This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
DEN (-7.5) vs. ORL, O/U: 217
LAL vs. NO (-6.5), O/U: 222.5
WAS vs. NY (-2.5), O/U: 225.5
PHX vs. MIA (-1.5), O/U: 215.5
BKN vs. POR (-4.5), O/U: 236.5
PHI (-3.5) vs. GS, O/U: 220.5
Tuesday's DraftKings NBA slate tips off at 7:00 p.m. EDT and includes six games. The Lakers will have to adjust to life without LeBron James as he's expected to miss several weeks after spraining his ankle Saturday. The Warriors will be missing Stephen Curry for a third consecutive game while Kyrie Irving is set to miss the next three for the Nets. Lonzo Ball, Derrick Rose and Elfrid Payton are listed as questionable.
The BKN-POR matchup will be a popular game to target and rightfully so, as the Nets will be without Irving and Kevin Durant for a matchup that features the highest total on the slate by 11 points. James Harden and Bruce Brown will be popular plays at each end of the salary spectrum while the Blazers have appealing options in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Harden is currently listed as questionable due to a neck injury, so it could be beneficial to target other late game just in case he doesn't play. The PHI-GS matchup is appealing on its own as the Warriors have viable value options to replace Curry in Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins.
Injuries to Monitor
LeBron James (ankle): OUT
James is expected to miss several weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Kyle Kuzma ($6,800), Talen Horton-Tucker ($5,500) and Wesley Matthews ($4,600) will likely see expanded roles in his absence.
Kyrie Irving (personal): OUT
Irving will miss the next three games as he deals with a personal matter. Bruce Brown ($4,200) will likely start at shooting guard in his place.
Stephen Curry (tailbone): OUT
Curry will miss a third consecutive game tonight with a bruised tailbone. Jordan Poole ($5,600) has been starting at point guard in his absence.
Lonzo Ball (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Ball missed Sunday's game due to a strained hip and is listed as questionable for tonight. Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($4,400) got the start at point guard last time out.
Derrick Rose (COVID-19): QUESTIONABLE
Elfrid Payton (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
Rose has cleared the league's health and safety protocols but will need to work on his conditioning before returning to game action. A strained hamstring has kept Payton out of the last five games but he listed as questionable and could return tonight. Immanuel Quickley ($5,800) and Alec Burks ($5,800) have seen increased run in their absences.
Mitchell Robinson (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Robinson returned to action Sunday for the first time since Feb. 12. He played 17 minutes off the bench and is listed as questionable for tonight. Nerlens Noel ($4,800) will continue to start at center for now.
Elite Players
Guard:
James Harden ($11,000)
Harden is the most expensive player on the slate. He's listed as questionable due to neck soreness but if he plays, and with Kyrie Irving (personal) and Kevin Durant (hamstring) ruled out, I'd expect him to be the most popular spend-up option. He has five triple-doubles in his last 10 games and the Nets have a favorable matchup against the Blazers.
Russell Westbrook ($10,800) has been on a tear as he's posted triple-doubles in four of his last five games. He's topped 80 DK points in two of those games and seen his salary hit a season high as a result. The Wizards have a slower matchup against the Knicks tonight so I'd prefer to save some salary and go to Damian Lillard ($10,000) for his clash with Harden. He's seen a significant drop in salary after three consecutive duds, but a matchup against the short-handed Nets should be a bounce-back spot.
Center:
Nikola Jokic ($10,700)
Jokic continues to be incredibly consistent, as he's now scored at least 60 DK points in seven of his last 10 games. He could go somewhat overlooked tonight due to the matchup against Orlando having the lowest total on the slate.
Julius Randle ($9,900) is another appealing option at center. He's played at least 40 minutes in four consecutive games and scored at least 60 DK points in four of his last seven. The Knicks will be playing in a pace-up spot against the Wizards.
Forward:
Ben Simmons ($8,800)
I don't expect people to pay up at forward tonight with more appealing elite options at guard and center. Jimmy Butler ($9,300) is the most expensive small forward on the slate and likely the safest option, but Simmons has considerable upside as the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid and Seth Curry for a matchup against the Warriors. Simmons has played better of late in the absence of Embiid and is coming off a triple-double last week that helped him put up 53 DK points. Anyone in this range would be a slightly contrarian option and a ceiling game would provide significant leverage.
Expected Chalk
Bruce Brown ($4,200)
Brown is expected to start at shooting guard in place of Kyrie Irving (personal). The Nets will also be missing Landry Shamet (ankle) so Brown should see plenty of minutes at a very affordable salary.
Value Picks
Brandon Ingram ($7,800)
Ingram is coming off 54.5 DK points last time out and his salary is still a bit depressed for tonight's matchup against his old team, the Lakers, who will be missing LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kyle Kuzma ($6,800)
Kuzma is expected to come into the starting in place of LeBron. There is a considerable amount of usage up for grabs now that the Lakers are without their best two players and Kuzma will be relied on to carry a significant load going forward.
Dennis Schroder ($6,600)
Schroder is another player who stands to benefit in the absence of James. He's been somewhat of a disappointment this season but he should have the ball in his hands more often now and will be needed to create and score.
Andrew Wiggins ($6,600)
Stephen Curry will miss a third consecutive game tonight so Wiggins will continue to see a significant bump in usage. He's coming off a whopping 66 DK points Friday and I'd expect him to be a relatively popular mid-range option tonight.
Jordan Poole ($5,600)
Poole will likely get another start at point guard in place of the injured Curry. He's scored at least 34 DK points in three consecutive games and has seen mid-30s minutes in back-to-back starts.
