This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have an intriguing two-game playoff slate Thursday night that features a pair of Game 6 clashes which could be series-ending affairs. The injury report is essentially non-existent, so we'll be treated to what should be two extremely hard-fought battles that could go down to the wire and should afford significant minutes to all of the star players.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, 5/1 @ 11:30 a.m. EDT:
New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons (-1.5) (O/U: 214.0)
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (-6.5) (O/U: 212.0)
The Pistons managed to overcome the mental hurdle of having to go back to New York with a 3-1 series deficit following a controversial Game 4 finish and churned out an impressive victory, setting up this Game 6 matchup during which oddsmakers are giving them a slight edge. Given how close the series has been overall, the spread and total both look to be on target.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are still considered significant home favorites despite their back-to-back losses in the series, with oddsmakers and the public clearly expecting them to revert to form on their home floor.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Isaiah Stewart, DET (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Stewart can't suit up, Paul Reed should pick up most of the minutes behind Jalen Duren.
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($11,700) and Cade Cunningham ($10,200).
Jokic has scored at least 50 FD points in each of the first five games of the series, and he recorded a series-high 80.2 during the most recent matchup in Los Angeles in Game 4. Given the stakes at play Thursday, the Joker, who's already logged at least 43 minutes on three occasions, should be in for another long night on the floor.
Cunningham dipped under 50 FD points (49.6) for the first time since Game 1 in the Game 5 victory, but he's unsurprisingly been a DFS goldmine as the Pistons' most important player. The 2021 first overall pick should naturally continue in a highly prominent role as Detroit looks to stave off elimination again, with another allotment of minutes in the high 30s at minimum a virtual certainty.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,000)
Brunson mustered just 26.1 FD points in Game 5, but his upside and the fact he'd scored over 50 in Games 2-4 will keep him extremely popular.
Kawhi Leonard, LAC ($8,800)
Leonard has a long history of outstanding postseason efforts and is coming off having tallied 55.3 FD points in Game 5, which will keep his roster rate very high at his salary.
James Harden, LAC ($8,700)
Harden has actually been under 40 FD points in two of the last three games of the series, but the fact he carries the ceiling of a five-figure-salary player will put him in plenty of lineups.
Ivica Zubac, LAC ($7,800)
Zubac is yet another member of the Clippers who'll find himself highly rostered Thursday, as he's actually outperforming the pricier Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,600) with tallies of 39.5, 40.6 and 48.4 FD points during the series.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($7,700)
The combination of Murray's 70.5 FD-point showing in Game 5 and his salary should be enough to boost his roster rate Thursday as Denver looks to close matters out.
Key Values
Tobias Harris, DET vs. NYK ($6,400)
Harris has put together an impressive series save for his Game 3 clunker, scoring 32.6 to 46.6 FD points in the four other contests against New York. The veteran big man is averaging 32.9 FD points for the series even with the one poor game, putting up 16.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals on 45.6 percent three-point shooting. He's recorded multiple blocks in two of those games as well, and his solid average of 12.2 shot attempts per game should hold up or even increase in this potential elimination game for Detroit.
Aaron Gordon, DEN at LAC ($5,800)
Gordon's salary has encouragingly remained under $6K despite a strong series, with the veteran forward scoring over 21 FD points in each of the first five contests and averaging 29.1 FD points per game overall versus the Clippers. Gordon is shooting 49.2 percent, including 40.0 percent from behind the arc, versus Los Angeles in the series as well, and despite sharing the floor with a pair of very high-usage options, he's averaging a solid 12.6 shot attempts. With Michael Porter also dealing with an ailing shoulder, Gordon should continue to serve as a steady third option for Denver in its potential series-clinching matchup.
Norman Powell, LAC vs. DEN ($5,400)
Powell's scoring has fluctuated somewhat over the first five games of the series, but the veteran wing can get hot at any point and blow past his current salary. Powell has scored at least 20.3 and as many as 29.3 FD points in the first five games while averaging 15.8 points, 2.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. He's logged 33.4 minutes per game as well and is shooting an impressive 38.7 percent from distance, including a pair of games with a 50.0 percent success rate from behind the arc. With the season on the line for the Clippers on Thursday, Powell should be particularly aggressive.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mikal Bridges, NYK at DET ($6,000); Christian Braun, DEN at LAC ($5,600)
