This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The Timberwolves are officially down to their last out Tuesday night, while the Mavericks are on the hunt for what would be their sixth straight postseason victory. Dallas does have a couple of noteworthy injury concerns to contend with, but the Mavs are still considered the favorites to wrap the series up and clinch an NBA Finals berth.
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 Tuesday, May 28 @12:00 a.m. ET:
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks (-2) (O/U: 210.5)
Dallas has Luka Doncic listed as questionable and Dereck Lively already ruled out, but they're still unsurprisingly narrow favorites at home. The Timberwolves haven't lost by double digits yet in the series, so that, combined with the injury concerns, makes the small number understandable despite Minnesota's 0-3 series hole.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Luka Doncic, DAL (knee/ankle): QUESTIONABLE
As has been the case for the bulk of the postseason, Doncic is expected to play through his pair of ailments despite the questionable tag. If he were to unexpectedly sit, Kyrie Irving would likely take over primary ball-handling duties and see a massive usage boost, while Dante Exum would potentially enter the starting five.
Dereck Lively, DAL (neck): OUT
In Lively's absence, Daniel Gafford should see a big uptick in minutes and usage, while Dwight Powell and potentially Maxi Kleber (shoulder) would handle leftover center minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Maxi Kleber, DAL (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
The two highest-salaried players on the slate are Luka Doncic ($17,500) and Anthony Edwards ($15,500).
Doncic's availability will naturally need to be monitored, but assuming he's on the floor as usual, he's the clear-cut top candidate for the MVP spot after scoring a series-high 63.9 FD points in Game 3, his third tally of more than 60 FD points this postseason.
Edwards recorded 51.3 FD points across 43 minutes in Game 3, even as he still struggled from the field to the tune of an 11-for-24 tally. He's now shot just 34.6 percent from the field in the last four postseason games, but his upside and the desperation of the Timberwolves keeps him firmly in play for the MVP spot.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Kyrie Irving ($14,000), Karl-Anthony Towns ($13,000) and Rudy Gobert ($12,000) should also be very popular. All three make for great options in the STAR or PRO slots.
Irving has done an excellent job as a complementary option to Doncic's exploits over the first three games of the series, scoring 34.8 to 43 FD points while shooting 52.5 percent, including 43.8 percent from distance.
Towns' significant shooting struggles have come to define him in this series, as he's drained only 27.8 percent of his attempts, including a miniscule 13.6 percent of those he's taken from behind the arc. Nevertheless, the big man should remain highly rostered due to his upside and the Timberwolves' dire straits.
Gobert was down to 18.2 FD points in Game 3, his second-lowest ally of the postseason. However, he'd averaged 34.3 FD points in the six games prior, and he should remain popular thanks to the combination of his salary and normally reliable floor.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
P.J. Washington, DAL ($11,500)
Washington just scored a series-high 28.6 FD points across 40 minutes in Game 3, and he's now averaging 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest over the first three games against Minnesota. Washington is averaging 28.2 FD points during the postseason overall, and he's clocking that same figure per 36 minutes without Dereck Lively on the floor since joining the Mavericks.
Mike Conley, MIN ($11,000)
Conley has scored at least Game 3's 25.2 FD points in 11 of his last 12 postseason contests, and he's shooting a blistering 42.4 percent from three-point range over that span. The veteran guard is playing through a sore Achilles, but he's managed to shoot 52.0 percent, including 50.0 percent from three-point range, while dealing with the issue in Games 2 and 3. With everything on the line for Minnesota, Conley should be consistently involved once again, and he's facing a Mavericks squad that's surrendering a 31.1 offensive efficiency rating to point guards, the highest of any Western Conference club in the original 20-team postseason field.
Daniel Gafford, DAL ($10,500)
Gafford should be in line for extra opportunity Tuesday with Dereck Lively already sidelined, and he checks in averaging 44.6 FD points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor since joining the Mavericks. Gafford has tallies of 21.8 and 37 FD points in the series already, and in Game 3, he saw a streak of at 20+ FD-point tallies snapped at eight games. Meanwhile, despite the presence of Rudy Gobert down low, it's worth noting the T-Wolves have allowed the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (35.0) of the original 20-team postseason field.
ALSO CONSIDER: Naz Reid, MIN ($9,500)
