This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
A series that started with two upset wins by the Timberwolves at Ball Arena has changed dramatically over the subsequent trio of contests, with Minnesota losing three straight and now facing elimination. The defending champion Nuggets will be looking to close out the series in enemy territory, where they figure to have to deal with desperate hosts hoping to earn themselves one more trip back to the Rockies.
With only one matchup, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters comprised as follows:
MVP- (Garners points at 2x the normal rate)
STAR- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
PRO- (Garners points at 1.2x the normal rate)
Two 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 the two utility spots is undoubtedly key, as it enables you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, May 16 @ 12:00 a.m. EDT:
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves (-2.5) (O/U: 203.0)
Oddsmakers certainly appear to have some faith in Minnesota, given its slim favorite status despite the blowout loss in Game 5. The T-Wolves are only 20-23-2 ATS at home since the start of the regular season, but the Nuggets are an equally unimpressive 20-24-1 against the number on the road in that same span.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Jamal Murray, DEN (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Murray is likely to continue playing through his questionable tag after doing so on multiple occasions in the first round, but if he were to unexpectedly sit, Reggie Jackson would be due for a start at point guard.
Mike Conley, MIN (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
If Conley misses a second straight game, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who posted 28.9 FD points in a Game 5 spot start, would be back on the first unit.
Elite Players
The two highest-salaried players on the slate are Nikola Jokic ($16,500) and Anthony Edwards ($15,000).
Jokic just put up a postseason-high 76.9 FD points across 41 minutes in Game 5, and he's eclipsed 60 FD points in three straight games overall. Given his upside, he's the clear-cut best candidate for the top multiplier spot.
Edwards' production has fluctuated throughout the series, but he does have a pair of 60+ FD-point tallies against Denver already and will undoubtedly be heavily involved as the Timberwolves try to stave off elimination.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Jamal Murray ($13,500), Karl-Anthony Towns ($13,000), Rudy Gobert ($12,500) and Aaron Gordon ($12,000) should also be very popular. All three make for great options in the STAR or PRO slots.
Murray posted just 24.2 FD points in Game 5, but he's also posted at least 40 in two other contests and will undoubtedly be highly rostered.
Towns has scored over 40 FD points in two of five games in the series and is shooting 51.4 percent, including 52.2 percent from three-point range, over that span as well.
Gobert is having trouble containing Jokic, but he's made some solid contributions in his own right with tallies of 38.1 and 46.7 FD points in two of the four games he's played in the series.
Gordon may be one of the best fantasy-point-per-dollar values on the slate again after shooting 66.0 percent, including 61.5 percent from three-point range, on his way to an average of 35 FD points in the first five games of the series. He'll be very highly rostered at his salary on the one-game slate.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Michael Porter, DEN ($11,500)
Porter has seen a drop in salary after back-to-back poor games where he produced 11.1 and 19.9 FD points. However, the talented wing averaged 29 FD points across the first three games of the series while shooting 47.4 percent from behind the arc, and that upside naturally hasn't just evaporated. Porter has exceeded 34 FD points on six occasions overall this postseason, and given his prior body of work, he could well be in line for a bounce-back performance.
Mike Conley, MIN ($10,500) or Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN ($9,000)
Alexander-Walker will draw the start at point guard if Conley misses another game, and he posted 28.9 FD points in that capacity in Game 5. For his part, Conley averaged 29.6 FD points in the first four games of the series while shooting 38.9 percent from distance, giving him plenty of upside if he's healthy enough to take the floor.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DEN ($10,000)
