This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Tuesdays often bring a bit of a breather to the NBA week, and such is the case tonight with a modest six games on tap. On paper, it appears to be night with potential for some strong individual performances, as only one game might turn out to be truly lopsided. Injuries could at least have some impact, however, even if the Warriors' trio of starters return to action as expected.
Slate Overview
Phoenix Suns (-7.5) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 224.5 points)
Brooklyn Nets (-3) at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 241.0 points)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-4.5) at Indiana Pacers (O/U: 222.5 points)
New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies (-5) (O/U: 231.5 points)
Milwaukee Bucks (-14.5) at Oklahoma City Thunder (O/U: 231.0 points)
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors (-7) (O/U: 220.5 points)
As just alluded to, there's one game with a higher likelihood of a blowout in the Bucks-Thunder clash. Otherwise, even the Suns-Magic tilt could be competitive, considering Phoenix will still be missing its starting backcourt as well as key second-unit asset Cameron Johnson.
The Nets-Hornets, Pelicans-Grizzlies and Clippers-Warriors showdowns may ultimately be the top three games for DFS purposes. Brooklyn will have both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in action, and as previously noted, the Warriors' top trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are all expected to be available after sitting out Monday's game against the Nuggets for rest.
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.
Devin Booker, PHO (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
In Booker's ongoing absence Tuesday, Landry Shamet should draw another start at shooting guard.
Stephen Curry, GSW (rest): GTD
Curry is expected to be back on the floor and playing a normal workload following a night of rest Monday against Denver.
Klay Thompson, GSW (rest): GTD
Thompson is expected to be back on the floor and playing a normal workload following a night of rest Monday against Denver.
Andrew Wiggins, GSW (rest): GTD
Wiggins is expected to be back on the floor and playing a normal workload following a night of rest Monday against Denver.
Jarrett Allen, CLE (finger): OUT
Kevin Love could take on starting center duties in Allen's absence, while John Mobley's usage in the frontcourt could also see a bump.
LaMarcus Aldridge, BKN (hip): OUT
With Aldridge sitting out, Andre Drummond could see a bump in minutes as the starter, while Nicolas Claxton should also see expanded opportunity off the bench.
Other notable injuries:
Ben Simmons, BKN (back/conditioning): OUT
Chris Paul, PHO (thumb): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (back): OUT
Norman Powell, LAC (foot): OUT
Caris LeVert, CLE (foot): DOUBTFUL
Zion Williamson, NOP (foot): OUT
Paul George, LAC (elbow): OUT
Josh Giddey, OKC (hip): OUT
Myles Turner, IND (foot): OUT
Isaiah Roby, OKC (back): QUESTIONABLE
Cameron Johnson, PHO (quadriceps): OUT
Grayson Allen, MIL (hip): OUT
Luguentz Dort, OKC (shoulder): GTD
Jalen Suggs, ORL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,900), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600) and Kevin Durant ($10,300).
Antetokounmpo produced 52.6 FD points in the memorable comeback win over the Suns on Sunday afternoon, his seventh consecutive regular-season tally over 50. He also compiled 67.3 FD points against the Thunder in his one prior meeting with them this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 68.4 FD points across 38 minutes against the Jazz on Sunday, his third tally over 60 in the last five games.
Durant has scored 41.8 and 58.2 FD points in his first two games back in action, and the presence of Kyrie Irving on Tuesday should only help keep him defensive attention off him as well as provide him with a capable facilitator.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Ja Morant, MEM ($9,900)
Morant saw a three-game streak of 50 FD-point tallies snapped two games ago, but his name value and the fact he's already posted 49.8 in one prior meeting against the Pelicans this season should keep him very popular.
Kyrie Irving, BKN ($9,600)
Irving has generally been very productive when he's had a chance to play, and a matchup against a Hornets team tied for the fifth-most points per home game allowed (112.5) should help ensure he's in plenty of lineups.
Brandon Ingram, NOP ($8,700)
Ingram just scored 55.5 FD points in an overtime loss to the Nuggets on Saturday night and has scored at least 40 in five straight games.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($8,400)
Haliburton is averaging 43.8 FD points over his last nine games, with tallies of between 40.7 and 52 in eight of those outings.
Deandre Ayton, PHO ($7,300)
Ayton scored 43.6 FD points in 33 minutes versus the Bucks on Sunday afternoon and sports a 26.3 percent usage rate along with an average of 39.1 FD points per 36 minutes with Paul, Booker and Johnson off the floor.
Key Values
Jaren Jackson, MEM vs. NOP ($6,100)
Jackson scored 40.4 FD points in just 25 minutes in his most recent game against the Pelicans on Feb. 15, and he's exceeded 40 FD points in five of his last 13 games overall. The big man's occasional fluctuations in production do help keep his salary reasonable and also make him a particularly appealing tournament play. The Pelicans have given up 41.3 FD points per game to PFs in the last seven as well, and Jackson has already delivered at least a 5x return on his current salary on 38 occasions overall this season.
Landry Shamet, PHO at ORL ($5,100)
Shamet lit up the Bucks for 31.7 FD points over 34 minutes on Sunday afternoon while logging the start in place of Booker, and he should be right back on the first unit Tuesday with his teammate already ruled out. The Magic could well facilitate another fruitful effort, as Orlando has allowed the 12th-highest offensive efficiency to shooting guards (22.0 percent) and Eastern Conference-high 37.5 percent three-point shooting. Meanwhile, Shamet's long-range marksmanship is well established, and he's draining an impressive 42.0 percent of his attempts from behind the arc in his 10 starts this season.
Andre Drummond, BKN at CHA ($4,500)
Aldridge's absence Tuesday should only further solidify Drummond's minutes, and the big man already comes in with three tallies of 34.8 FD points or higher in his first eight games with the Nets. Drummond has underwhelmed in his last three games while averaging just 13.4 FD points in that span, but he makes for an intriguing, low-risk tournament play to roll the dice on Tuesday. The Hornets have allowed the sixth-highest offensive efficiency to centers (33.4 percent), along with the fifth-most FD points per game to the position on the season (56.7). The latter figure is partly the result of Charlotte yielding the second-most points (24.8) and rebounds (17.3) per game to centers, two categories in which Drummond generates the majority of his fantasy production.
