This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a one-game slate Tuesday night as the Bucks and Thunder face off in Las Vegas for the Emirates NBA Cup Championship at T-Mobile Arena. The two teams will be vying to become the second-ever NBA Cup champion, and despite the fact neither the result nor the individual stats count for the regular season, we should see a highly competitive game between two talented squads.
With only one matchup, we're dealing with FanDuel's single-game contest rosters comprised as follows:
MVP- (Garners points at 2x the normal rate)
STAR- (Garners points at 1.5x the normal rate)
PRO- (Garners points at 1.2x the normal rate)
Two Utility spots- (Garner points at normal rate)
With salaries also being different than in conventional FanDuel contests on multi-game slates and top players inevitably headed for heavy rostering, there are definitely strategic elements particular to single-game lineups. Finding key value plays for the two utility spots is undoubtedly key, as it enables you to fill out the multiplier spots with some of the top projected producers.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, December 17 @11:00 a.m. ET:
Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder (-5) (O/U: 215.5)
The Thunder's status as solid neutral-court favorites isn't very surprising considering the disparity in regular-season records between the two teams thus far. OKC is a stellar 20-5 and checks in having won nine of the last 10, including five straight. In contrast, Milwaukee is a more modest 14-11, although Doc Rivers' squad checks in with its own three-game winning streak.
In terms of records outside of their respective home floors, the Thunder boasts a 9-3 mark while Milwaukee is just 4-7. This game will mark the first meeting between the teams since the start of the season.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Damian Lillard, MIL (calf): PROBABLE
Khris Middleton, MIL (illness): PROBABLE
Elite Players
The two highest-salaried players on the slate are Giannis Antetokounmpo ($17,000) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($16,000).
Antetokounmpo is averaging 58.8 FD points per game for the season and has shown no ill effects from his lingering knee issue. He also checks in having scored 62.2 and 76.3 FD points in two of his last three games, a reminder of why he's the top candidate for the MVP 2x multiplier spot.
Gilgeous-Alexander has shown an expansive ceiling in his own right on his way to 52.3 FD points per game for the season, and he comes into Tuesday with tallies of 66.1 and 67.6 FD points in his last pair of contests. SGA also posted 78.7 and 82.1 FD points on two other occasions this season, affording him no shortage of upside at $1K less in salary than Giannis while facing a Bucks squad allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to PGs (30.9).
Expected Chalk
With only one matchup, the likes of Damian Lillard ($14,000), Jalen Williams ($13,500) and Isaiah Hartenstein ($12,000) should also be very popular. All three make for great options in the STAR or PRO slots.
Lillard is expected to play through his probable tag and has posted 42.9 and 49.7 FD points in his last two games. The star point guard is averaging 43.1 FD points per game for the season and offers an ultra-safe floor while serving as the main complementary option to Antetokounmpo, making him an ideal STAR spot candidate.
Williams functions in much the same way for the Thunder alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, and the big man comes into Tuesday's championship clash with an average of 42.7 FD points per game on the season. He's been at 33.5 FD points or less in three of the past four games, but his tallies of 46.9 and 49.7 in two other contests within the last five offer a reminder of his upside.
Hartenstein has been highly effective while taking over for Chet Holmgren, averaging 36.1 FD points on the strength of 12.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists across his nine starts during his teammate's current absence. Hartenstein also produced 43.3 FD points in 29 minutes off the bench in the game prior to that stretch and sports that ceiling north of 40 FD points any time he takes the floor.
Key Values
The following players make for strong candidates for the Utility spots:
Bobby Portis, MIL ($11,000)
Portis also has a ceiling of 40-plus FD points, making him a very intriguing value at his salary Tuesday. The big man has totals of 40.5 and 46 FD points in two of his last three contests, and he even has one 52.1 FD-point tally this season. Portis has also been stretching the floor very effectively of late, shooting 47.2 percent from three-point range in his last 10 games. The Thunder has been an excellent defensive squad all the way around, but Portis' secure second-unit role and versatile skill set always keep him viable.
Luguentz Dort, OKC ($10,500)
Dort is always a bit of an adventure to roster due to his typically inefficient shooting, but he's capable of heating up from time to time and also does a good job supplementing his fantasy production in other categories. The defensive-minded wing checks into Tuesday having scored at least 27.2 FD points in four straight, a stretch during which he's shooting 41.4 percent from distance and averaging 31.9 FD points across 30.5 minutes per game. Dort has also provided 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest during that span and is clocking a career-high 1.2 blocks per game for the season. The Bucks have allowed 38.1 percent three-point shooting to Dort's small forward position and 42.3 FD points per game to threes in the last 15 contests, furthering his case.
Brook Lopez, MIL ($10,000)
Lopez is another player whose production can see some fluctuations, but he's capable of bouncing back on any given night when he has the opportunity to get involved offensively. Such was the case Saturday against the Hawks, when Lopez provided 14 points on 70.0 percent shooting after five straight single-digit scoring efforts. The veteran big man netted 26.1 FD points with that performance, and he averaged an impressive 34.8 FD points per contest in an eight-game stretch prior to the last three contests where he produced those single-digit point totals. Lopez is still averaging 27.8 FD points per game despite the recent skid, and given his knack for rejections, it's worth noting OKC is surrendering an elevated 5.4 blocks per game outside its home floor.
ALSO CONSIDER: Khris Middleton, MIL, DAL ($9,500)
