This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a larger-than-usual slate for a Tuesday night, as there are seven games on the docket. Betting lines and projected totals do both paint a reasonably favorable picture for DFS purposes, but the injury report is riddled with plenty of big names whose status will require monitoring leading up to tip-off.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, 2/6 @12:00 p.m. ET:
Houston Rockets at Indiana Pacers (-7.5) (O/U: 242.5)
*Dallas Mavericks (-2.5) at *Brooklyn Nets (-1.5) (O/U: 236.5)
Memphis Grizzlies at New York Knicks (-14.5) (O/U: 213.0)
Orlando Magic at Miami Heat (-2.5) (O/U: 212.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-5) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 217.0)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-3) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 240.0)
Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns (-3.5) (O/U: 243.5)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
As already alluded to, the betting lines have several favorable characteristics Tuesday, as we only have that one double-digit spread, and it comes attached to the second-lowest projected total of the night anyhow.
Meanwhile, the only two teams on back-to-back sets are facing each other, and we have the very rare instance of three games with projected totals of at least 240 points. The one unappealing characteristic is that expected offense is somewhat at the extremes, considering the three games also under 220 projected points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Fred VanVleet, HOU (thigh): OUT
With VanVleet out, Aaron Holiday and Amen Thompson could handle the bulk of point guard duties, while the rest of the starting five should see appreciable bumps in usage.
Damian Lillard, MIL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Lillard can't suit up, Cameron Payne could see a spot start at point guard, while the rest of the first unit will enjoy elevated usage.
Jaren Jackson, MEM (hip): DOUBTFUL
In Jackson's likely absence, Scotty Pippen and Trey Jemison are expected to remain in the starting five, although Santi Aldama (tailbone) would also be in line for significant minutes at center if he can play.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Haliburton sits, Andrew Nembhard is projected to get a spot start at point guard while the rest of the first unit sees elevated usage.
Jalen Williams, OKC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Williams can't make it back from his three-game absence Tuesday, Cason Wallace may remain in the starting five.
Other notable injuries:
Julius Randle, NYK (shoulder): OUT
Desmond Bane, MEM (ankle): OUT
OG Anunoby, NYK (elbow): OUT
Dereck Lively, DAL (nose): OUT
Vince Williams, MEM (wrist): QUESTIONABLE
Brook Lopez, MIL (personal): QUESTIONABLE
Khris Middleton, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Tyler Herro, MIA (head): PROBABLE
Coby White, CHI (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,600), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,100) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,700).
Doncic had a very subdued performance against the 76ers on Monday (33.1 FD points) and will be on his third game in four nights Tuesday, but his ceiling naturally remains virtually without limit.
Assuming he plays through his probable tag, Antetokounmpo will be looking to eclipse 53 FD points for the fourth time in the last five games, a sample that includes a tally of 87.2 two games ago.
SGA has scored 56.9 to 69.1 FD points in four straight and has a highly favorable matchup against a Jazz team he scored 49.2 FD points against in 34 minutes back on Jan. 18. He also could be taking the floor again without Jalen Williams, who's questionable with his ankle injury.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kevin Durant, PHO ($9,900)
Durant should be an integral part of a marquee matchup against the Bucks and should be very popular on the mid-size slate at his salary, especially considering his tallies of 54 and 61.6 FD points within the last three games.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,700)
Brunson has scored 45.5 to 56 FD points in five straight games and comes into a very favorable matchup against the Grizzlies with two full days of rest.
Kyrie Irving, DAL ($9,300)
Irving looked back to health while scoring 49 FD points in 34 minutes in his return from a thumb injury against the 76ers on Monday, and that should help put him in plenty of lineups Tuesday.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,200)
Sengun has demonstrated the upside of a five-figure-salaried player on multiple occasions and should be a primary beneficiary of the absence of Fred VanVleet, considering he averages 47.4 FD points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor.
Jalen Green, HOU ($7,200)
Green boasts a team-high 33.1 percent usage rate with VanVleet off the floor, which should help make him very popular at his salary Tuesday despite a recent pair of sub-22 FD-point tallies.
Key Values
Aaron Nesmith, IND vs HOU ($6,400)
Nesmith is enjoying a career-best season across the board that's largely fueled by very impressive efficiency on the offensive end. The 2020 first-round pick is shooting 52.3 percent overall, including 46.3 percent from three-point range, and he checks into Tuesday's matchup with averages of 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest over the last 13 games. Nesmith has four tallies of 38.6 FD points or greater in his last seven games alone as well, particularly eye-catching numbers at his salary. The Rockets also happen to be at their most vulnerable to power forwards at the moment, having allowed 50.6 FD points per contest to the position within the last seven games. The fact Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) is questionable to play for Indiana on Tuesday only serves to make Nesmith all the more appealing.
Cam Whitmore, HOU at IND ($5,700)
Several Rockets should be in position to benefit from Fred VanVleet's absence Tuesday, and although Whitmore typically comes off the bench, the fact he sports a 26.8 percent usage rate and averages 38.5 FD points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor lends credence to the notion that he could overdeliver on his current salary once again. Whitmore has already been making a fairly regular practice out of doing so, considering he's putting up 29.7 FD points per game over the last six contests with the help of impressive 40.7 percent three-point shooting. The matchup against the very fast-paced Pacers also bodes well, as Indiana is ranked No. 25 in offensive efficiency allowed to small forwards and is conceding 48.3 percent shooting overall to second-unit players.
Dennis Smith Jr., BKN vs. DAL ($5,100)
Smith has put together some solid performances off the bench since the start of the new calendar year, averaging 24.4 FD points per contest across 22 minutes per game in the 13 appearances he's made since Jan. 5. The veteran and one-time first-round pick has tallies of 25.5, 26.9 and 37.1 FD points within his last six games, and Tuesday, he gets a crack at the team that originally brought him into the league in 2017. The Mavericks have allowed the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (45.7) and point guards specifically (29.5), and they're also yielding an especially elevated 54.5 FD points per game to ones in the last seven. That latter figure is partly the result of Dallas surrendering 2.4 steals per contest to PGs in that span, a relevant figure considering Smith's nine multi-steal tallies in the aforementioned 13-game sample.
ALSO CONSIDER: Scotty Pippen, MEM at NYK ($6,100); Amen Thompson, HOU at IND ($5,600); Kelly Olynyk, UTA vs. OKC ($5,100)
