This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a much bigger slate than usual for a Tuesday, as nine games are on tap. Although the player pool is naturally deep, we also have an extensive injury report that includes plenty of big names. Therefore, it will be an especially important day to monitor the latest news on RotoWire and have a solid grasp on what value options may be in for bigger roles than their salary would indicate.
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 Tuesday, 3/4 @ 12:30 a.m. ET:
Houston Rockets at Indiana Pacers (-3.5) (O/U: 229.5)
Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic (-7) (O/U: 209.5)
Milwaukee Bucks (-6) at Atlanta Hawks (O/U: 241.5)
Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks (-4) (O/U: 232.0)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-12) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 245.5)
Philadelphia 76ers at Minnesota Timberwolves (-13) (O/U: 223.5)
Brooklyn Nets at San Antonio Spurs (-4.5) (O/U: 225.0)
Los Angeles Clippers (-2) at Phoenix Suns (O/U: 225.0)
New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers (-8) (O/U: 230.5)
As is often the case with a slate the size of Tuesday's, the betting landscape has a bit of everything. There's the less-than-ideal pair of double-digit favorites, but that's offset by four games with spreads of 4.5 points or fewer. Additionally, due to the abundance of noteworthy injury situations, we could also see some significant movement on these lines throughout the day Tuesday.
Projected totals have a bit more stability associated with them, as all but two games have figures of at least 225 points. That includes two games north of 240 points, although one of them, the Cavaliers-Bulls clash, also sees Cleveland as the second-biggest favorite of the night.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Luka Doncic, LAL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Doncic can't suit up, LeBron James' usage should be especially high, while Gabe Vincent could draw a spot start at point guard.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Maxey can't play, Jeff Dowtin and Jared Butler could handle most of the point guard minutes if Kyle Lowry (hip) also remains sidelined, while Quentin Grimes' usage could skyrocket.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK (personal): QUESTIONABLE
If Towns is out, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa will likely handle most, if not all, of the center minutes, while Jalen Brunson should see even more usage than usual.
Nikola Vucevic, CHI (calf): OUT
In Vucevic's absence, Zach Collins and Jalen Smith will continue to handle center duties while Coby White and Josh Giddey (if able to play through his questionable tag) will be in line for big bumps in usage.
Alperen Sengun, HOU (back): GTD
If Sengun is out, Steven Adams and Jock Landale should fill in at center and Jalen Green should be set to lead the way in usage.
Other notable injuries:
Evan Mobley, CLE (rest): OUT
Norman Powell, LAC (hamstring): OUT
Rui Hachimura, LAL (knee): OUT
Fred VanVleet, HOU (ankle): GTD
Jonathan Kuminga, GSW (ankle): GTD
Amen Thompson, HOU (shoulder): GTD
Josh Giddey, CHI (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
Paul George, PHI (groin): QUESTIONABLE
Austin Reaves, LAL (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Bradley Beal, PHO (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Julius Randle, MIN (groin): QUESTIONABLE
Coby White, CHI (thumb): PROBABLE
LeBron James, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (calf): PROBABLE
Stephen Curry, GSW (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with a five-figure salary on Tuesday's slate – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,700), Luka Doncic ($11,200) and LeBron James ($10,000).
Antetokounmpo has back-to-back 62.3 FD-point tallies and hasn't scored under 53 FD points in four straight, and he'll be in an especially favorable matchup against the Hawks.
If Luka can play through his knee contusion, he'll look to eclipse 49 FD points for the fourth time in the last six games.
LeBron could potentially take the floor without both Doncic and Austin Reaves in addition to Rui Hachimura, which would make him even more appealing than usual.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,600)
Edwards went off for 65.5 FD points against the Suns on Tuesday, a reminder he boasts upside that outpaces his current salary.
Zion Williamson, NOP ($9,500)
Zion has scored over 44 FD points in four of the last five games and should be in for a full workload of minutes in the showdown against the Lakers.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,400)
Young underwhelmed against the Grizzlies on Monday but draws a favorable positional matchup against the Bucks and sports a ceiling north of 50 FD points.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,400)
Brunson has scored at least 49 FD points in three straight and could take the floor without Towns, which should lock in a high roster rate.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($9,300)
Haliburton has put up 46.5 to 67.1 FD points in six straight games, which should make him very popular at his salary.
Key Values
Quentin Grimes, PHI at MIN ($6,100)
As mentioned earlier, Grimes could be primed for a major role expansion Tuesday, considering the state of the 76ers' roster. Grimes delivered a solid 31.7 FD points against the Trail Blazers on Monday, a game which Tyrese Maxey exited early from due to a back injury and that Kelly Oubre (illness) and Paul George (groin) both sat out. Naturally, Joel Embiid is also out for the season due to his knee issues, so there should be no shortage of opportunity for Grimes again Tuesday with at least one of his first-unit mates likely to sit out again. The Timberwolves have given up 43 FD points to shooting guards in the last 15 games as well, and Grimes has already flashed a ceiling north of 50 FD points on multiple occasions since joining Philadelphia.
Donte DiVincenzo, MIN vs. PHI ($5,800)
DiVincenzo has returned from a long absence due to a toe injury with a flourish, scoring 27 to 43.4 FD points in his first three games while shooting a blistering 51.7 percent from long distance during that span. DiVincenzo has also averaged an elite 2.7 steals per contest in that brief sample, and Tuesday, he'll be facing what's likely to be a significantly short-handed 76ers first unit, as alluded to earlier. Philadelphia also comes in already ranked No. 24 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to point guards (27.8) and has surrendered 38.5 percent three-point shooting to the position, along with 50.5 FD points per contest in the last 15 games.
Kelly Olynyk, NOP at LAL ($5,600)
The 76ers' Andre Drummond (highlighted in the "Also Consider" section below, is also an excellent option if you're paying down at center Tuesday, but Olynyk requires even less of an investment and carries plenty of upside thanks to his floor-stretching prowess. The veteran is on a five-game starting stint with his new Pelicans squad, and he's averaged 32.6 FD points in the last four on the strength of 14.3 points (on 54.1 percent shooting, including 45.5 percent from distance), 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. Olynyk is a threat for a double-double and multiple threes any time he takes the floor, and that makes him an excellent tournament play at a salary he's amply proven capable of providing a 4x-5x return on.
ALSO CONSIDER: Andre Drummond, PHI at MIN ($5,900); Cam Thomas, BKN at SAN ($5,500)
