There are seven NBA games on Tuesday’s slate.
HOU, IND, NYK and POR are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Max Christie is in. Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Jalen Smith, Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown, Dalen Terry, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent are questionable. Talen Horton-Tucker is doubtful. Anthony Davis, Noah Clowney and Ben Simmons are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, there are no double-digit favorites. The biggest spread is HOU -9 over BKN. There are three games with a total of at least 230: BOS/CLE (236), NYK/TOR (230) and IND/POR (232). There are two games with a total below 220: HOU/BKN (209) and LAL/LAC (218.5).
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics ($8,600): Mitchell has channeled his inner Hare this NBA season, often lying on the grass in the shade with a slice of grass peeking out from his mouth as the rest of the league whizzes by. He can afford to because of his teammates, who have been bludgeoning opponents on their own. But when needed, Mitchell dons the cape and leads his team to victory while sprinkling fantasy goodies throughout the atmosphere. In what should be a competitive affair against the defending champions, Mitchell should play a ton of minutes and expose that S on his chest while sidestepping defenders in the paint. In two prior games against Boston, Mitchell put up over 50 FPTS in each meeting.
Other Options: James Harden ($9,200), Tyrese Haliburton ($8,500), Tyler Herro ($8,400), Jaylen Brown ($8,000), Darius Garland ($7,600), Josh Giddey ($6,900), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($6,700), Derrick White ($6,100)
Value
Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers ($5,300): Thompson is coming off an awful game in which he shot 1-of-10 from the field. That was against Cleveland, though, one of the top defensive teams in the league, and he only played 18 minutes due to the 43-point blowout. I’d expect a nice bounceback for Thompson, as Philadelphia has been dead-last in defensive rating over the last 10 games. Thompson finished with at least 28 FPTS in the prior three games with a high of 36.75 FPTS.
Other Options: Andrew Nembhard ($5,800), Ja’Kobe Walter ($3,200)
Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers ($9,800): As mentioned in the Mitchell section, I expect this to be a competitive affair, which means everyone should see their full allotment of playing time. Tatum is the alpha for the Celtics and is coming off a 66.75-FPTS game. In two prior meetings with Cleveland, Tatum finished with 65 and 54 FPTS.
Other Options: Jaylen Brown ($8,000), Pascal Siakam ($8,000), Evan Mobley ($8,000), Bam Adebayo ($7,900), Josh Hart ($7,700), RJ Barrett ($7,000)
Value
Ja’Kobe Walter, Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks ($3,200): The 6-foot-5, 180 pound Walter was selected with the 19th overall pick and gets buckets. He’s been in-and-out of the lineup, but he’s put up at least 20 FPTS seven times this season with a high of 40.25 FPTS. He’s only been playing around 20 minutes per game recently, but the organization has said that they want to develop Walter with the Raptors out of playoff contention. Walter contributed 20.5 and 24.5 FPTS in the last two games.
Other Options: Precious Achiuwa ($5,700) if he starts, Nikola Jovic ($5,000), Ricky Council IV ($4,300) if he starts, Justin Edwards ($4,200), Dante Exum ($3,500)
Center
Stud
Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($7,400): Over the last five games, Zubac has put up at least 30 FPTS in all with two games at 55 and 56 FPTS. A few weeks ago, he finished with 57.75 FPTS against the Lakers. And that was with Anthony Davis in the lineup. Zubac should feast on whomever J.J. Redick runs out there at center.
Other Options: Evan Mobley ($8,000), Bam Adebayo ($7,900), Kristaps Porzingis ($7,100), Deandre Ayton ($6,500), Kel’el Ware ($6,100)
Value
Nikola Jovic, Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls ($5,000): Over the last four games, Jovic received 25, 29, 47 and 31 minutes. He put up at least 22 FPTS in all with three over 30 FPTS. He’s going to play. The only question is how much? Now he gets a fantasy-friendly matchup in the Bulls, a team that is fourth in pace over the lat 10 games.
Other Options: Precious Achiuwa ($5,700) if he starts, Steven Adams ($4,400) if he starts
