This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Tuesday's five-game slate features a pair of potential blowouts, but all but one team on the ledger still has postseason hopes. Consequently, it could still be an entertaining night of DFS action, and although LeBron James' likely absence certainly dings the top end of the player pool, the potential return of Paul George helps to make up for it to an extent.
Slate Overview
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers (-1.5) (O/U: 227.5 points)
Chicago Bulls (-3) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 223.5 points)
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks (-12.5) (O/U: 218.0 points)
Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets (-13.5) (O/U: 229.5 points)
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (-1) (O/U: 216.0 points)
The Bucks-76ers matchup could well turn out as the crown jewel of the night from both a real-world and DFS perspective. Not only are the two teams battling it out for the No. 2 seed and can get within a half-game of the top-seeded Miami Heat with a victory Tuesday, but both squads should have all their stars available for their third and final regular-season meeting.
The Bulls-Wizards and Lakers-Mavericks games are also critical for the two play-in candidates (Washington and Los Angeles) and can help improve the positioning of the two more cemented contenders (Chicago and Dallas). The Jazz-Clippers nightcap could certainly be interesting from a couple of perspectives, as not only might George make his return, but each team is looking to snap a multi-game losing streak.
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, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle): DOUBTFUL
With James very likely to sit out, Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk would likely be the biggest beneficiaries, while Carmelo Anthony and Stanley Johnson could see the majority of power forward minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Antetokounmpo is expected to suit up for the showdown with the 76ers and already demonstrated his health in his return Saturday night versus the Grizzlies with a 30-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Paul George, LAC (elbow): QUESTIONABLE
If George does indeed return after participating in 5-on-5 drills Monday, he'll almost certainly be on a minutes limit after last having seen game action Dec. 22.
Rudy Gobert, UTA (leg): QUESTIONABLE
If Gobert were to sit out, Juancho Hernangomez could slide into a starting role again since Hassan Whiteside (foot) is already ruled out.
Other notable injuries:
Kyle Kuzma, WAS (knee): OUT
Bojan Bogdanovic, UTA (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Ben Simmons, BKN (back/conditioning): OUT
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): OUT
Jerami Grant, DET (calf): OUT
Norman Powell, LAC (foot): OUT
Lonzo Ball, CHI (knee): OUT
Dwight Howard, LAL (hip): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have six players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), Joel Embiid ($11,200), LeBron James ($11,000), Kevin Durant ($10,800), Luka Doncic ($10,500) and James Harden ($10,000).
Antetokounmpo has averaged 31.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in two prior games against the 76ers and just scored 59.2 FD points versus the Grizzlies in just 28 minutes on Saturday night.
Embiid has scored over 60 FD points in two of his last three games and posted 42 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and one block across 37 minutes in his one game against the Bucks this season.
As mentioned earlier, James is unlikely to suit up Tuesday.
Durant has scored over 50 FD points in three of his last four games, and he scored a season-high 76.9 FD points against the Pistons back on Dec. 12.
Doncic has scored 48.0 and 48.5 FD points in the last two games and scored 45.1 FD points against the Lakers in his one prior game against them. However, there may be some blowout risk attached with Los Angeles likely playing without LeBron in addition to Anthony Davis.
Harden dipped to 36.9 FD points against the Suns on Sunday night, but he scored over 60 two games ago. However, he's shot just 38.7 percent in two games against the Bucks this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kyrie Irving, BKN ($9,800)
Irving disappointed overall in his first Barclays game of the season Sunday, but on such a small slate, he's still likely to be in plenty of lineups in what is a very favorable positional matchup.
Paul George, LAC ($9,300)
If George is announced as available and without an overly restrictive minutes limit, he could be relatively popular in his return.
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS ($8,800)
Porzingis has scored 44.8 to 60.6 FD points in three of his last four games and recorded a double-double in his one prior game against the Bulls this season.
Donovan Mitchell, UTA ($8,200)
Mitchell scored only 25 FD points against the Mavericks on Sunday night, but he did score 39 FD points in 32 minutes during his one prior game against the Clippers, shooting 10-for-15 in that outing.
Cade Cunningham, DET ($7,700)
Cunningham hasn't scored fewer than 33.5 FD points in seven straight games and has seen a recent salary reduction, which should help keep him highly rostered Tuesday.
Key Values
Tobias Harris, PHI vs. MIL ($5,900)
Harris' salary continues to be stubbornly low, making him enticing in what should be a wire-to-wire battle. The veteran has scored 29.6 to 35.9 FD points in three of his last four games, and he's shooting an impressive 49.4 percent across the 14 games he's played in March. Harris also scored 34.6 FD points in his one prior game against the Bucks, and Milwaukee has allowed 46.2 FD points per game to power forwards while also ranking in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to the position (25.9 percent).
Isaiah Stewart, DET at BKN ($5,200)
Stewart has seemingly hit his stride during the post-All-Star-break portion of the season, averaging 24.2 FD points in his last 14 games and exceeding 30 FD points on three occasions during that span. The emerging big also comes in with at least one block in four straight games, as well as double-digit rebounds in five of his last six. Stewart also has prior tallies of 27.8 and 30.5 FD points against the Nets this season, and Brooklyn has allowed 51.9 FD points per game to the position on the season.
Reggie Bullock, DAL vs. LAL ($4,900)
Bullock is always much more of a tournament play due to his volatility, but at his salary and in this matchup, he's worth taking a chance on. The veteran sharpshooter comes in having scored 20 to 32.4 FD points in three of his last four games, a span during which he's shot 41.2 percent from three-point range. As mentioned earlier, the Lakers are very likely to be without LeBron James' defense on Tuesday and already concede the 10th-highest offensive efficiency to small forwards (22.1 percent), along with the most FD points per game to the position in the last seven (52.6).
