This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a typically compact Tuesday night slate in the Association, as there are four games on tap. There are a couple of matchups that look especially good, as well as a litmus test for a team that fashions itself an up-and-coming squad in the Western Conference.
Slate Overview
Chicago Bulls (+2.5) at Brooklyn Nets (-2.5) (O/U: 230.5 points)
Golden State Warriors (-1) at Miami Heat (+1) (O/U: 226.5 points)
Orlando Magic (+2.5) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-2.5) (O/U: 216.5 points)
Minnesota Timberwolves (+3.5) at Phoenix Suns (-3.5) (O/U: 227.5 points)
It should be an interesting night from a DFS perspective if the lines listed prove to be reasonably accurate, as we have a combination of elevated totals on three of four contests and narrow spreads attached to all four. There will be plenty of star power across the board as well, as even the Magic-Thunder clash features an intriguing Paolo Banchero-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander encounter.
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.
Deandre Ayton, PHO (ankle): OUT
In Ayton's absence, Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale should handle center duties for Phoenix.
Ben Simmons, BKN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Simmons sits out, Yuta Watanabe and Markieff Morris are in line to handle some minutes at power forward, although Kevin Durant could also potentially shift over to the position on at least a part-time basis.
Zach LaVine, CHI (injury management): QUESTIONABLE
If LaVine sits out, Alex Caruso and Goran Dragic could be beneficiaries.
Other notable injuries:
Seth Curry, BKN (ankle): GTD
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (chest): QUESTIONABLE
Andre Drummond, CHI (shoulder): OUT
Josh Giddey, OKC (ankle): OUT
Cole Anthony, ORL (oblique): OUT
Jalen Suggs, ORL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800), Kevin Durant ($10,400) and Stephen Curry ($10,000).
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a career-high 31.0 points, 7.0 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.2 blocks, and he'll enter Tuesday's matchup averaging 55.3 FD points per contest, a sample that includes two tallies of greater than 60.
Durant has been as productive as expected and is coming off a season-high 60.3 FD points against the Pacers on Monday night. He's scored over 50 FD points in three straight, but he will also be playing his third game in four nights and has played at least 39 minutes in five consecutive contests.
Curry hasn't scored fewer than 43 FD points in any game yet and has a trio of tallies over 50, but he's shooting just 25.9 percent from distance over the last two games. However, he did score 54.9 FD points in the first meeting against the Heat on Thursday at Chase Center.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kyrie Irving, BKN ($9,700)
Irving is averaging 49.7 FD points per game and just scored 56.2 on Monday night against the Pacers, and he naturally should be even more popular than usual on a small slate.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN ($9,300)
KAT has started to pick up the pace after a somewhat slow start to his new frontcourt partnership with Rudy Gobert, now having scored between 42.1 and 51.2 FD points in four consecutive games.
Jimmy Butler, MIA ($8,600)
Butler scored a season-high 62.2 FD points against the Warriors on Thursday at Chase Center and should be in plenty of lineups on the small slate despite an underwhelming effort against the Kings on Saturday (34.4 FD points in 37 minutes).
Paolo Banchero, ORL ($8,500)
Banchero has lived up to the hype right from the jump, scoring between 33.8 and 50.6 FD points in his first six games before dipping to 25.6 against the Mavericks in his most recent outing.
DeMar DeRozan, CHI ($8,200)
DeRozan owns a 30.7 percent usage rate and averages 48.9 FD points per 36 minutes with Zach LaVine off the floor, and there's a chance the latter is held out for injury management purposes Tuesday.
Key Values
Kyle Lowry, MIA vs. GSW ($6,500)
Lowry is likely best left for tournaments due to his career-worst 35.4 percent shooting to date, but the veteran guard still carries plenty of upside as evidenced by his four games with over 30 FD points, including three over 35. One of those came against these same Warriors on Thursday, when he produced 37 FD points across 33 minutes. It's best to roster a vet like Lowry when they've had multiple days of rest coming in, which is the case Tuesday since the Heat last played Saturday. Additionally, Golden State is allowing the ninth-highest offensive efficiency to point guards (27.9 percent), along with 40.0 percent three-point shooting to the position. The Dubs are also yielding the fourth-most assists per game overall (28.0), furthering Lowry's case.
Jock Landale, PHO vs. MIN ($4,800)
Landale and Bismack Biyombo are currently sharing center duties in the absence of Deandre Ayton, and although both players are worth considering as value options, Landale is $200 cheaper. The second-year big just produced 28.4 FD points against the Rockets in his most recent game in 23 minutes off the bench, and he also delivered 22.5 and 30.4 in two other games over his last four. He is splitting minutes fairly evenly with Biyombo, but Landale's bench role may allow him to avoid Rudy Gobert a good bit of the time. Minnesota is ranked No. 19 in offensive efficiency allowed to centers (31.6 percent) and No. 26 in that category against second-unit players (47.0 percent), and the T-Wolves are also surrendering the third-most rebounds per contest (59.0).
Royce O'Neale, BKN vs. CHI ($4,800)
Somewhat lost in the Nets' early-season malaise is the play of O'Neale, who's proven to be a very productive complementary option while averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block per contest. The 3-and-D veteran is shooting 37.2 percent from behind the arc while taking a career-high 6.1 three-point attempts per game. O'Neal is averaging a solid 25.4 FD points per game overall and has eclipsed 25 in four of his first seven games, and the Bulls check in allowing 37.5 percent three-point shooting to two-guards, along with an NBA-high 43.2 percent success rate from downtown.
ALSO CONSIDER: Bismack Biyombo, PHO vs. MIN ($5,000)
