This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA's long-awaited Opening Night has arrived, and the league opens its 79th season with the defending champion Celtics raising their 18th championship banner before a showdown with the Knicks, while the Timberwolves drop in on the Lakers to close out the star-studded doubleheader.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Monday, 10/21 @10:00 p.m. ET:
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (-5.5) (O/U: 221.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-1) at Los Angeles Lakers (O/U: 219.0)
The Celtics are unsurprisingly solid home favorites on what should be an emotional night at TD Garden, even as they open the season without star forward Kristaps Porzingis (foot). Meanwhile, the Knicks have traded one star frontcourt member for another, as Julius Randle will be making his Minnesota debut in the second game of the night now that he's been swapped for Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Timberwolves are notably slim road favorites against the Lakers, a team they beat in three out of four meetings during the 2023-24 regular season. As just alluded to, the frontcourt in Minnesota has undergone a noteworthy change, but Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert are among the returning mainstays for Chris Finch's squad. The Lakers will once again be spearheaded by their top trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell, giving them some key continuity as well.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Kristaps Porzingis, BOS (foot): OUT
With Porzingis out to begin the season, Al Horford should hold down starting center duties on most nights, while Luke Kornet could enjoy a sizable role behind him as well.
Christian Wood, LAL (knee): OUT
With Wood out following September arthroscopic knee surgery, Jaxson Hayes could see additional opportunity in the frontcourt to start the season.
Mitchell Robinson, NYK (ankle): OUT
With Robinson still recovering from a pair of ankle surgeries in less than a year and Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) also out, Jericho Sims should operate as Karl-Anthony Towns' top backup at center.
Other notable injuries:
Precious Achiuwa, NYK (hamstring): OUT
Jarred Vanderbilt, LAL (foot): OUT
Landry Shamet, NYK (shoulder): OUT
Elite Players
We have one player with a five-figure salary on Tuesday's slate – Anthony Davis ($10,800)
Davis finished last season with a career-high 76 games played and also produced the second-highest shooting percentage of his career (55.6). Davis continued to offer excellent fantasy production, as he averaged an elite 53.7 FD points per game. AD performed well against the Timberwolves as well, averaging 23.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest across four regular-season games.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
LeBron James, LAL ($9,900)
James posted totals of 48.1 and 49.6 FD points in the two games he played against Minnesota last season, shooting 54.1 percent, including 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,600)
Tatum typically offers production befitting a much higher salary, and with Porzingis out, he could be even more involved than usual considering he generated a team-high 33.6 percent usage rate with his teammate off the floor last season.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,400)
Edwards set another new career high in scoring (25.9) and assists (5.1) during the 2023-24 campaign and averaged 43.2 FD points per contest overall between the regular season and postseason.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,900)
Brunson sported a five-figure salary at times during his breakout 2023-24 campaign and shot an impressive 47.7 percent, including 40.0 percent from three-point range, in five total games against the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,100)
Brown averaged 38.1 FD points per game during the regular season and postseason last year. He also generated a 31.0 percent usage rate and averaged 42.6 FD points per 36 minutes with Porzingis off the floor during last regular season, adding to his appeal.
Key Values
Al Horford, BOS vs. NYK ($5,600)
Horford is in line to handle starting center duties with Porzingis sidelined to open the season, yet he sports a very reasonable salary for Opening Night. While handling a workload similar to what he might see Tuesday night, Horford posted 27 FD points across 27 minutes in one of his games against the Knicks. Horford also tallied 25.1 FD points while frequently facing Towns in one of Boston's two meetings against Minnesota last season, and the veteran big man should have a good chance of delivering a strong return on investment again Tuesday after offering over a 5x return on his current salary on 24 occasions last season and postseason.
OG Anunoby, NYK at BOS ($5,500)
Anunoby's salary is particularly eye-catching considering his production down the stretch last season and postseason, when he averaged 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 block while shooting 49.4 percent, including an outstanding 46.4 percent from behind the arc. Anunoby figures to play a key role again for the Knicks this season despite the abundance of the talent on the first unit, including Anunoby's new frontcourt mate, Towns. The Celtics don't exactly make for an inviting matchup, but at his salary, Anunoby is very capable of offering a rewarding return on investment.
Naz Reid, MIN at LAL ($5,000)
Reid frequently outperformed this salary last season, his best yet as a pro. The veteran averaged a career-high 13.5 points (on 47.7 percent shooting, including 41.4 percent from distance), 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 24.2 minutes per contest over 81 regular-season appearances. Reid averaged 24.5 FD points per contest including the postseason, and he had three of his biggest games against the Lakers with tallies of 38.5, 44.5 and 53.7 FD points. Los Angeles finished last season in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to frontcourt players as well, furthering Reid's appeal.
ALSO CONSIDER: Donte DiVincenzo, MIN at LAL ($5,800); Rui Hachimura, LAL vs. MIN ($4,200)
