This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for our second straight one-game slate, and just as was the case Friday, there are no short-term injuries to be concerned with. Based on how the majority of this Western Conference first-round series has gone, we should be in for quite a Game 7 battle, both from a real-world and DFS perspective.
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 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 some of utility spots is undoubtedly key, as it enables you to roster a superstar in the MVP slot, where salaries for each player are 1.5x higher than if you were rostering them in a Utility spot.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, 5/3 @ 11:30 a.m. EDT:
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets (-1.5) (O/U: 207.0)
The Nuggets are getting the most nominal of projected advantages for a home team, as there is clearly respect for the Clippers from the oddsmakers based on what Los Angeles has managed to do in previous games in Denver. The Clips took Game 1 and played very competitively there in Game 2 as well, before a double-digit loss in Game 5. With both teams at full strength and everything on the line, the betting lines and overall circumstances indicate we should see a full workload of minutes again from the multiple stars on either side.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
No short-term injuries
Elite Players
The three players with the highest MVP salaries on Saturday's slate are Nikola Jokic ($25,200), Kawhi Leonard ($19,200) and James Harden ($18,900).
Jokic unsurprisingly outpaces his other two top MVP-slot candidates in salary by a comfortable margin, and he's earned it by scoring at least 50 standard FD points in each of the first five games, including one tally of 80.2
Leonard has been displaying a tolerance for very heavy minutes despite his troublesome health history and has been parlaying that playing time into very significant production, checking off every box on the stat sheet on the way to an average of 46.0 standard FD points across 38.5 minutes per game in the series.
Harden has often taken somewhat of a back seat to Kawhi during the series but has still found his way to an average of 43.4 standard FD points and is shooting a solid 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Ivica Zubac ($15,900) and Jamal Murray ($15,600) should also be very popular.
Zubac has followed up a career-best regular season with averages of 18.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over the first six games of the series, leading to 37.7 FD points per game. He'll naturally be very highly rostered as the only other true viable center alternative to the exponentially higher-salaried Jokic.
Murray has provided his usual strong contributions throughout the series and even had a spike performance of 70.5 FD points in Game 5. He's averaging 43.6 FD points per contest overall and is shooting a blistering 43.2 percent from behind the arc.
Key Values
The following players make for good salary-saving candidates to consider for Utility spots:
Aaron Gordon, DEN ($10,500)
Gordon has been a very reliable source of complementary production throughout the series, filling a role akin to that which he does during the regular season. However, the big man has been relied on even more than usual with Michael Porter dealing with a shoulder injury that he shouldn't really be trying to play through. Gordon has responded by averaging 29.4 FD points while shooting a crisp 50.6 percent from the floor, which has helped him put up 18.3 points per contest. He's already exceeded 30 FD points on three occasions as well, and given Saturday's stakes, he should be a key part of the attack once again.
Norman Powell, LAC ($9,900)
Much like Gordon on the opposite side of the matchup, Powell has been a dependable third option behind the two superstars on his squad and continues to carry very reasonable salaries. The sharpshooting veteran has scored at least 20.3 FD points in every one of the first six games, topping out at 34.1 in Game 6. Powell is shooting a strong 37.8 percent from three-point range and is averaging a solid 13.0 shot attempts per contest despite sharing the floor with Harden and Leonard, and he should naturally be aggressive again in this elimination clash.
Russell Westbrook, DEN ($9,600)
Westbrook's production has fluctuated somewhat during the series, as was sometimes the case during the regular season as well. However, the talented veteran has eclipsed 30 FD points on two occasions, including Game 6, when he contributed a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double with an elevated 35-minute workload off the bench. Westbrook has shot 40.7 percent from long distance during the five games he's suited up for, he's logged at least 23 minutes in all but one contest. He should be in for another allotment of playing time in the low 20s at minimum again Saturday and could deliver on his salary by stuffing the stat sheet as he's amply capable of doing.
ALSO CONSIDER: Christian Braun, DEN ($9,000)
