This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The first round continues with a three-game slate Tuesday night, and we're once again blessed with a light injury report. There were several stellar individual performances from players on this same set of six teams in their respective Game 1 clashes, and we should therefore have plenty of appealing options across the salary cap when building cash game and tournament lineups.
Slate Overview
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We have a diverse array of spreads Tuesday, with 5.5, 7.5 and 10.5-point lines on the board as of early Tuesday. As far as projected totals, the Clippers-Suns and Hawks-Celtics carry respective figures of 225.5 points and 230 points, which stand in stark contrast to the modest 214 points attached to the Knicks-Cavaliers battles.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Paul George, LAC (knee): OUT
In George's continued absence, Eric Gordon should draw another start at shooting guard, while Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook should see elevated usage.
Josh Hart, NYK (ankle): DOUBTFUL
In Hart's likely absence, Evan Fournier could enter the rotation as a reserve small forward after not logging any minutes in Game 1.
Other notable injuries:
Cameron Payne, PHO (back): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Jayson Tatum ($10,800), Kevin Durant ($10,600), Kawhi Leonard ($10,300) and Donovan Mitchell ($10,200).
Tatum went off for 39.2 FD points across 39 minutes against the Hawks in Game 1 after averaging 26.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 block against in two regular-season games.
Durant racked up 62.3 FD points across 44 minutes in Game 1, and with Paul George's continued absence, KD could be in for another prolific outburst.
Leonard tallied 54.5 FD points in Game 1 on the strength of a 38-point performance, particularly noteworthy numbers after he averaged a much more modest 17.3 points in three regular-season games versus Phoenix.
Mitchell netted 66 FD points in 44 minutes in Game 1, shooting 46.7 percent, including 37.5 percent from three-point range. The performance was in line with Mitchell's body of work against New York during the regular season, when he put up 31.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest versus the Knicks.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,700)
Booker put up 47.7 FD points in 43 minutes during Game 1 and should naturally remain very popular on the small slate.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,400)
Young was limited to 32.6 FD points in 34 minutes in Game 1, but given the urgency on the Hawks' end and Young's upside, he should remain very popular Tuesday.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,200)
Brown collected 44.9 FD points across 37 minutes in Game 1 on the strength of a 29-point, 12-rebound double-double and shot 57.0 percent against Atlanta in two games during the regular season, which should keep him in plenty of lineups.
Julius Randle, NYK ($8,500)
Randle showed no noticeable ill effects from his ankle issue in Game 1, posting 38 FD points in 33 minutes.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,500)
Brunson shook off the tough matchup against the Cavs to generate 37.4 FD points in Game 1, and he should once again be in plenty of lineups given his upside relative to salary.
Key Values
Derrick White, BOS vs. ATL ($6,600)
White continued his torrid stretch of production in Game 1, generating 44.5 FD points across 38 minutes on a well-balanced line of 24 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two blocks. The veteran guard had also scored 30.8 to 44.4 FD points in the last three games of the regular season that he played normal allotment of minutes, and he could line up for another productive outing in Game 2 against a Hawks team ranked No. 18 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to shooting guards (26.9) and which conceded 45.7 FD points per game to the position in the last seven games of the regular season.
Torrey Craig, PHO vs. LAC ($4,700)
Craig scored 33.5 and 41.7 FD points in two of the last three games of the regular season in which he played a normal allotment of minutes, and he also generated 30.3 FD points in 27 minutes during Game 1. The veteran forward should be back in the starting five Tuesday against a Clippers team that's allowing the seventh-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (27.7), along with 49.6 percent shooting (38.3 percent from three-point range) to the position. Los Angeles also finished the regular season being more generous than usual to fours, surrendering 51.2 FD points per contest to the position in the last seven games.
Mason Plumlee, LAC at PHO ($4,500)
Plumlee makes for an interesting value play considering his dependable role off the bench and the fact he totaled 23.2 FD points across 18 minutes in Game 1 against the Suns frontcourt. Plumlee hauled in 11 rebounds in that contest, and he scored 21.3 to 28.2 FD points in three regular-season games against the Suns as well. Phoenix has also been more vulnerable to scoring in the paint and rebounds recently, which are two vulnerabilities Plumlee is well equipped to take advantage of.
ALSO CONSIDER: Marcus Smart, BOS vs. ATL ($6,500); Eric Gordon, LAC at PHO ($4,600)
