This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The Pacers course-corrected after their brief Game 3 stumble, winning Game 4 to put them just one more victory away from punching their Finals tickets. Indiana doesn't lack for confidence or offense, and the pace of play has helped DFS players by generating several standout individual performances in the first four games.
With only one matchup, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters comprised as follows:
MVP- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
Five Utility spots- (Garner points at normal rate)
With salaries also being different than in conventional FanDuel contests and top players headed for heavy rostering, there are strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for utility spots is key, as it enables you to roster a superstar in the MVP slot, where salaries for the chosen player are 1.5x higher than if you were rostering them in a Utility spot.
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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.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, 5/29 @ 12:00 a.m. EDT:
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks (-4) (O/U: 222.5)
The Knicks' status as modest home favorites is to be expected, considering New York's sense of urgency and the environment that awaits at Madison Square Garden. Nevertheless, Indiana has already proven it's not fazed by the MSG crowd, and Tom Thibodeau's squad is only 3-5 straight up at home in the postseason thus far. Additionally, if Karl-Anthony Towns were to be ruled out due to his knee injury, this number will naturally change.
The projected total may once again prove to be too modest after the two teams scored 251 total points in Game 4. Game 1 at MSG also finished with 271 points, including 250 in regulation, so there's some precedent for a robust offensive showcase.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Although Towns is likely to play in this potential elimination game, he'd be spelled by Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa at center. The usage for Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby would all shoot up considerably without Towns on the floor.
Elite Players
The players with the three highest MVP salaries on Thursday's slate are Jalen Brunson ($21,900), Tyrese Haliburton ($21,600) and Karl-Anthony Towns ($19,200).
Brunson bounced back in noteworthy fashion in Game 4 after his underwhelming Game 3 performance, producing 46.9 standard FD points despite taking only one more shot attempt (19) than in the prior contest. Brunson is also carrying a 33.6 percent usage rate and average of 45.1 FD points per 36 minutes without Towns on the floor since the start of the regular season.
Haliburton is coming off a memorable Game 4 performance that saw him accumulate 80.9 standard FD points on the strength of a 32-point, 15-assist, 12 rebound triple-double without any turnovers, an NBA playoff first. With another tally of over 50 standard FD points at MSG already in the series, he clearly has as much upside as any player on the slate.
Towns' status will naturally have to be monitored carefully, but if he's announced as available, he's certainly worthy of MVP spot consideration after a pair of tallies of more than 40 standard FD points in the first two games of the series.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Pascal Siakam ($10,400), Myles Turner ($8,000) and OG Anunoby ($7,800) should also be very popular.
Siakam has scored 38 to 51.5 standard FD points in three of the first four games of the series, a level of production that should certainly keep him very popular at his salary.
Turner dipped to 23.1 FD points in Game 4, but he'd generated 28 to 36.3 FD points in the first three games of the series and has been a steady contributor throughout the postseason.
Anunoby has scored 28.5 to 41.3 FD points in the first four games of the series while shooting 49.0 percent, which should keep him highly rostered at his salary.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Mikal Bridges, NYK ($7,200)
Bridges has been a bit on the inefficient side in the last couple of games, shooting just 36.4 percent but still averaging 16.5 shot attempts per contest. Bridges has managed to eclipse 20 FD points in both games as well, extending his streak of such performances to five contests overall. The versatile wing is averaging 29.1 FD points overall in the series and has shot 40.0 percent from three-point range. With everything on the line for New York on Thursday, Bridges, who's also helping his fantasy cause by averaging 1.3 steals per game in the series, should have a very safe floor with plenty of upside if he sees even a slight uptick in his shooting.
Josh Hart, NYK ($6,800)
Hart has scored 28 and 21.7 FD points in the two games since moving to the bench, but his ability to check off every box on the stat sheet makes him appealing at his salary within the context of this slate. Hart opened the series with 36.1 FD points in Game 1, and going into the ECF, he'd averaged 34.5 FD points over 12 postseason games while shooting 47.8 percent, including 41.9 percent from behind the arc. Hart has still logged 34 and 36 minutes in the last two contests despite the second-unit role, so the possibility of him outpacing his salary is certainly there, and even more so if Towns is out or limited.
Aaron Nesmith, IND ($5,800)
Nesmith fought through his rolled ankle to play in Game 4, and he supplied a solid 24.1 FD points over 32 minutes. His shooting wasn't affected, as he drained five of nine attempts from the floor and all four free throws as well. Nesmith was originally listed as questionable for Game 5 as well, but he's now been cleared to suit up and makes for a very viable option at his salary after averaging 29.2 FD points on 16.5 points (54.1 percent shooting, including 61.9 percent from three-point range), 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks across 32.3 minutes per game over the first four contests of the series.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mitchell Robinson, NYK ($3,800); Bennedict Mathurin, IND ($1,400)
