The Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves won their Tuesday play-in tournament matchups and the four more teams are set to face off on Wednesday. The Charlotte Hornets will face the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena at 7 p.m. ET in the first matchup for the night, and a San Antonio Spurs-New Orleans Pelicans pairing at the Smoothie King Center will follow that at 9:30 p.m. ET. We'll go over who impressed on Tuesday before previewing the best and worst DFS targets for Wednesday here.
Tuesday Standouts
Durant was the chalk few people could bring themselves to fade on Tuesday and handled business in a must-win game as usual. He racked up 25 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, and was a deterrent at the rim with three blocks. He and Irving were models of efficiency and finished as the night's top two fantasy players.
Irving was perfect against his former team in the first half of Tuesday's game and made all nine of his field goal attempts. He finished the matchup with 34 points and 12 assists on an impressive 12-of-15 shooting. Irving's now cracked 30 points on 75% shooting or better in back-to-back contests.
There won't be a "Playoff P" sighting this year as George fell short on Tuesday despite his best efforts. The Clippers star poured in 34 points on 24 shots and sank six triples en route to a narrow defeat. Paul's defensive contributions helped him finish right behind Irving on the fantasy leaderboard. He notched his fourth consecutive multi-steal game.
Who to play
Three 2022 NBA All-Stars will hit the hardwood on Wednesday, but Bridges could be the most crucial play to taking down DFS contests. The Hornets wing cooled off at points after kicking off the year as an early frontrunner for Most Improved Player, but could be the driving force behind Charlotte's playoff push. Let's take a look at why Wednesday's matchup could lead to a strong stat line for Bridges.
Bridges is averaging a career-high 20.2 points per game in his fourth NBA season and has been more productive and efficient away from the Spectrum Center. He's averaging 26 points and 6.5 rebounds per game against the Hawks, and only the New York Knicks have given up more total points to the Michigan State product. Bridges' 2021-22 scoring average is only higher against the Knicks, Nets, and Warriors. Choosing between him and Brandon Ingram could make or break your night.
Who to fade
Jones flourished while Dejounte Murray was on the mend with a non-COVID related illness, but he'll return to his usual game management role for the play-in. The Spurs point guard posted a respectable 12 points and six assists in his team's regular season finale, but he's not likely to get the same burn in a bigger game. Jones isn't worth his price on DraftKings or FanDuel at this point, as he's averaging just 4.4 points and 2.4 assists per game when Murray is healthy.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
