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What you need to know for Tuesday's games
With 26 teams in action on Monday, we saw a number of meaningful fantasy outcomes.
Coby White scored 33 points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and is now averaging 23.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 4.9 3PM (no, really) over his past 10 games. He is still a free agent in roughly half of ESPN men's basketball leagues, and his ascent could be real for a team that appears ready to move on from Zach LaVine.
Caleb Martin (6.6%) and Duncan Robinson (13.6%) were brilliant the Miami Heat's victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Gordon Hayward (49.5%) kept filling up the box score for a Hornets team that remains desperate for creation without LaMelo Ball. Is your group text still talking about Keyonte George's scoring eruption? Maybe, just maybe, we should pay attention to Atlanta's Bogdan Bogdanovic (56.9%), who dropped a career-high 40 points in Monday night's loss to Denver.
The lasting fantasy news is likely Mitchell Robinson's long-term ankle injury. The big man will miss more than two months of action, shifting starting status and tons of rebounding and defensive opportunities to Isaiah Hartenstein (1.8%), who has averaged 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and nearly four assists over the past week.
Monday's wave of games gives way to a five-game Tuesday slate. The night appears competitive in that three of these contests have point spreads of 3.5 or fewer. A tighter spread can inform us that rotations are likely more reliable and predictable, while a double-digit line can serve to shift expectations for both sides of a matchup.
All three of these aforementioned games, the Los Angeles Lakers against the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings at Los Angles Clippers have the same exact total of 234.5 points at ESPN BET. With Boston positioned as massive a favorite over a depleted Cleveland roster and the sluggish total for the Denver Nuggets against the Chicago Bulls (218.5), I'm focusing a good bit of my streaming attention on that trio of Western Conference contests.
The Mavericks are an interesting rotation for fantasy purposes in that matchup against the in-season champs, especially with the renaissance we're seeing from Dante Exum (2.2%). The 2014 lottery pick has averaged 19.5 points with strong peripherals over the past two games with Kyrie Irving out.
The rest of the slate features plug-and-play options that we detail in the Stream Team below.
Tuesday's Stream Team
This segment nominates three key streaming options ahead of that day's action. A streamer, by our standards, is a player available in at least half of ESPN men's basketball leagues.
Eric Gordon, SG/SF, Phoenix Suns (20.7%)
Gordon loves the spin of his own shot and should get his buckets against a Warriors crew that is missing its best point-of-attack defender to injury.
Coby White, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls (49.7%)
White is the top streaming endorsement of the slate, given his major surge in scoring, shooting and playmaking volume. With the Nuggets also on the second leg of a back-to-back, White could get loose from beyond the arc.
Malik Monk, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings (33.0%)
Monk has served as the Kings' key scorer and playmaker off the bench. He averaged 7.5 APG over the past week and should be busy against an older Clippers crew Tuesday night.
Jonathan Kuminga, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors (11.5%)
Perhaps Kuminga's recent big line against the Thunder was an outlier and not some sign of momentum. Whatever the case, it's worth finding out with a player who is earning more work and faces a Suns frontcourt that lacks the athleticism to keep up with him.
Dereck Lively II, C, Dallas Mavericks (19.6%)
Lively has earned consecutive days on the stream team thanks to Monday night's massive double-double in Memphis and a nice matchup Tuesday night against a savvy Golden State frontcourt. If you don't need a guard like Exum, Lively is a strong streaming candidate.
