This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
It's quickly (and relatively unsurprisingly) crunch time for the Timberwolves in their series against the Thunder, as OKC took the first two games at home and now seeks to continue its quest for a sweep of Minnesota at Target Center on Saturday night. Neither Anthony Edwards nor Julius Randle has been able to put together simultaneous complete performances in the series yet, but perhaps the home crowd will help Minnesota to a much more competitive showing and a possible victory in Game 3.
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 the 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.
Try our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
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.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, 5/24 @11:45 a.m. ET:
Oklahoma City Thunder (-2.5) at Minnesota Timberwolves (O/U: 218.0)
The Thunder retains favorite status despite the road setting, which is to be expected considering their overall body of work and their double-digit victories in the first two games of the series. OKC was 32-8 straight up on the road during the regular season and recorded a 130-123 victory at Target Center on Feb. 23, but they did drop two road games to the Nuggets in the semifinal round.
The total appears to be somewhat of a compromise based on how the first two games of the series have gone, as those contests ended with 202 and 221 total points in what turned out to be relatively lopsided affairs. Saturday's game would likely be more competitive given the setting, but oddsmakers apparently don't expect a big jump in offense anyhow.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
None
Elite Players
The players with the two highest MVP salaries on Saturday's slate are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($24,300) and Anthony Edwards ($22,200).
Gilgeous-Alexander is simultaneously the highest-upside and most reliable player on the slate, even when his three-point shooting is off as it has been throughout most of the postseason. The reigning MVP has opened the series with totals of 57.5 and 61.6 FD standard points, scoring a co-postseason-high 38 points in Game 2. With the possibility of a more competitive game Saturday, SGA could be even more productive than usual.
Edwards was much more aggressive than usual in Game 2 as expected following just 13 shot attempts in Game 1, and he finished with 54.8 standard FD points across 40 minutes. Given Saturday's stakes, he would be expected to continue firing away from the field throughout the night and therefore has a chance to once again record one of the top fantasy scores of the night.
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Jalen Williams ($13,000), Julius Randle ($11,800) and Chet Holmgren ($10,000) should also be very popular.
Williams bounced back from a ragged shooting night in Game 1 to provide 48.5 FD points in Game 2 on a 12-for-20 tally from the field, and he'd also scored 51.5 to open the series with a big boost from five steals that offset the capped offensive production.
Randle should naturally remain very popular despite a forgettable Game 2 where he eventually was benched in the fourth quarter, as he has demonstrated significant upside throughout the postseason and had just scored 37.1 FD points in Game 1.
Holmgren scored a postseason-high 22 points in Game 2, and although an unusually modest four-rebound tally capped his fantasy production overall (26.8 FD points), he's regularly eclipsed 30 FD points in the postseason and should remain highly rostered.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Jaden McDaniels, MIN ($8,200)
McDaniels enjoyed a productive Game 2 after opening the series in modest fashion with 21.7 FD points in Game 1. The veteran wing posted 32.4 FD points in 35 points, boosting his shot attempts from five in Game 1 to 15 on Thursday. McDaniels also contributed multiple blocks for the third time in the last six games, and he drained half of his postseason-high eight three-point attempts. With Minnesota desperate to avoid a third straight loss to open the series, there should be a good chance of McDaniels remaining consistently involved on both ends while playing on a Target Center floor where he averaged a well-rounded 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks during the regular season.
Cason Wallace, OKC ($4,000)
Wallace is the first of two very affordable reserves on either side that I'll recommend for tournaments Saturday. The 2023 first-round pick took another encouraging step forward in his development during the regular season, and he's followed it up with a solid playoff run where he's progressively seen more opportunity and eclipsed 22 FD points in four of the last six games. Wallace is coming off a postseason-high 23.6 FD points in Game 2, and he's putting up 20.7 FD points across a robust 26.3 minutes per contest in the last six playoff tilts overall. With the ability to check off plenty of boxes on the stat sheet and the clear trust of head coach Mark Daigneault, Wallace is a viable option that offers you plenty of flexibility at every other roster spot.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN ($2,200)
Alexander-Walker is practically a proverbial free square Saturday and therefore has the potential to significantly outpace the very modest investment he requires. SGA's cousin hasn't been quite as steady off the bench as Wallace has been for the Thunder, but he's exceeded 20 FD points on three occasions this postseason, all within the last six games. He tallied 20.4 in Game 2 on Thursday on crisp 5-for-8 shooting, and he was solid at home during the regular season with 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 24.3 minutes per game. There's certainly volatility with his selection, but if you're trying to jam in multiple high-salary assets into your lineup, Alexander-Walker is a low-risk option thanks to the salary.
ALSO CONSIDER: Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC ($5,600); Rudy Gobert, MIN ($5,400)
