ESPN's fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night's games. Here you'll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Saturday
A compelling four-game playoff slate features several games that could determine series outcomes. Other than the Oklahoma City Thunder -- who are positioned as sizable favorites over the Phoenix Suns -- the other three games are essentially toss-ups based on betting metrics.
The marquee matchup of the day pits the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a potential epic that airs on ABC at 8:30 PM ET. Minnesota knows Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray are capable of flipping momentum quickly; not just in a game, but in a series. Denver knows Minnesota has waves of big, athletic defenders who thrive in transition, which means Aaron Gordon's availability is critical. The stakes are high in Minneapolis tonight.
The first tipoff of the day sees the Orlando Magic looking to upset the Detroit Pistons in a game with a spread of just 2.5 points. Such a small line between a No. 1 seed and the eighth seed in the bracket speaks to how competitive this series has proved over the first two meetings. The winner of Game 3 in a tied series has gone on to win the series 80% of the time, adding weight to an already pivotal contest.
Oklahoma City has won 10 straight first-round games, while the Suns enter the game looking to stave off talk of a sweep. The main questions for the Suns: can they somehow overcome the size gap in this series without Mark Williams? Can home-court shooting variance keep Phoenix in striking distance down the stretch?
The New York Knicks are supremely motivated to tie this series with the Atlanta Hawks and avoid an early exit from the tournament. New York needs to unlock productive minutes from Mitchell Robinson to gain a significant rebounding and possession edge in Game 4 -- to make up for the clear gap in turnover-to-transition production that Atlanta enjoys. It doesn't get better than when series don't come down to just talent, but the minutiae of strategy and execution.
With an eye toward uncovering productive streamers and compelling betting angles, let's take a look at the day ahead.
McCormick's Bets for Saturday
Mitchell Robinson OVER 6.5 rebounds (-129)
There are undeniable compatibility issues with teammate Karl-Anthony Towns to consider when considering a Robinson over. Even with such fit concerns, there is a real need for the Knicks to change the possession math in order to overcome natural gaps in transition efficiency and volume. Robinson offers the clearest path to this goal, suggesting that even a minor spike in minutes -- especially when he's the main big on the floor -- could see him cruise past this tally against a smaller Atlanta roster.
Nikola Jokic to record triple-double (-105)
Taking Jokic's assists prop at 9.5 costs more than this more tethered goal, but it's also hard to imagine him not playing nearly every minute tonight. Only 13 teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 playoff deficit and Denver is one of them, doing it twice in the 2020 bubble playoffs. If they are going to advance, they essentially must win tonight. To me, this means more than 40 minutes of exposure as the central hub for Denver on offense and the glass.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ Salaries
Cade Cunningham, PG, Detroit Pistons ($10,200)
Jokic is the clear building block of the slate, but for a pivot from chalk, Cunningham provides a safe floor -- he has scored at least 50 DraftKings points in each game of the series -- and an impressive ceiling. The Magic are working hard to shut down Jalen Duren, but have few answers for Cunningham's size when getting downhill.
$6,100-$8,000 Salaries
Desmond Bane, SG, Orlando Magic ($7,100)
The shots just haven't been falling for Bane in this series. That is due to change. A high-volume shooter of his caliber just, well, keeps shooting. The results will follow. The home/road splits also favor Bane today, with timing, spacing, and execution statistically stronger at home. With Bane ready to let them fly today, he could be a top value at a shallow position.
$3,500-$6,000 Salaries
Donte DiVincenzo, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves ($5,200)
Besides "The Big Ragu" being one of best nicknames of the era, DiVincenzo is a two-way winner who serves as a critical connector on both sides of the court for Minnesota. Willing to take big shots and big defensive assignments, this Villanova product is one of the better values of the slate.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic
1 p.m. ET on Peacock
Line: Pistons -2.5 (-110) | Magic +2.5 (-110)
Money line: Pistons -135 | Magic +114
Total: 215.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 3.4, straight up 61%, 216.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Pistons: None reported
Magic: Jonathan Isaac, (GTD - Knee)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns
3:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Line: Thunder -9.5 (-110) | Suns +9.5 (-110)
Money line: Thunder -395 | Suns +310
Total: 214.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 7.3, straight up 72%, 211.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Thunder: Isaiah Joe, (GTD - Personal); Jalen Williams, (OUT - Hamstring); Thomas Sorber, (OFS - Knee)
Suns: None reported
New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks
6 p.m. ET on NBC
Line: Knicks -2.5 (-102) | Hawks +2.5 (-118)
Money line: Knicks -130 | Hawks +110
Total: 214.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 1.3, straight up 54%, 216.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Knicks: None reported
Hawks: Jock Landale, (OUT - Ankle)
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves
8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Line: Nuggets -1.5 (-112) | Timberwolves +1.5 (-108)
Money line: Nuggets -122 | Timberwolves +102
Total: 229.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Nuggets by 0, straight up 50%, 227.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon, (GTD - Calf); Peyton Watson, (OUT - Hamstring)
Timberwolves: None reported