This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a three-game slate on tap Tuesday night with plenty of big-name teams and players in action, and oddsmakers are envisioning a competitive ledger. There's also a milestone likely to be reached, as Stephen Curry is now just a pair of three-pointers from breaking Ray Allen's NBA record in that category.
Slate Overview
Golden State Warriors (-4) at New York Knicks (O/U: TBD)
Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets (-8.5) (O/U: TBD)
Phoenix Suns (-2.5) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: TBD)
In addition to the intrigue that Curry's shot at the record provides, the Warriors-Knicks spread does catch the eye based on how narrow it is. Golden State has a 10-win advantage on New York in the standings and the Knicks are just 5-9 straight up at home, making the smallish number all the more interesting.
The Raptors-Nets and Suns-Trail Blazers battles could also turn out to be very competitive, even with the larger spread compared to the former contest. Toronto is 7-5 on the road while Brooklyn has five home losses, so the conditions for a tighter game than the spread implies could be there. In the latter matchup, it's worth noting the Suns are coming off a loss to the Clippers on Monday night, while the Blazers have Damian Lillard back in the fold.
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.
CJ McCollum, POR (chest)/ Status: OUT
In McCollum's ongoing absence, Tony Snell, Ben McLemore and Anfernee Simons could all see extra opportunity to varying degree.
Devin Booker, PHO (hamstring): OUT
In Booker's ongoing absence, Landry Shamet is likely to draw another start at shooting guard.
Deandre Ayton, PHO (illness): GTD
If Ayton were to sit out another game, JaVale McGee would be set to continue starting at center.
Other notable injuries:
OG Anunoby, TOR (hip): OUT
Kyrie Irving, BRO (personal): OUT
RJ Barrett, NYK (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Precious Achiuwa, TOR (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Kevin Durant ($11,100), James Harden ($10,400) and Stephen Curry ($10,200).
Durant is coming off spectacular tallies of 51 and 76.9 FD points in his last two games, the latter a 51-point explosion over 41 minutes versus the Pistons on Sunday. He also posted 43.9 over 36 minutes against Toronto in the one prior game against the Raptors this season.
Harden should be refreshed after getting Sunday off for rest, and he posted over 40 FD points in four the previous five games before the day off. He generated 50 FD points across 38 minutes in the previous game between Toronto and Brooklyn this season.
As mentioned earlier, Curry is poised to become the career leader in made three-pointers Tuesday, although he comes in having underachieved a bit relative to salary lately with totals of 26.4 to 41.2 FD points in his last three.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Damian Lillard, POR ($8,700)
Lillard posted 41.2 FD points across 36 minutes in his return from an abdominal injury Sunday against the Timberwolves, and with C.J. McCollum still out Tuesday, he should be in for particularly elevated usage.
Fred VanVleet, TOR ($8,500)
VanVleet recorded 42.8 FD points in 40 minutes against the Nets in the first meeting between the teams and has posted 43.1 and 49.7 FD points in two of the last three games, all factors that should make him popular on the small slate Tuesday.
Chris Paul, PHO ($8,400)
Paul had a mediocre showing against the Clippers on Monday night, his 40-plus FD-point upside and the projected ongoing absence of Devin Booker should keep the veteran point guard in plenty of lineups.
Key Values
Anfernee Simons, POR vs. PHO ($5,800)
Despite Lillard's return Sunday, Simons still logged 32 minutes against the Timberwolves, posting 30.7 FD points in his own return from a three-game absence due to an ankle issue. The fourth-year guard should continue seeing a solid workload off the bench with CJ McCollum (chest) still out, and although the Suns aren't exactly an enticing matchup on paper, Simons should have the minutes to work with and has demonstrated a ceiling of at least 30 FD points on multiple occasions this season.
Larry Nance, POR vs. PHO ($5,100)
Nance got the starting call against the Timberwolves on Sunday and responded with 28.9 FD points over 26 minutes. The veteran had also scored over 20 FD points in two of the prior three games while coming off the bench, and given his productive showing with the first unit versus Minnesota, he's likely to get another turn with the starters Tuesday. The Suns have been just middle of the pack against power forwards in terms of offensive efficiency allowed (24.3 percent) while also allowing the 11th-most FD points per game to the position (47.1), putting Nance in play at a very reasonable salary.
Cameron Johnson, PHO at POR ($4,900)
Johnson turned in yet another impressive effort off the bench Monday night against the Clippers, posting 33.7 FD points across 34 minutes. The floor-spacing big had also scored 25.2 to 32.2 FD points in four of the previous five games, excellent returns on his current salary. The Trail Blazers could make for very good candidates to facilitate another fruitful night for Johnson, considering Portland has allowed the fourth-highest offensive efficiency to second-unit players (43.9 percent), along with NBA-high 38.2 percent three-point shooting overall.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kevon Looney, GSW at NYK ($4,700)
