This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Following a quieter than usual Monday night, we've got a busy 10-game Tuesday slate that features a trio of attention-drawing matchups and a plethora of big names in action. The injury report is a bit on the light side, and there are only two teams playing on the second of consecutive nights.
Slate Overview
Phoenix Suns at Philadelphia 76ers (-2) (O/U: 218. points)
Boston Celtics (-5.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 212.5 points)
Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks (-9) (O/U: 227.0 points)
Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies (-7.5) (O/U: 227.0 points)
Houston Rockets at New Orleans Pelicans (-7.5) (O/U: 224.0 points)
Detroit Pistons at Dallas Mavericks (-11.5) (O/U: 211.5 points)
New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets (-7) (O/U: 220.0 points)
Milwaukee Bucks (-4.5) at Los Angeles Lakers (O/U: 230.5 points)
Orlando Magic at Portland Trail Blazers (-3.5) (O/U: 221.0 points)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-4) at Sacramento Kings (O/U: 232.0 points)
The top two games on the list above could well be the most exciting of the night from both a basketball and DFS perspective, given the talent levels of each team. The 76ers could certainly be helped by the Suns being one of the two teams playing on consecutive nights, while the Celtics may get a crack at the Nets without James Harden or Kyrie Irving, who'll sit out the home contest due to his vaccination status.
The new-look Clippers got routed by the Bucks on Sunday night, but Norman Powell and Robert Covington both showed very well relative to opportunity in their first games in Los Angeles uniforms. Their contest against the Grizzlies could be closer than expected, while the Lakers may be able to conjure up one of their better performances versus the defending champs if both Anthony Davis and LeBron James take the floor as expected. The Rockets-Pelicans rematch and Timberwolves-Kings clash could also turn out to feature very DFS-friendly environments, considering the defenses involved.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
Anthony Davis, LAL (wrist): PROBABLE
Davis is expected to take the floor and play his normal workload after impressively navigating his injury over the past two games to score 64.4 and 71.9 FD points.
LeBron James, LAL (knee): PROBABLE
James is expected to take the floor and log a normal allotment of minutes after a successful return Saturday night against the Knicks, in which he was able to play 39 minutes and contribute a triple-double.
James Harden, BKN (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Harden misses a third straight game, Patty Mills, DeAndre' Bembry and Cam Thomas could all be beneficiaries.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Fox was a full participant at practice Monday, supporting the notion he could end his eight-game absence. Davion Mitchell would likely be the biggest beneficiary if Fox missed another contest.
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (knee): OUT
In Porzingis' absence, Dorian Finney-Smith, Marquese Chriss and Dwight Powell should be the primary beneficiaries, while Luka Doncic will continue to see even more usage than usual.
John Collins, ATL (heel): PROBABLE
Collins was able to log 35 minutes Sunday against the Mavericks despite his injury, but if he can't go, Danilo Gallinari (hamstring) would draw the start if he's able to overcome his own questionable status.
Other notable injuries:
Damian Lillard, POR (abdomen): OUT
Kyrie Irving, BKN (personal): OUT
Paul George, LAC (elbow): OUT
Zion Williamson, NOP (foot): OUT
Cade Cunningham, DET (hip): QUESTIONABLE
D'Angelo Russell, MIN (lower leg): QUESTIONABLE
Malcolm Brogdon, IND (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
Myles Turner, IND (foot): OUT
Isaiah Jackson, IND (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Terry Taylor, IND (illness): QUESTIONABLE
LaMarcus Aldridge, BKN (ankle): OUT
Nicolas Claxton, BKN (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
Carmelo Anthony, LAL (hamstring): OUT
Elite Players
We have eight players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($11,500), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300), Luka Doncic ($11,200), Joel Embiid ($11,000), Anthony Davis ($10,800), LeBron James ($10,500), Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,200) and Ja Morant ($10,100).
One has to go back to Jan. 13 to find the last game in which Jokic scored under 50 FD points, and he draws a good matchup against a Knicks squad he put up over 50 FD points against in just 27 minutes in their first meeting this season.
