This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After playing 22 games over the first two nights of the post-All-Star-break portion of the season, the NBA slows things down considerably Saturday with a very modest three-game ledger. Only the Timberwolves are on the back end of a back-to-back, which, when combined with what is an extremely light injury report, at least presents us with a solid DFS environment for a night in which there are only six teams in action.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, 2/24 @12:00 a.m. ET:
Orlando Magic (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 226.0)
Boston Celtics (-7) at New York Knicks (O/U: 222.5)
Brooklyn Nets at *Minnesota Timberwolves (-7.5) (O/U: 217.0)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
We can take some solace in the fact point spreads imply it will be a competitive night overall, as even Minnesota doesn't have too large a projected advantage. However, with some capable defensive squads in the Magic, Celtics and T-Wolves taking the floor, projected totals are unsurprisingly subdued compared to the last two nights.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
OG Anunoby, Knicks (elbow): OUT
With Anunoby still out Saturday, Josh Hart should continue to start at small forward.
Julius Randle, NYK (shoulder): OUT
In Randle's ongoing absence, Precious Achiuwa should continue starting at power forward.
Other notable injuries:
Markelle Fultz, ORL (knee): OUT
Isaiah Stewart, DET (suspension): OUT
Elite Players
We have one player with a five-figure salary on Saturday's slate – Jayson Tatum ($10,500).
Tatum racked up 46.9 FD points across 34 minutes against the Bulls in his first post-All-Star-break game Thursday, and he's notably produced tallies of 52.7 and 58.2 FD points in two of three previous meetings with the Knicks this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,700)
Edwards' 46.3 FD points against the Bucks on Friday and his pair of 55+ FD-point tallies right before the All-Star break should all help make him very popular Saturday.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,500)
Brunson opened the post-All-Star-break portion of the season with 43.4 FD points across 39 minutes versus the 76ers and should remain very popular with Randle and Anunoby still out.
Cade Cunningham, DET ($8,500)
Cunningham's 48 FD points against the Pacers on Thursday and very safe floor should help keep him in plenty of lineups Saturday.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,200)
Brown's stellar ASG performance and his encore of 38.5 FD points across 32 minutes against the Bulls on Thursday should make him highly rostered on the small slate.
Derrick White, BOS ($7,500)
White produced 40 FD points against the Nets in his last game before the ASB and then recorded 52.1 in 33 minutes against the Bulls on Thursday, which should lead to a high roster rate Saturday.
Key Values
Ausar Thompson, DET vs. ORL ($6,500)
Thompson has taken a significant step forward of late, averaging 30.3 FD points across 28.9 minutes over the last seven games on the strength of 12.7 points (on 56.2 percent shooting), 6.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. The rookie fifth overall pick is holding down the starting power forward job for the time being and should therefore be in for plenty of minutes again Saturday against a Magic squad surrendering 47.0 percent shooting to fours, along with 42.4 FD points per contest to the position in the last seven games.
Bojan Bogdanovic, NYK vs. BOS ($6,100)
Bogdanovic came out of the All-Star break hot, producing 33.4 FD points across just 23 minutes versus the 76ers on Thursday while going a perfect 6-for-6 from deep as part of an 8-for-13 tally from the field. The veteran sharpshooter should once again play a key role off the bench for New York in what should be a highly competitive contest, and he'll be facing a Celtics team that's allowed 38.0 percent three-point shooting over the last three games. Bogdanovic also managed 38.4 FD points against the Celtics on Dec. 28 while still with the Pistons, generating a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included six assists.
Cole Anthony, ORL at DET ($5,100)
Anthony enjoys a secure second-unit role and gets a crack at a Pistons team surrendering the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to bench players, along with 49.2 percent shooting, including 39.7 percent from three-point range, in that split. Detroit is also yielding 52.8 FD points per contest to PGs in the last 15 games, and Anthony, who's exceeded 28 FD points in two of his last four games, also has a tally of 27.6 FD points against Detroit in 24 minutes earlier this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Wendell Carter, ORL at DET ($5,600)
