The 2024 NBA season is finally here, and basketball action tips off with a Tuesday night doubleheader featuring the defending champion Boston Celtics taking on the new-look New York Knicks featuring Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the nightcap, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves will battle LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers.
We have you covered with everything you need to know to set those fantasy basketball lineups and make your best bets for Tuesday's opening night.
ESPN's fantasy and betting basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night's games. Here you'll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports and player projections.
Four bets to make on Tuesday
Anthony Edwards over 26.5 points. Edwards is coming off his best season, where he averaged 25.9 PPG. He's now the clear leader in Minnesota with Towns in New York. Against the Lakers last season, he averaged 27.3 PPG over four games. More importantly, he took 21.3 shots per game. If his jumper isn't falling, he's not afraid to drive to the rim. The Lakers struggled to contain shooting guards last season, giving Edwards a big advantage here.
Karl-Anthony Towns over 35.5 points, rebounds and assists. Towns will be busy as a scorer, rebounder and facilitator against the Celtics in his first regular-season game with the Knicks. New York's frontcourt depth is decimated with Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa out. Towns should get all the minutes he can handle. He has averaged 22.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 3.6 APG during the past three seasons.
Derrick White over 1.5 steals and blocks. He has been a key part of the Celtics' defensive identity, earning a spot on the Olympic team this summer. White hit this mark in 67% of his games last season, including five times against the Knicks. He's in a great position for success on opening night. White averaged 1.0 SPG and 1.2 BPG last season.
Sam Hauser over 2.5 rebounds. Hauser is set to get more minutes against the Knicks with Kristaps Porzingis ruled out. He averaged 3.5 RPG in 22.1 MPG last season. In seven home games where he played 25-plus minutes without Porzingis, he cleared this line six times. Hauser is a key part of the Celtics' rotation following his contract extension this summer. He should clear this line with ease.
Top players to stream into your fantasy lineup
Mike Conley, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (rostered in 48.7% of ESPN leagues): Conley was reliable for fantasy managers last season as the Timberwolves' starting point guard, playing in 76 games. He averaged 11.4 PPG and 5.9 APG while also contributing steals and triples. Conley won't blow you away with huge scoring performances, but his steady production in the statistical areas mentioned makes him a solid streaming option for opening night.
Rui Hachimura, PF/SF, Los Angeles Lakers (16.6%): Hachimura played 68 games last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 26.8 MPG. He's expected to start this season after coming off the bench for most of last year. Hachimura will have an expanded role under new head coach JJ Redick with a focus on offensive rebounding and more 3-point attempts. He missed the past two preseason games with calf tightness but is expected to be ready for Tuesday night's game.
Payton Pritchard, PG, Boston Celtics (rostered in 8.0% of ESPN leagues): Pritchard was the primary scorer for the Celtics' second unit last season and should continue to prosper in that role. He averaged 9.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 3.4 APG in 22.2 minutes per game. We can expect similar per game numbers this year. Pritchard could see more field goal attempts with Kristaps Porzingis out for the foreseeable future. Porzingis' 13.2 shot attempts per game will need to be shared. He's a reliable streamer for managers in deeper formats even against a tough Knicks defense.
Luke Kornet, C, Boston Celtics (rostered in 1.1% of ESPN leagues): With Porzingis out and Al Horford ramping up slowly, Kornet is in line to start for the Celtics. He played a key role in preseason with three spot starts. Kornet averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 15.7 minutes last season, but in four preseason games, he bumped that up to 9.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Kornet showed more energy, finished at the rim and protected the paint well in those games. Like Pritchard, he's a solid streaming option in deeper formats.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
All italicized players are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Line: Knicks 5.5 (-105) | Celtics -5.5 (EVEN)
Money line: Knicks 160 | Celtics -235
Total: 221.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 5, straight up 66%, 220.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Knicks: Mitchell Robinson, (OUT - Ankle)
Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis, (OUT - Foot)
Knicks projections:
Jalen Brunson, PG: 47.2 FPTS (32.0 pts, 3.8 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.5 3PM)
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF: 37.5 FPTS (25.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 3.4 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C: 32.7 FPTS (19.9 pts, 8.1 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.8 3PM)
OG Anunoby, SF/PF: 28.9 FPTS (17.4 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Josh Hart, SG/SF: 26.0 FPTS (11.4 pts, 8.0 reb, 3.2 ast)
Cameron Payne, PG/SG: 12.8 FPTS (6.7 pts, 1.5 reb, 1.8 ast)
Jericho Sims, C: 9.8 FPTS (3.6 pts, 4.7 reb, 0.7 ast)
Celtics projections:
Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: 49.5 FPTS (30.0 pts, 8.4 reb, 5.6 ast, 3.0 3PM)
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF: 39.3 FPTS (26.3 pts, 5.5 reb, 3.5 ast, 1.9 3PM)
Jrue Holiday, PG/SG: 33.3 FPTS (15.3 pts, 5.5 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.8 3PM)
Derrick White, PG/SG: 26.3 FPTS (14.1 pts, 3.9 reb, 2.6 ast, 2.6 3PM)
Xavier Tillman, PF/C: 23.9 FPTS (10.9 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.6 ast)
Al Horford, PF/C: 20.3 FPTS (8.1 pts, 6.7 reb, 1.9 ast)
Baylor Scheierman, SG: 9.4 FPTS (5.6 pts, 1.1 reb, 0.8 ast)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
10 p.m. ET on TNT
Line: Timberwolves -1.5 (even) | Lakers 1.5 (-120)
Money line: Timberwolves -120 | Lakers EVEN
Total: 221.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Lakers by 1, straight up 53%, 225.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Timberwolves: Julius Randle, (NA - Shoulder)
Lakers: Cam Reddish, (NA - Undisclosed); Christian Koloko, (OUT - Illness); Jarred Vanderbilt, (OUT - Foot); Christian Wood, (OUT - Knee)
Timberwolves projections:
Anthony Edwards, SG/SF: 39.5 FPTS (24.1 pts, 4.9 reb, 4.4 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Julius Randle, PF: 34.7 FPTS (20.8 pts, 7.5 reb, 4.3 ast)
Rudy Gobert, C: 28.4 FPTS (13.6 pts, 11.6 reb, 2.0 ast)
Mike Conley, PG: 22.5 FPTS (8.6 pts, 2.5 reb, 4.4 ast)
Donte DiVincenzo, SG: 19.8 FPTS (8.7 pts, 2.6 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Naz Reid, PF/C: 15.9 FPTS (8.6 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.2 ast)
Rob Dillingham, PG: 15.1 FPTS (8.1 pts, 2.5 reb, 2.2 ast)
Lakers projections:
LeBron James, SF/PF: 48.4 FPTS (24.8 pts, 8.3 reb, 8.1 ast)
Anthony Davis, PF/C: 43.3 FPTS (25.1 pts, 13.0 reb, 3.0 ast, 2.1 blk)
Austin Reaves, SG/SF: 32.7 FPTS (18.4 pts, 4.5 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.1 3PM)
D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG: 31.5 FPTS (17.5 pts, 3.3 reb, 4.5 ast, 2.7 3PM)
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF: 17.8 FPTS (10.7 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.0 ast)
Cam Reddish, SG/SF: 16.0 FPTS (8.4 pts, 2.4 reb, 1.1 ast)
Gabe Vincent, PG: 14.5 FPTS (7.5 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.4 ast)