Antetokounmpo has scored over 50 FD points in three straight and four of the last five overall, plus he touched up the Lakers for 64.3 FD points on 78.3 percent shooting in their first meeting this season.
Doncic now carries a 39.2 percent usage rate and average of 58.4 FD points per 36 minutes with Porzingis and Tim Hardaway off the floor, after scoring 61.9 to 74.1 FD points in four of his last five games.
Embiid has scored over 50 FD points in nine straight games, a stretch that includes five tallies greater than 60.
Davis has scored 57 to 71.9 FD points in the last three games and has recorded four double-doubles in his last five games.
James posted a 29-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple-double that netted 59.6 FD points in his return to action Saturday night against the Knicks, so his knee swelling doesn't seem like an issue.
Towns has recorded over 40 FD points in eight of the last nine and draws a premium matchup against a Kings squad that's allowed the second-highest offensive efficiency to centers (35.3 percent), along with the second-most FD points per game (58.5) to the position.
Morant has scored over 40 FD points in nine straight, eclipsing 50 on six occasions in that stretch. He's also shot 57.5 percent against the Clippers in two prior meetings this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Domantas Sabonis, IND ($9,900)
Sabonis played just 25 minutes in his return from the COVID-19 protocols Sunday, but he should see a bump in minutes and scored 67.6 and 51 FD points in the two games before his absence, which should help keep him popular.
Julius Randle, NYK ($9,700)
Randle has scored 46.9 and 62.7 FD points in his last two games after an extended stretch of lackluster efforts, and recency bias should land him in plenty of lineups against a Nuggets team allowing 47.3 FD points per game to power forwards.
Chris Paul, PHO ($9,500)
Paul went into Monday's game versus the Bulls having scored 47.4 to 62.1 FD points in eight of the last 10 games, which should lead to him being in plenty of lineups again for a marquee matchup against the 76ers.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,000)
Young dipped to 31.9 FD points against the Mavericks on Sunday but had scored at least 40.3 in six of the previous seven.
Key Values
Jalen Brunson, DAL vs. DET ($5,800)
Brunson navigated some foul trouble Sunday against the Hawks to still produce 34.5 FD points in 30 minutes. That tally was his third straight over 30, and he lines up for another appealing matchup Tuesday. The Pistons have allowed 40.9 FD points per game to shooting guards, and no team has allowed a higher three-point shooting percentage on the road than Detroit's 38.3 percent figure. Meanwhile, Brunson is shooting an impressive 40.5 percent from behind the arc in his last 15 games and has drained 53.7 percent of his attempts overall in that span.
De'Anthony Melton, MEM vs. LAC ($5,500)
Melton has stepped up nicely in recent games while Dillon Brooks remains sidelined with his ankle injury, averaging 28.9 FD points and shooting 41.5 percent from three-point range across 24 minutes over his last eight. Melton has eclipsed 30 FD points in five of those games, and he's also dropped 33.4 and 35.2 FD points in two previous meetings against the Clippers this season. Los Angeles has generally been effective versus shooting guards, but L.A. is allowing an NBA-high 45.8 percent success rate from behind the arc over the last three games.
Jaxson Hayes, NOP vs. HOU ($5,500)
Hayes moved back to the bench Sunday against the Rockets and still excelled, scoring 41.4 FD points over 27 minutes. It was the big man's second straight tally of more than 40 FD points, and he also contributed 35.4 four games ago. Houston is naturally an appealing target once again, as the Rockets are now yielding an NBA-high 47.3 percent offensive efficiency to second-unit players and 29.0 percent offensive efficiency to power forwards. The Rockets have also conceded the most FD points per game to PFs (52.5), enhancing Hayes' case at a salary that remains unchanged from Sunday's game.
Also consider: Jarred Vanderbilt, MIN at SAC ($6,000); Richaun Holmes, SAC vs. MIN ($5,300); Blake Griffin, BKN vs. BOS ($5,200); Alperen Sengun, HOU at NOP ($5,000)
