Three first-round series could come to a close in Tuesday's main NBA slate. The Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns boast 3-1 leads and can advance to the second round with one more victory. Injuries and suspensions plague the underdogs in these matchups, so it could be extremely difficult for any of them to force a Game 6. We've gone over three things to watch alongside a DFS play here ahead of the action.
How Dejounte Murray's suspension affects the Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are in dire need of some strong performances from a role player. Dejounte Murray has been suspended for one game following an altercation with a referee following Game 4. The two-way guard has arguably been Atlanta's best player in the series, but others will need to make up for his 25.3 points per contest in an elimination game on Tuesday. De'Andre Hunter has had a pair of strong showings in the first-round series and seems most likely to trail Trae Young in minutes, but other players can be just as dangerous.
Also: Bogdan Bogdanovic averaged 22.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game without Murray in the lineup this season (six games).
Anthony Edwards' hot streak vs. Nuggets
Edwards has been electric in the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets despite the 3-1 deficit his team faces ahead of Tuesday's main slate. The third-year wing is averaging 32.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game against the Western Conference's top team. Edwards is averaging more than twice as many points as all of his teammates except Karl-Anthony Towns in the series while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from deep.
Also: Rudy Gobert and Towns are averaging double-doubles in the series.
Russell Westbrook's elimination game outlook
Westbrook has excelled with the Los Angeles Clippers all postseason and improved following Kawhi Leonard's knee injury. The point guard has totaled 33.5 points, 8.0 assists, and 7.0 rebounds over his previous two games. The Clippers haven't won a playoff game without Leonard this postseason, but Westbrook's sure to be in desperation mode in an elimination game. He's averaged 26.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per contest through 16 career elimination games.
Friday DFS play
It's hard to say that any player has a better shot at blowing by expectations than NAW on Tuesday. The Timberwolves guard logged an impressive 38 minutes in his team's Game 3 win, and a pair of injuries could increase his role in Game 4. Kyle Anderson is out with an eye injury and Jaylen Nowell is questionable with a knee injury. NAW has averaged 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per 36 minutes since joining the Timberwolves.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified some great trios to stack ahead of the action. You can get those plays by heading over to SportsLine.