This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The Mavericks will aim for a 3-0 series lead on home court Sunday night, and there will be pressure on the Timberwolves to catch up after suffering a heartbreaking Game 2 loss. Action begins at 8:00 p.m. EDT, with our recommendations for FanDuel's single-game format below.
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.
While FanDuel's single-game format adjusts salaries to make up for the new environment, it differs from other sites with static ones regardless of roster slot. You're looking for your top three scorers on any given night, followed by two additional utility spots without a multiplier. There is no salary penalty for putting a player in a multiplier. The three positions are as follows:
MVP - 2.0x
STAR - 1.5x
PRO - 1.2x
We'll first look at the winning Game 2 lineup from one of FanDuel's most popular contests:
MVP (2.0x) Luka Doncic 119
STAR (1.5x) Rudy Gobert 60
PRO (1.2x) Karl-Anthony Towns 40.68
UTIL Naz Reid 33.4
UTIL Daniel Gafford 37
Gafford's five blocked shots lifted him into fantasy relevance. And though salaries have fluctuated, this is a build that still works for Game 3. But we'll also be exploring some additional diversity below Doncic in the multipliers.
INJURIES
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report. Below are some of the most recent and relevant injuries for Sunday. Keep in mind that this isn't a complete list. Use your best judgment when evaluating ongoing injury scenarios elsewhere on the slate.
Although Luka Doncic (ankle) and Mike Conley (Achilles) are listed on the injury report, both are expected to play.
MULTIPLIER CANDIDATES
MVP
Luka Doncic ($17,000)
Doncic has been the top guy in winning lineups for the first two games this series, and there's no reason to deviate from that strategy. His fancy footwork has managed to keep most Minnesota defenders flatfooted as he creates his own opportunities in open space, with the result a noticeable increase in shot volume. The only barrier to the Doncic bet is an explosive effort from Kyrie Irving, yet the veteran has so far failed to justify his salary this series. I'm going to keep Anthony Edwards out of my builds because highlight reel-worthy plays haven't given him the upper hand over Doncic in terms of production. We can only reasonably afford one player in this salary range, and it has to be the Dallas star for now.
STAR, PRO
Rudy Gobert ($14,000)
Karl-Anthony Towns ($13,000)
P.J. Washington ($9,000)
FanDuel has gotten wise to Dereck Lively ($11,000) and moved him to his highest salary so far. We could justify adding him to this list, though the number of available big men for Dallas makes any of them a risk-reward proposition. Washington is at the correct value for us and could also be used in the UTIL spot. A Doncic/Gobert/Towns build leaves us an average of $8,750 per player at the utility while one with Doncic/Gobert/Washington raises that average to $10,750. An additional tier of lower-salaried players emerges with the latter, which we'll cover below.
UTILITY CANDIDATES
TIER 1 - Mike Conley ($10,500), Jaden McDaniels ($10,000)
TIER 2 - Naz Reid ($9,500), Daniel Gafford ($8,500), Derrick Jones ($8,000)
Conley and McDaniels become viable if you decide on pairing Doncic and Gobert/Towns with a lower target like Washington, though taking lower-exposure shots with one of them in the multiplier will also allow room for the other. I predict Lively's exposure as the PRO will be higher than usual, but Gafford's shot-blocking and rebounding ability represents a better point-per-dollar proposition for Dallas at the five. If we go the Doncic/Gobert/Towns route, any of the three Tier 2 options work well, yet you can only use Reid if you pair him with Jones. Gafford and Jones will open up a lot of options for one of the multipliers, and you'll still have room for a top player if you shift Washington back to the UTIL for Jones or Gafford.
The wildcard for this build will continue to be Mike Conley. Game 2 was evidence that a strong performance from the veteran guard is essential to Minnesota's survival, and his salary has dropped to a point where it's viable at many positions. I can envision a build of Doncic/Gobert-Towns/Conley working well while allowing the inclusion of Washington, Reid, Lively or Gafford as utility options.
