ESPN's basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you lock in daily fantasy and betting decisions for that night's games. Here you'll find our top insights for the slate, including players to target for your daily fantasy rosters, along with game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Friday
We've got Game 3 tonight in what has already turned into a classic matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The venue changes from Oklahoma to San Antonio for Friday's game, and now the Spurs will attempt to hold onto home court advantage while the Thunder will attempt to steal one back.
The biggest wild card for tonight's game is the availability for injured players Jalen Williams of the Thunder and De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper of the Spurs. Williams aggravated a recurring hamstring injury and Harper injured his adductor on an awkward fall in Game 2, with both leaving and not returning. Fox has yet to play a game in this series after aggravating a high ankle sprain late in the previous round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. All three are listed as questionable for Game 3, and if any of them do play, it could change the balance of power on the court.
Let's dig further into the matchups to identify some betting angles and DFS value picks for tonight's action.
Dre's Bets for Friday
Victor Wembanyama OVER 14.5 rebounds (-101)
Wembanyama's rebounding dominance has been his most consistent hallmark during this playoff run. He has grabbed 15 or more rebounds in six of his last eight games, going back to the beginning of his second-round matchup against the Timberwolves. The only two games in that stretch when he didn't grab at least 15 boards were the one he was ejected in the first half due to a Flagrant 2 foul and the closeout game that the Spurs won by 30 and Wemby didn't play his usual minutes. Wembanyama grabbed 24 boards in the opener against the Thunder and 17 in Game 2.
Isaiah Hartenstein OVER 8.5 rebounds (+109)
After playing only 12 minutes in Game 1 as part of an ultimately failed strategy to limit Wembanyama, Hartenstein bounced back to his usual 27 minutes in Game 2 and responded with 13 rebounds and a double-double. Most important, the Thunder won that game, so presumably he will continue to get his typical minutes moving forward. Hartenstein entered the series having grabbed at least nine rebounds in five straight games overall, and he grabbed at least nine boards in every regular-season matchup against the Spurs. This bet, at plus money, is a value.
Stephon Castle OVER 18.5 points (-116)
Fox and Harper are listed as questionable for tonight's game, and I think it's unlikely that the Spurs will have both available for Game 3. So, I think it's likely that Castle will have to continue to carry a heavy load for the Spurs offense. Castle has been strong as a scorer throughout the playoffs (20.1 PPG) and also in his seven games against the Thunder spanning both the regular and postseason (20.1 PPG). In the first two games of this series, Castle had trouble taking care of the ball (10.0 TO/G) but not scoring (21.0 PPG).
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ salaries
Victor Wembanyama, C, Spurs ($12,400): Wembanyama is the highest-priced player on the board, but he also has the highest achievable upside. He has dominated the first two games in this series, dropping 84 fantasy points in the opener and following that with 62.2 FP in Game 2.
$6,100-$8,000 salaries
Devin Vassell, SG, Spurs ($6,400): Vassell has produced between 21 and 34 fantasy points in eight straight games, including the 29.5 FP and 33 FP he dropped in the first two games of this series. With two of his perimeter teammates battling injury, Vassell is likely to continue to produce in Game 3.
$3,500-$6,000 salaries
Isaiah Hartenstein, C, Thunder ($4,600): Hartenstein played only 12 minutes in Game 1, but he bounced back with a double-double in 27 minutes in Game 2. Outside of that 12-minute game, he has averaged a double-double in his other six most recent games and also in his games against the Spurs this season.
Alex Caruso, SG, Thunder ($5,600): Caruso has been highly productive in both games of this series so far, scoring 46 fantasy points in the opener and 31.8 FP in Game 2. With Jalen Williams battling a hamstring injury and the team playing on the road, Caruso is likely to continue to be called upon to produce as a veteran with a lot of championship experience.
Cason Wallace, SG, Thunder ($4,800): Wallace has scored 20 or more fantasy points in six of his last seven games, including the 53 total fantasy points he has dropped in the first two games of this series.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
8:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Line: Thunder +1.5 (-105) | Spurs -1.5 (-115)
Money line: Thunder +105 | Spurs -125
Total: 217.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 1.1, straight up 54%, 220.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Thunder: Jalen Williams, (GTD - Hamstring); Thomas Sorber, (OFS - Knee)
Spurs: De'Aaron Fox, (QUESTIONABLE - Ankle); Dylan Harper, (QUESTIONABLE - Right Adductor); David Jones Garcia, (OFS - Ankle)