Fantasy streamers and betting tips for Knicks-Celtics, Timberwolves-Lakers

The 2024 NBA season is finally here and the basketball action begins with a doubleheader on Tuesday night that pits the defending champion Boston Celtics against the new-look New York Knicks featuring Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the nightcap, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves face off against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers.

We've got everything you need to know to build your fantasy basketball lineups and place your best bets for opening night on Tuesday.

ESPN's daily fantasy and betting basketball cheat sheet is your pregame destination before setting your lineups for that night's games. Read our best advice for the evening here, including a selection of players to stream, as well as match-by-match injury reports and player predictions.

Four bets to be made on Tuesday

Anthony Edwards over 26.5 points. Edwards is coming off his best season in which he averaged 25.9 PPG. He is now the clear leader in Minnesota, along with Towns in New York. Against the Lakers last season, he averaged 27.3 PPG in four games. More importantly, he took 21.3 shots per game. If his sweater doesn't fall down, he's not afraid to drive to the rim. The Lakers struggled to contain shooting guards last season, which gave 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 by the departure of Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa. Towns should get all the minutes he can handle. He has averaged 22.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 3.6 APG over the past three seasons.

Derrick White over 1.5 steals and blocks. He was an important part of the Celtics' defensive identity and earned a spot on the Olympic team this summer. White reached that mark in 67% of his games last season, including five times against the Knicks. He has a good chance of being successful on opening night. White averaged 1.0 SPG and 1.2 BPG last season.

Sam Hauser over 2.5 rebounds. Hauser should get more minutes against the Knicks with Kristaps Porzingis out. Last season he averaged 3.5 RPG with 22.1 MPG. In seven home games in which he played more than 25 minutes without Porzingis, he crossed that line six times. Hauser is an important part of the Celtics' rotation after his contract extension this summer. He should cross this line with ease.

Top players to incorporate into your fantasy lineup

Mike Conley, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (represented in 48.7% of ESPN leagues): Conley was reliable for fantasy managers as the Timberwolves' starting point guard last season, playing in 76 games. He averaged 11.4 PPG and 5.9 APG and also contributed steals and triples. Conley won't blow you away with great scoring performances, but his consistent performance in the aforementioned statistical areas makes him a solid streaming option for opening night.

Rui Hachimura, PF/SF, Los Angeles Lakers (16.6%): Hachimura played in 68 games last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG with 26.8 MPG. He is expected to start this season after sitting on the bench for most of last year. Hachimura will have an expanded role under new head coach JJ Redick, with an emphasis on offensive rebounds and more 3-point attempts. He missed the last two pre-season games with calf strain but is expected to be fit for Tuesday night's game.

Payton Pritchard, PG, Boston Celtics (listed in 8.0% of ESPN leagues): Pritchard was the leading scorer on the Celtics' second unit last season and should continue to thrive 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 numbers per game this year. Pritchard could see more field goal attempts in the foreseeable future if Kristaps Porzingis is out. Porzingis' 13.2 shot attempts per game must be shared. He is a reliable streamer for managers in deeper formats, even against a strong Knicks defense.

Luke Kornet, C, Boston Celtics (listed in 1.1% of ESPN leagues): With Porzingis out and Al Horford slowly gaining momentum, Kornet is in the Celtics' starting lineup. With three starting places, he played a key role in pre-season preparation. Kornet averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 15.7 minutes last season, but in four preseason games he increased that to 9.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Kornet showed more energy in these games, finishing at the rim and protecting the paint well. Like Pritchard, he's a solid streaming option in deeper formats.

Predictions and injury reports

Basketball Power Index from ESPN Analytics. Infringement aggregation from Rotowire.com. Odds according to ESPN BET
All players in italics 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
In total: 221.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI forecast: Knicks by 5, direct increase of 66%, 220.7 total points.

Injury report:
Knicks: Mitchell Robinson, (OUT – Ankle)
Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis, (OUT – Foot)

Knicks Predictions:

• 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 Points, 8.0 Reb, 3.2 Ast)

• Cameron Payne, PG/SG: 12.8 FPTS (6.7 Points, 1.5 Reb, 1.8 Ast)

• Jericho Sims, C: 9.8 FPTS (3.6 Points, 4.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast)

Celtics predictions:

• 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 Points, 6.6 Reb, 1.6 Ast)

• Al Horford, PF/C: 20.3 FPTS (8.1 Points, 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 | Even the Lakers
In total: 221.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI forecast: Lakers up 1, 53% direct increase, 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 Predictions:

• 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 Points, 7.5 Reb, 4.3 Ast)

• Rudy Gobert, C: 28.4 FPTS (13.6 Points, 11.6 Reb, 2.0 Ast)

• Mike Conley, PG: 22.5 FPTS (8.6 Points, 2.5 Reb, 4.4 Ast)

• Donte DiVincenzo, SG: 19.8 FPTS (8.7 Points, 2.6 Reb, 2.4 Ast, 2.1 3PM)

• Naz Reid, PF/C: 15.9 FPTS (8.6 Points, 3.3 Reb, 1.2 Ast)

• Rob Dillingham, PG: 15.1 FPTS (8.1 Points, 2.5 Reb, 2.2 Ast)

Lakers Predictions:

• LeBron James, SF/PF: 48.4 FPTS (24.8 Points, 8.3 Reb, 8.1 Ast)

• Anthony Davis, PF/C: 43.3 FPTS (25.1 Points, 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 points, 3.7 Reb, 1.0 Ast)

• Cam Reddish, SG/SF: 16.0 FPTS (8.4 points, 2.4 reb, 1.1 ast)

• Gabe Vincent, PG: 14.5 FPTS (7.5 Points, 1.8 Reb, 1.4 Ast)