This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have our usual three-game slate Tuesday night, one that features some of the NBA's biggest names. Several of those players have injuries, but fortunately, most are expected to take the floor. The other piece of good news is oddsmakers project a night of competitive action, with no point spread larger than four points.
Slate Overview
Brooklyn Nets (-4) at Dallas Mavericks (O/U: 218.5 points)
New York Knicks (-2) at San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 211.5 points)
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers (-2) (O/U: 220.0 points)
The biggest health question mark on the slate belongs to Luka Doncic, who's questionable with an ankle injury. The Nets are relatively modest road favorites with Luka's status still undecided, but their projected advantage could naturally narrow if he plays.
Even the biggest mismatch of the night record-wise — Knicks vs. Spurs — is projected to be a wire-to-wire affair. San Antonio has shown significant improvement lately, coming within five points of knocking off the Suns on the road Monday night and extending a winning streak to five games. Meanwhile, the Celtics-Lakers nightcap features no shortage of DFS intrigue, if the Lakers' stars suit up as expected.
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.
LeBron James, LAL (abdomen)/ Status: PROBABLE
James is expected to play with the abdominal strain he's been nursing for several weeks. Talen Horton-Tucker stands at the ready should LeBron suffer a setback.
Luka Doncic, DAL (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Doncic were to sit out a second straight game, Jalen Brunson would handle point-guard duty again, while the usage rates of the remaining members of the starting five would see a notable boost.
Anthony Davis, LAL (thumb)/ Status: PROBABLE
Davis is expected to continue to play though the thumb injury he's been nursing for several games.
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (knee)/ Status: PROBABLE
Porzingis is expected to make his return from a two-game absence, but Maxi Kleber will slide into his power forward spot if he suffers a setback.
Jaylen Brown, BOS (hamstring)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Brown does not make it back from his two-game absence, Dennis Schroder should be a direct beneficiary with another start.
Other notable injuries:
Tim Hardaway, DAL (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Devin Vassell, SAN (thigh)/ Status: OUT
Carmelo Anthony, LAL (illness)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Joe Harris, BRO (ankle)/ Status: OUT
Kyrie Irving, BRO (personal)/ Status: OUT
Elite Players
Five players have five-figure salaries: Kevin Durant ($10,800), James Harden ($10,600), LeBron James ($10,500), Luka Doncic ($10,300) and Anthony Davis ($10,000).
Durant has scored 46 to 69.3 FD points in five of his last six games, leading to a bump in salary that is justified by his recent returns.
Harden tallied 50.6 and 62 FD points in two of the last four games and is starting to offer 50-plus efforts more frequently, leading to a gradual increase in salary that has him back to the figures typically associated with him in past seasons.
James is running hot for the marquee matchup against the Celtics, scoring 48.2 to 61 FD points in his last four games.
Doncic's status is the most uncertain of the stars and will have to be monitored closely until gametime. If he's cleared to play, he should have a massive role in what could be a four-quarter battle against the Nets.
Davis, like teammate James, is expected to continue playing through a thumb injury he's managed successfully (46 to 57.6 FD points in his last four games).
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Dejounte Murray, SAN ($9,900)
Murray has scored 45 FD points or more in seven straight, recording a double-double in each. His career-high production should continue to keep him in plenty of lineups.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,700)
Tatum will be even more popular if Jaylen Brown is out yet again and has scored 47 to 54.7 FD points in his last three games.
Russell Westbrook, LAL ($9,500)
Even though James and Davis are expected to play and Westbrook has slumped to 37 and 26.9 FD points in his last two games, the star point guard should remain popular on the small slate.
Julius Randle, NYK ($8,700)
Randle has bounced back from a recent two-game downturn to score 43.4 to 52.4 FD points in his last three games, which should help keep him in plenty of lineups.
Key Values
LaMarcus Aldridge, BRO at DAL ($5,600)
Aldridge is thriving as the starting center and frequent third-scoring option on the Nets, posting more than 30 FD points in four of his last eight games. The big man has seen more than 30 minutes in three consecutive games as well and draws an appealing matchup Tuesday. The Mavericks have had trouble playing defense down low all season, allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency to centers (35.1 percent), along with the seventh-most FD points per game to the position (57.2). Aldridge has taken double-digit shot attempts in eight consecutive contests as well, keeping himself heavily involved despite sharing the floor with Durant and Harden.
Dennis Schroder, BOS at LAL ($5,200)
Schroder could start another game with Jaylen Brown (hamstring) questionable, but he'll play a lot of minutes even if he's coming off the bench. The veteran point guard just racked up 49.8 FD points in 31 minutes against the Trail Blazers on Saturday night and averages 30 FD points per contest this season. The matchup against the Lakers offers no shortage of appeal, starting with the fact Schroder should have a bit of extra motivation for it considering he played in Los Angeles last season. Additionally, the Lakers allow a Western Conference-high 27.8 percent efficiency to point guards, along with 48.1 FD points per game to the position.
Patty Mills, BRO at DAL ($4,900)
Mills continues to handle starting shooting-guard duty in Joe Harris' (ankle) stead and is making good use of the opportunity, averaging 24.0 FD points in his nine starts and 25.2 FD points in his last 10 games overall. Mills has shot a blistering 53.8 percent, including 50.6 percent from three-point range, over the latter span, while his 47.4 percent season success rate from behind the arc is his highest since his 10-game 2009-10 rookie campaign. The Mavericks allow 39.2 percent three-point shooting to two guards, along with 37.9 FD points per game to the position. For his part, Mills remains highly aggressive when on the floor, averaging 8.7 three-point attempts per game during the aforementioned 10-game span.
