This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for another big four-game all-day playoff slate Saturday, and we could see the conclusion of the Thunder-Grizzlies series if OKC continues its mastery over a shorthanded Memphis squad. Cleveland and the Clippers could also jump out to commanding leads in their respective clashes with the Heat and Nuggets, setting up what should be an intriguing day of hardwood action.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, 4/26 @ 12:30 a.m. EDT:
Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5) at Miami Heat (O/U: 213.0)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-15.5) at Memphis Grizzlies (O/U: 223.0)
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (-6) (O/U: 212.5)
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (-3) (O/U: 203.5)
The betting landscape Saturday has a bit of everything on the point-spread side. The Thunder are unsurprisingly the biggest favorites of the slate against a short-handed Grizzlies team, and the Clippers have clearly made a strong impression after three games versus the Nuggets to earn the mantle of second-biggest favorites.
Elsewhere, the potential absence of Jimmy Butler understandably keeps Golden State a modest home favorite, while the Cavaliers have done enough in the first two games to still retain solid favorite status on the road, even with Darius Garland listed as questionable.
Projected totals are clearly on the lower side, but that's not unexpected considering the injuries at play and the quality of some of the defenses in action.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Ja Morant, MEM (hip): DOUBTFUL
In Morant's likely absence, Scotty Pippen will draw the start at point guard while Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson will be primed for major increases in usage.
Jimmy Butler, GSW (pelvis/glute): QUESTIONABLE
If Butler can't suit up, he could be replaced by a combination of Gary Payton, Jonathan Kuminga and Gui Santos.
Darius Garland, CLE (toe): QUESTIONABLE
If Garland were unable to suit up, Ty Jerome is likely to draw a start at point guard while Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley will be among those to see a significant increase in usage.
Other notable injuries:
Terry Rozier, MIA (ankle): OUT
Michael Porter, DEN (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
Russell Westbrook, DEN (foot): QUESTIONABLE
Luke Kennard, MEM (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($11,600) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,300).
Jokic has scored 56.2 to 67.8 FD points in each of his first three games of the series, and with Denver trying to avoid falling into a two-game series deficit, he should be as heavily involved as ever.
Gilgeous-Alexander naturally carries a massive ceiling and has scored 48.1 and 50.8 FD points in the last two games, but with Memphis likely playing without Ja Morant, it's possible the Thunder limit Gilgeous-Alexander's minutes after jumping out to a big lead.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
James Harden, LAC ($9,000)
Harden has been just under 40 FD points in each of the last two games, but he scored 56.7 in Game 1 and should naturally be very popular on the four-game slate.
Stephen Curry, GSW ($8,900)
Curry would be popular under any circumstance but especially if Jimmy Butler sits out, which would boost his usage to elite levels.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($8,700)
Leonard has supplied 58.1 and 41.2 FD points in his last two games and has clearly matched up well against anything the Nuggets have tried throwing at him, which should keep him highly rostered Saturday at his salary.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($8,600)
Sengun has overwhelmed the Warriors in the first two games on his way to 42.3 and 49.7 FD points, and considering he also plays a position of DFS scarcity on a small slate, he should be in plenty of lineups.
Jaren Jackson, MEM ($7,400)
Jackson's salary isn't reflective of the expanded role he should fill in Morant's likely absence, and he's also contributed 33.2 and 36.4 FD points in the last two games.
Key Values
Davion Mitchell, MIA vs. CLE ($5,700)
Mitchell has carried over the impressive momentum he built during the stretch run of the regular season into the first two games of the series, averaging 18.0 points, 7.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals. He's also averaged 32.8 FD points in that pair of contests while shooting an elite 71.4 percent, including 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. Mitchell drew the start in Game 2 but logged 34 minutes off the bench in Game 1, so he's a very viable value option irrespective of where he slots into the rotation in Saturday's critical Game 3.
Scotty Pippen, MEM vs. OKC ($5,600)
Pippen appears all but certain to draw the start at point guard in Ja Morant's expected absence Saturday, putting him in prime position to outpace his very modest salary. The talented third-year guard compiled 48.5 FD points in Game 2 while opening that contest next to Morant as the starting shooting guard, but the expected shift to primary ball-handling responsibility Saturday ups his odds of strong fantasy production. Morant has averaged 30.6 FD points, 49.6 percent overall shooting and 44.2 three-point shooting in his 26 starts since the beginning of the regular season, further supporting his selection.
Alex Caruso, OKC vs. MEM ($4,900)
Caruso has been a thorn in the side of the Grizzlies in the last two games, recording a total of seven steals in that span while also averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 blocks and shooting 52.9 percent, including 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. The veteran wing has seen 22 and 23 minutes off the bench after logging only 12 in Game 1, and with OKC looking to close out the series Saturday, Caruso's ability to check off every box on the stat sheet and his willingness to be aggressive on both ends of the floor make him very appealing at his salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Aaron Gordon, DEN at LAC ($5,800); Norman Powell, LAC vs. DEN ($5,400)
