FD points over three straight and should remain highly popular considering how thin center always is on a small slate.
Desmond Bane, MEM ($8,600)
Bane is shooting 50.0 percent from his last two games, leading to an average of 49.7 FD points.
Jaren Jackson, MEM ($8,400)
Jackson ran into some foul trouble back in Game 3, but has been highly reliable otherwise while posting 37 to 51 FD points in the other four games against the Lakers.
Key Values
Austin Reaves, LAL vs. MEM ($6,600)
Reaves has met the postseason moment admirably, averaging 31.6 FD points across the first five games of the series while shooting an impressive 40.0 percent from three-point range. The Lakers haven't shied from increasingly turning to Reaves as a dependable source of complementary scoring, as he's averaging a solid 12.8 shot attempts per contest. Reaves scored 36.8 FD points in his most recent home game and could once again overdeliver on what is still a very reasonable salary.
Malik Monk, SAC at GSW ($6,500)
Somewhat similar to Reaves, Monk has stepped up with some excellent backcourt contributions against the Warriors. The veteran registered one dud in Game 3 where he went 1-for-9 from the field, but he's scored 31.7 to 36.6 FD points over the other four outings and has supplemented his production with a pair of steals apiece in the last two. Monk is also averaging a robust 28.4 minutes off the bench thus far and should be heavily involved again Friday with Sacramento trying to stave off elimination.
D'Angelo Russell, LAL vs. MEM ($6,000)
Reaves' success has sometimes come at the expense of Russell's opportunities, and the latter also hasn't helped his cause with a particularly inefficient 36.8 percent shooting during the series. However, Russell has still found a way to exceed 30 FD points in three of the first five games against the Grizzlies, and he just generated his first double-double of the postseason in Game 5 (11 points, 10 assists). With Los Angeles looking to close things out, Russell, who's still averaging a solid 13.8 shot attempts per contest against Memphis despite his offensive struggles, should have plenty of opportunity to approach or exceed a 5x return on salary once again.
ALSO CONSIDER: Harrison Barnes, SAC at GSW ($5,300)
