This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Tuesday features a trio of Game 2s that sees all three home teams as significant favorites, despite the fact one of them suffered an upset in Game 1. The injury report is very light as well, which gives us a strong player pool to work with despite just six teams being action.
Slate Overview
Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat (-7) (O/U: 219.0 points)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies (-7) (O/U: 241.0 points)
New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns (-10) (O/U: 221.5 points)
The Hawks are almost certain to turn in a better, more competitive performance than in Game 1, when they clearly appeared to be suffering the effects of playing their third game in five days. Trae Young isn't going to shoot 1-for-12 from the field again as he did in Game 1, and that alone should keep Atlanta a lot closer to Miami for at least a significant portion of the game.
The Timberwolves-Grizzlies clash could turn out to be the most competitive of the night. Minnesota will be gunning to pull off a shocking 2-0 series lead in enemy territory, while Memphis will naturally be pulling out all the stops to avoid heading to Target Center halfway to being swept. Meanwhile, the Suns are the biggest favorites of the night, but if CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram improve on their combined 35.7 percent shooting from Game 1, New Orleans could make things interesting.
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.
Clint Capela, ATL (knee): OUT
Capela's ongoing absence means Onyeka Okongwu should draw another start at center and the usage of the remaining members of the starting five should be due for a bump.
Bam Adebayo, MIA (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
If Adebayo were to sit out, Dewayne Dedmon (ankle) should be in for a start if he can overcome his questionable designation, while Omer Yurtseven could see extra minutes as well.
Other notable injuries:
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL (ankle): PROBABLE
Zion Williamson, NOP (foot): OUT
Elite Players
We have one player with a five-figure salary on Tuesday's slate: Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,000).
Towns went off for 49.1 FD points in Game 1 on the strength of a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double and has scored less than 45.3 FD points just once in five meetings with Memphis since the start of the regular season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Ja Morant, Grizzlies ($9,700)
Morant didn't show any rust in Game 1, posting 50.8 FD points. He naturally should be very popular on a such a small slate.
Chris Paul, PHO ($9,600)
Paul was the leading scorer for the Suns in Game 1, leading to 63.4 FD points across 35 minutes.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,500)
Young's utterly forgettable Game 1 performance notwithstanding, he'll naturally be in plenty of lineups in anticipation of what should be a much more productive Game 2 effort.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,300)
Edwards is now averaging 47.2 FD points over his first two postseason games, shooting 50.0 percent, including 40.9 percent from three-point range.
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,200)
Booker shot well under 50.0 percent in Game 1, but he shot 50.0 percent from three-point range and still provided 43.8 FD points across 41 minutes.
Key Values
Desmond Bane, MEM vs. MIN ($5,600)
Bane posted 24.1 FD points in Game 1, and that tally came in on a night when he shot just 6-for-15 from the floor. The result was actually a downturn from recent performances, as Bane averaged 37.7 FD points on 50.0 percent shooting, including 52.9 percent from three-point range, in the last 10 games of the regular season in which he logged at least 24 minutes. Bane also scored 26.1 to 34.6 FD points in three of four regular-season games against the Timberwolves this season, and Minnesota conceded the third-most FD points per game to two-guards over the last 15 (44.6).
Larry Nance, NOP at PHO ($5,500)
Nance has taken on a bigger role in the Pelicans' first two postseason games, furnishing 45.2 and 27.7 FD points in those outings despite averaging just 21.5 minutes per game. The floor-spacing big man has shot an ultra-efficient 12-for-16 in that span, and he could play another key second-unit role in Game 2, especially with Jaxson Hayes struggling as the starting power forward. The Suns have generally been tough on power forwards, but Phoenix has given up a more generous than usual 43.9 FD points in the last seven.
Max Strus, MIA vs. ATL ($4,000)
Strus makes for an interesting tournament play due to his three-point shooting, and he would likely see at least a slight bump in usage if Adebayo were to sit out Game 2. Strus totaled 21.9 FD points in 25 minutes in Game 1, his third tally of more than 20 FD points against the Hawks since the start of the regular season. Meanwhile, Atlanta has conceded the third-highest offensive efficiency to shooting guards (23.4 percent), including the postseason, and the seventh-highest three-point shooting percentage on the road (36.6).
ALSO CONSIDER: Danilo Gallinari, ATL at MIA ($4,800)