Projections and Injury Reports
Fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics.* Projections assume all players who are listed as GTD will play. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
7:30 p.m. TD Garden, Boston
BPI Projection: Celtics in the 5th highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Cavaliers: Ricky Rubio, (OUT - Personal); Caris LeVert, (GTD - Knee); Evan Mobley, (GTD - Knee); Ty Jerome, (GTD - Ankle)
Celtics: None reported
Cavaliers projections:
Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG: 48.6 FPTS (26.3 pts, 4.6 reb, 5.2 ast, 3.0 3PM)
Darius Garland, PG: 37.8 FPTS (21.9 pts, 2.8 reb, 6.3 ast, 1.8 3PM)
Max Strus, SG/SF: 31.8 FPTS (12.6 pts, 4.9 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.7 3PM)
Evan Mobley, PF/C: 31.6 FPTS (14.6 pts, 9.1 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.3 blk)
Jarrett Allen, C: 25.0 FPTS (10.8 pts, 7.9 reb, 2.0 ast)
Isaac Okoro, SG/SF: 14.8 FPTS (7.1 pts, 2.7 reb, 1.2 ast)
Georges Niang, PF: 14.4 FPTS (5.9 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.0 ast)
Celtics projections:
Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: 45.0 FPTS (25.6 pts, 7.8 reb, 4.1 ast, 2.9 3PM)
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF: 36.2 FPTS (20.5 pts, 4.6 reb, 3.3 ast, 2.3 3PM)
Jrue Holiday, PG/SG: 31.8 FPTS (12.7 pts, 6.6 reb, 4.9 ast)
Derrick White, PG/SG: 30.1 FPTS (12.3 pts, 3.7 reb, 5.3 ast, 1.9 3PM)
Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C: 27.7 FPTS (14.3 pts, 5.6 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.3 blk)
Sam Hauser, SF: 16.7 FPTS (7.4 pts, 3.4 reb, 0.9 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Luke Kornet, C: 11.4 FPTS (3.2 pts, 4.0 reb, 0.6 ast)
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks
7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center, Dallas
BPI Projection: Mavericks in the 2nd highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD - Hip); Jarred Vanderbilt, (GTD - Back); LeBron James, (GTD - Calf); Gabe Vincent, (OUT - Knee); Jalen Hood-Schifino, (OUT - Back)
Mavericks: Derrick Jones Jr., (GTD - Quadriceps); Grant Williams, (GTD - Knee); Kyrie Irving, (GTD - Heel); Maxi Kleber, (GTD - Toe); Tim Hardaway Jr., (GTD - Back); Josh Green, (OUT - Elbow)
Lakers projections:
LeBron James, SF/PF: 45.4 FPTS (24.3 pts, 7.4 reb, 6.3 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Anthony Davis, PF/C: 45.4 FPTS (23.2 pts, 13.9 reb, 3.6 ast, 2.3 blk)
D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG: 31.0 FPTS (14.7 pts, 3.4 reb, 5.6 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Austin Reaves, SG/SF: 28.8 FPTS (13.6 pts, 4.7 reb, 4.8 ast)
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF: 21.0 FPTS (12.1 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.3 ast)
Cam Reddish, SG/SF: 16.1 FPTS (7.6 pts, 2.8 reb, 1.1 ast)
Taurean Prince, SF: 15.8 FPTS (7.4 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.5 ast)
Mavericks projections:
Luka Doncic, PG: 57.1 FPTS (34.3 pts, 8.8 reb, 8.4 ast, 3.8 3PM)
Kyrie Irving, PG/SG: 41.9 FPTS (23.5 pts, 4.2 reb, 5.3 ast, 2.6 3PM)
Tim Hardaway Jr., SG/SF: 22.8 FPTS (13.1 pts, 3.5 reb, 1.2 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Derrick Jones Jr., SF: 22.0 FPTS (11.5 pts, 5.1 reb, 1.2 ast)
Dante Exum, PG: 19.5 FPTS (10.8 pts, 5.0 reb, 1.9 ast)
Seth Curry, PG/SG: 16.2 FPTS (9.3 pts, 3.1 reb, 1.2 ast)
Jaden Hardy, SG: 14.6 FPTS (8.5 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.4 ast)
Denver Nuggets at Chicago Bulls
8 p.m. United Center, Chicago
BPI Projection: Nuggets in the 4th highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar, (OUT - Knee); Jay Huff, (GTD - Leg)
Bulls: Lonzo Ball, (OUT - Knee); Onuralp Bitim, (GTD - Illness); Alex Caruso, (GTD - Ankle); Zach LaVine, (OUT - Foot)
Nuggets projections:
Nikola Jokic, C: 57.1 FPTS (27.3 pts, 11.7 reb, 7.8 ast)
