This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have just a three-game all-afternoon slate Saturday, and only two of the six teams in action have something still at stake in terms of postseason positioning. There are also plenty of questionable designations and a multitude of players on the Trail Blazers already ruled out for the season, which makes it yet another value-play-heavy late-season ledger.
Slate Overview
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Given the lack of postseason incentive for their opponents and the stakes for the Timberwolves and Clippers, it's no surprise to see as them as 13.5- and 17-point favorites, respectively, as of early Saturday.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Nikola Jokic, DEN (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Jokic sits, Thomas Bryant, Deandre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji are projected to handle center duties.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (calf): QUESTIONABLE
While he's officially questionable, Towns is expected to suit up for both ends of the Timberwolves' back-to-back set.
Jamal Murray, DEN (thumb): QUESTIONABLE
If Murray sits out, expect Bruce Brown (knee-Probable) and Ish Smith to handle point guard duties.
Aaron Gordon, DEN (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Gordon sits out, Jeff Green and Peyton Watson would handle the majority of power forward minutes.
Michael Porter Jr., DEN (heel): QUESTIONABLE
If Porter doesn't play, Peyton Watson and Christian Braun may see plenty of small forward minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Lauri Markkanen, UTA (hand): OUT
Paul George, LAC (knee): OUT
Talen Horton-Tucker, UTA (ankle): OUT
Kelly Olynyk, UTA (rest): OUT
Drew Eubanks, POR (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Keldon Johnson, SAN (foot): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,000) and Kawhi Leonard ($10,600).
Even if Jokic suits up, he's highly unlikely to see much playing time with Denver looking ahead to the postseason.
Leonard should see close to a normal workload with the Clippers still fighting to preserve their playoff spot and he checks in having scored 38.4 to 56.6 FD points in three of the last four games.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,300)
Edwards has scored 40.5 to 51 FD points in three of the past four games, and with the Timberwolves still having a shot at the No. 6 seed, he should be popular.
Russell Westbrook, LAC ($9,000)
The Clippers are still fighting to preserve their No. 6 seed, and even though his salary is high relative to some of his recent production, Westbrook should be popular on the small slate.
Shaedon Sharpe, POR ($8,200)
Sharpe should play a major role once again now that he's returning from a one-game absence due to a knee injury, as the Trail Blazers have shut down their regular starting five for the season.
Zach Collins, SAN ($7,800)
Collins scored 46 FD points in his return against the Blazers on Thursday and should handle a heavy workload again.
Bruce Brown, DEN ($7,000)
Brown is expected to play through his probable designation and could draw a start at point guard, where he'd be looking to build on a six-game stretch where he's scored 30.8 to 42.2 FD points.
Key Values
Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. POR ($6,200)
Zubac just posted 41.1 FD points against the Lakers on Wednesday, and he'd gone for 40 three games ago against the Grizzlies as well. The big man also collected 32 versus the Trail Blazers the most recent time he saw them March 19, and he produced 34.6 in his other prior encounter with Portland in November. As previously mentioned, the Blazers are playing with second-and third-stringers in the frontcourt at the moment, and they already come in allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.1), along with 54.3 FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games.
Norman Powell, LAC vs. POR ($6,100)
The combination of Powell's salary and his tally of 43.4 FD points against the Lakers on Wednesday should make him a trendy selection Saturday. The veteran wing has flashed a ceiling well north of 30 FD points on multiple occasions this season, and he could be in for another robust role off the bench in Saturday's pivotal game. His former Trail Blazers squad also makes for a good target, allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (42.5), along with 47.0 percent shooting, including 37.8 percent from three-point range.
Julian Champagnie, SAN vs. MIN ($5,400)
Champagnie has been enjoying a solid role off the bench the last four games, one he's averaged 28.2 FD points across 25.3 minutes per contest. The undrafted rookie is shooting 51.1 percent, including 44.8 percent from three-point range, in that span, and he continues operating in the same high-volume capacity Saturday. The Timberwolves are ranked just in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to second-unit players as well and have yielded 37.6 percent three-point shooting to small forwards.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kris Dunn, UTA vs. DEN ($6,300); Jaden McDaniels, MIN at SAN ($5,900); Keita Bates-Diop, SAN vs. MIN ($5,800); Bones Hyland, LAC vs. POR ($5,400); Shaquille Harrison, POR at LAC ($5,200); Christian Braun, DEN at UTA ($4,900)
