This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a two-game slate consisting of NBA Cup Quarterfinal matchups Tuesday, and we're blessed with an extremely light injury report that preserves an already narrow player pool. There's also some very appealing top-shelf options despite the fact only four teams are in action.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Tuesday, 12/10 @10:00 a.m ET:
Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks (-6.5) (O/U: 214.5)
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder (-4.5) (O/U: 230.5)
Both games feature matchups between quality squads that should be very competitive. The Magic's presence in the first contest of the night helps keep the projected total suppressed, while the Mavericks-Thunder clash is expected to be more of a freewheeling, wire-to-wire battle befitting of the explosive players that will be on the floor for either side. Both Dallas and OKC last played Saturday, so high-usage players like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have some extra spring in their step.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
P.J. Washington, DAL (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Washington can't suit up, the Mavericks may have to turn to deep reserves such as Markieff Morris and Olivier-Maxence Prosper at power forward while also potentially having Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively slide into that position for some minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Paolo Banchero, ORL (illness): OUT
Maxi Kleber, DAL (illness): OUT
Naji Marshall, DAL (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Khris Middleton, MIL (ankle): PROBABLE
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Tuesday's slate – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,900), Luka Doncic ($11,800) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800).
Antetokounmpo went off for 62.2 FD points in his most recent game Sunday against the Nets and has at least 50 FD points in three of the last five games overall.
Doncic recorded a season-high 70.1 FD points in his most recent game against the Raptors on Saturday, his third game over 69 FD points in the last four contests.
Gilgeous-Alexander saw a nine-game streak of 50 FD points or more snapped Saturday against the Pelicans, but he still scored 31 actual points in that game and posted a solid 35.4 FD points. He'll be taking the floor with two days of rest as well, an added advantage.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jalen Williams, OKC ($8,900)
Williams has scored 43.5 to 49.7 FD points in three of his last four games, with the high end of that range having come Saturday against the Pelicans in his most recent contest.
Damian Lillard, MIL ($8,700)
Lillard has been flashing a fantasy floor in the mid-30s and has tallies of 56 and 60.6 FD points within his last six contests, which should keep him very popular at his salaries on a small slate.
Kyrie Irving, DAL ($8,400)
Irving just recorded 48.2 FD points in his most recent game Saturday against the Raptors, his third game with over 46 FD points in his last six.
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC ($7,700)
Quality centers are always particularly highly rostered on such a small slate, and Hartenstein has scored between 33.9 and 45.6 FD points in seven of his last eight games.
Key Values
Goga Bitadze, ORL at MIL ($6,200)
As just alluded to with Hartenstein, viable centers can be few and far between on slates of this size. Bitadze therefore holds extra appeal, and the fact he's coming off having scored 45.2 FD points on the strength of a 21-point, 16-rebound double-double in his most recent game against the Suns on Sunday certainly doesn't hurt. That tally was Bitadze's fourth over 35 FD points in the last six games, and he's now facing a Bucks squad that's been more generous to centers of late with 51.8 FD points per contest allowed to the position in the last seven games.
Bobby Portis, MIL vs. ORL ($5,900)
Portis continues to play a key role for the Bucks off the bench and is coming off having scored a season-high 23 points on Saturday against the Nets, a game in which he netted 40.5 FD points while shooting 9-for-10, including 5-for-5 from three-point range. The versatile big is averaging 27.9 FD points over his last eight games overall, a stretch during which he's shot 50.0 percent from distance and has eclipsed 34 FD points on three occasions overall. The Magic have been tough against frontcourt players all season, but they've allowed 36.4 percent three-point shooting to second-unit players and Portis has proven capable of transcending difficult matchups on many occasions as well.
Moritz Wagner, ORL at MIL ($5,200)
Wagner is an intriguing value option on the other side of the Magic-Bucks battle while essentially serving as Orlando's version of Portis – a floor-stretching big who can pile up points in a hurry off the bench. The veteran has come into his own this season, averaging a career-high 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in the process. Wagner is in the midst of a particularly impressive stretch of play, averaging 30.1 FD points while shooting 55.3 percent over his last 10 games. Wagner is averaging a modest 20.6 minutes per contest in that span, but he's also putting up 9.4 shots per game in that span, keeping his viability as a source of offense high. The Bucks check in allowing 37.5 percent three-point shooting to bench players and the aforementioned 51.8 FD points per game to fives in the last seven contests, furthering Wagner's case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Daniel Gafford, DAL at OKC ($5,300); Luguentz Dort, OKC vs. DAL ($4,900)
