This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're in for a treat Tuesday night, as two semifinal-round series kick off with Game 1s in Boston and Oklahoma City. There are a couple of injury concerns over in the Eastern Conference battle, but what should be an intriguing Western Conference clash boasts a clean bill of health.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, May 7 @11:30 a.m. ET:
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (-12) (O/U: 211.5)
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder (-3.5) (O/U: 218.0)
The Celtics' status as particularly expansive favorites is noteworthy but not completely surprising. Boston is not only at home, it also has a significant rest advantage over Cleveland, which just wrapped up a fatiguing seven-game slugfest with the Magic in the first round.
The Thunder will be an interesting case study Tuesday, as OKC last took the floor eight days ago and rust could therefore rear its head, especially early in the contest. Naturally, that also implies a big rest advantage for them, but the Mavs check in with a head of steam after the way they wrapped up their first-round series against the Clippers.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Jarrett Allen, CLE (ribs): QUESTIONABLE
If Allen sits out again, Evan Mobley will likely continue to handle center duties, while Isaac Okoro remains in the starting five.
Kristaps Porzingis, BOS (calf): OUT
In Porzingis' ongoing absence, Al Horford should remain in the starting five, while the other front-line players on the starting five enjoy elevated usage.
Other notable injuries:
Luka Doncic, DAL (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have two players with a five-figure salary on Tuesday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,000) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200).
Doncic put together an impressive first-round series against the Clippers where he averaged 55.5 FD points per game even though he shot just 40.5 percent. Luka averaged 25.5 shot attempts as well over the six contests, but he shot 55.6 percent, including 42.9 percent from distance, over his two games against the Thunder in the regular season.
Gilgeous-Alexander was his usual self during the four-game sweep of the Pelicans in the first round, averaging 46.2 FD points and shooting a crisp 47.6 percent. The star guard shot 51.8 percent versus the Mavs in four regular-season contests as well, and he shot 58.0 percent, including 44.8 percent from behind the arc, when playing with 3+ days of rest during the regular season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,700)
Tatum scored under 40 FD points in the last two games of the first-round series against the Heat, but he'll remain highly popular on Tuesday's small slate and with expected elevated usage due to Porzingis' absence.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,400)
Mitchell's usage should continue to be through the roof – he averaged 31.5 shot attempts in the final two games of the series against Orlando – and he's coming off having scored 59.8 and 62.3 FD points in that pair of contests.
Kyrie Irving, DAL ($8,800)
Irving should remain very highly rostered at a sub-$9K salary, especially after scoring 48.9 and 54.2 FD points in two of the last three games of the first round.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,300)
Brown brings a ceiling north of 50 FD points at a very reasonable salary and should also benefit from Porzingis' ongoing absence.
Derrick White, BOS ($7,200)
White's Games 4 and 5 performance versus the Heat, where he averaged 45.6 FD points on 59.0 percent shooting, should see him make his way into an abundance of lineups Tuesday at a very enticing salary.
Key Values
Darius Garland, CLE at BOS ($6,500)
Garland's production was admittedly a bit erratic during the first-round battle with the Magic, but he still managed to average a solid 28.2 FD points with the help of impressive 40.0 percent three-point shooting. He still demonstrated some nice upside amid the inconsistency, posting tallies of 34.5 and 38.7 FD points in Games 5 and 6. Garland also shot 43.5 percent against the Celtics in three regular-season games, and although the matchup against Derrick White isn't enviable in the least, the Cavs' star point guard should have an opportunity to offer a solid return on his salary if he keeps the hot hand from distance.
P.J. Washington, DAL at OKC ($6,000)
Washington is carrying an appealing salary for a player that scored 22.3 to 32.2 FD points in five of the six first-round games against the Clippers, and that complemented his fantasy production with 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest. Washington didn't even shoot well during the series (41.8 percent), so a slight uptick in that department could lead to even better numbers. Additionally, it's worth noting OKC allowed 9.3 steals per contest over the last three games of the series versus New Orleans, a trend that would boost Washington's outlook should it persist.
Caris LeVert, CLE at BOS ($4,700)
LeVert is likely best deployed in tournaments due to the fluctuations in his production, but the veteran is certainly capable of delivering a strong return on his very modest salary. LeVert proved as much most recently by producing a tally of 31 FD points in Game 7 against the Magic while going a crisp 5-for-9 from the field. LeVert also contributed 22.9 FD points in Game 3 against Orlando, and he averaged 15.7 points (on 48.6 percent shooting, including 40.0 percent from three-point range), 4.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals across 29.3 minutes per contest in three regular-season games versus Boston.
ALSO CONSIDER: Max Strus, CLE at BOS ($4,800)