Michael Porter Jr., SF: 31.5 FPTS (16.2 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.6 3PM)
Aaron Gordon, PF: 30.0 FPTS (14.7 pts, 6.7 reb, 3.4 ast)
Jamal Murray, PG: 28.8 FPTS (14.8 pts, 2.7 reb, 5.1 ast, 1.8 3PM)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG/SF: 24.1 FPTS (11.4 pts, 2.0 reb, 2.7 ast)
Reggie Jackson, PG: 21.9 FPTS (10.9 pts, 2.1 reb, 3.6 ast)
Christian Braun, SG: 16.2 FPTS (8.3 pts, 3.1 reb, 1.5 ast)
Bulls projections:
DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF: 39.4 FPTS (23.7 pts, 4.0 reb, 5.2 ast)
Nikola Vucevic, C: 34.9 FPTS (16.6 pts, 9.3 reb, 3.3 ast)
Coby White, PG/SG: 34.2 FPTS (17.5 pts, 4.3 reb, 4.4 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Patrick Williams, SF/PF: 21.2 FPTS (11.9 pts, 5.0 reb, 1.2 ast)
Alex Caruso, PG/SG: 19.0 FPTS (8.2 pts, 3.3 reb, 2.3 ast)
Ayo Dosunmu, SG: 16.4 FPTS (7.7 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.8 ast)
Torrey Craig, SF/PF: 15.9 FPTS (6.3 pts, 5.0 reb, 1.1 ast)
Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
10 p.m. Footprint Center, Phoenix
BPI Projection: Suns in the 3rd highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Warriors: Chris Paul, (NA - Illness); Gary Payton II, (OUT - Calf)
Suns: Kevin Durant, (OUT - Ankle); Grayson Allen, (OUT - Groin); Nassir Little, (OUT - Concussion); Damion Lee, (OUT - Knee)
Warriors projections:
Stephen Curry, PG: 42.7 FPTS (25.4 pts, 5.5 reb, 4.9 ast, 4.4 3PM)
Draymond Green, PF/C: 23.6 FPTS (9.0 pts, 6.1 reb, 4.7 ast)
Klay Thompson, SG/SF: 22.2 FPTS (12.1 pts, 4.2 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.3 3PM)
Andrew Wiggins, SF/PF: 20.5 FPTS (13.4 pts, 4.9 reb, 1.0 ast)
Dario Saric, PF: 19.4 FPTS (8.4 pts, 5.2 reb, 2.2 ast)
Chris Paul, PG: 18.2 FPTS (6.1 pts, 2.6 reb, 4.3 ast)
Kevon Looney, PF/C: 17.8 FPTS (5.9 pts, 7.8 reb, 1.7 ast)
Suns projections:
Devin Booker, SG/SF: 49.6 FPTS (28.1 pts, 5.7 reb, 7.3 ast, 1.9 3PM)
Bradley Beal, PG/SG: 29.6 FPTS (16.3 pts, 3.9 reb, 4.0 ast, 1.8 3PM)
Jusuf Nurkic, C: 28.5 FPTS (12.1 pts, 9.0 reb, 3.6 ast, 1.6 blk)
Eric Gordon, SG/SF: 25.8 FPTS (12.4 pts, 2.4 reb, 2.8 ast, 2.4 3PM)
Josh Okogie, SG/SF: 13.4 FPTS (6.5 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.1 ast)
Drew Eubanks, PF: 13.1 FPTS (6.0 pts, 3.6 reb, 1.3 ast)
Sacramento Kings at LA Clippers
10:30 p.m. Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
BPI Projection: Clippers in the highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Kings: Alex Len, (OUT - Ankle)
Clippers: Mason Plumlee, (OUT - Knee); Bones Hyland, (GTD - Shoulder); Moussa Diabate, (GTD - Hip); Joshua Primo, (OUT - Knee)
Kings projections:
De'Aaron Fox, PG: 50.6 FPTS (29.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 6.1 ast, 3.0 3PM)
Domantas Sabonis, PF/C: 41.3 FPTS (18.6 pts, 10.7 reb, 6.3 ast)
Keegan Murray, SF/PF: 25.9 FPTS (12.4 pts, 5.2 reb, 1.4 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Malik Monk, SG/SF: 23.8 FPTS (12.1 pts, 3.0 reb, 3.4 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF: 23.4 FPTS (9.3 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.9 3PM)
Harrison Barnes, SF/PF: 21.8 FPTS (10.2 pts, 3.2 reb, 1.3 ast)
Trey Lyles, PF: 15.0 FPTS (6.5 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.2 ast)
Clippers projections:
Paul George, SG/SF/PF: 41.3 FPTS (23.0 pts, 5.8 reb, 4.5 ast, 3.0 3PM)
Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF: 40.3 FPTS (22.5 pts, 5.9 reb, 3.5 ast, 1.9 3PM)
James Harden, PG/SG: 36.8 FPTS (15.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 6.7 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Ivica Zubac, C: 27.2 FPTS (13.0 pts, 10.3 reb, 1.0 ast, 1.5 blk)
Russell Westbrook, PG: 25.5 FPTS (12.1 pts, 5.6 reb, 4.2 ast)
Norman Powell, SG/SF: 17.8 FPTS (10.8 pts, 2.2 reb, 1.1 ast)
Daniel Theis, PF/C: 17.3 FPTS (8.6 pts, 4.3 reb, 1.1 ast)