This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Saturday brings a solid eight-game slate that tips off at 8 pm Eastern, and the injury report is encouragingly compact. However, there are some big names among the walking wounded, but that has the potential to open up some solid mid and lower-salary plays. We also should have some strong DFS environments, with plenty of games projected over 220 points.
Slate Overview
Here's a further look at the three games with the highest projected totals on Saturday's slate:
Portland Trail Blazers at Chicago Bulls (Projected total: 232.0 points)
The Bulls come into Saturday's contest averaging an NBA-high 108.0 possessions per contest and giving up the third-most points per game (118.2). Chicago is also surrendering the second-highest home shooting percentage (48.7), while the Trail Blazers have plenty of defensive vulnerabilities in their own right with 115.5 points per game allowed. With Damian Lillard and Zach LaVine healthy on either side of this matchup, there's already the potential for some fireworks, and there are also some very talented complementary scorers for each team that could certainly help keep the scoreboard humming.
Milwaukee Bucks at Charlotte Hornets (Projected total: 228.0 points)
The Bucks suffered an upset loss to the Pelicans on Friday, but they still racked up 126 points and went into the game scoring a co-NBA-high 119.8 points per game. The Hornets are giving up a respectable 109.7 points per contest (112.3 over the last three). Still, Milwaukee's highly efficient 48.7 percent shooting and Big Three of Giannis, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday certainly can wreak havoc on any team. For their part, the Hornets have had trouble at times finding consistency in their offense. Still, they have a talented core in Terry Rozier, Devonte' Graham, Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington that could benefit from the bump in pace the Bucks bring to the table.
Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors (Projected total: 225.0 points)
The Warriors are playing at the league's third-fastest pace (107.2 possessions per game) and giving up the sixth-most points per game (114.5), while the Pistons are directly behind them with 112.4 per contest surrendered. Detroit also allows NBA-high 50.7 percent shooting on the road, including the second-highest three-point percentage (41.1 percent). The latter pair of figures could especially spell trouble against Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. At the same time, it's also worth noting the Pistons are averaging nearly six more points per game on the road (112.5) than at home (106.9) while shooting almost four percentage points better when traveling (45.3 percent, compared to 41.4 percent).
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
James is sporting his usual questionable designation but is expected to play against the Celtics.
Anthony Davis, LAL (quadriceps)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
In contract to James, Davis is legitimately questionable after having missed Thursday's game against the Bulls. If he were to sit out a second straight contest, Kyle Kuzma could draw another turn with the starting five, while LeBron James' usage should climb even higher than usual.
Devin Booker, PHO (hamstring)/ Status: OUT
The domino effect of Booker's continuing absence Saturday should afford Jae Crowder another start, making him a strong value consideration on the night.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (COVID-19 protocols/conditioning)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Butler is still working on getting his conditioning back after a 10-game absence but apparently has a 50/50 chance of making his return. However, if he fails to suit up again, then the usage rates for the healthy members of Miami's starting five should remain elevated.
Tyler Herro, MIA (neck)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Herro returned from a seven-game absence Thursday against the Clippers but may still be experiencing issues with his neck. If he misses Saturday's game, Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson could benefit the most.
Jonas Valanciunas (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Valanciunas' absence Saturday should lead to a spot start for Xavier Tillman and extra minutes for Gorgui Dieng off the bench.
Goran Dragic, MIA (groin)/ Status: OUT
Dragic's absence Saturday should particularly benefit Kendrick Nunn, who should see a strong allotment of playing time whether Tyler Herro joins Dragic as an absentee.
Other notable injuries:
Wendell Carter, CHI (quadriceps)/ Status: OUT
CJ McCollum, POR (foot)/ Status: OUT
Robert Covington, POR (concussion)/ Status: OUT
Derrick Jones, POR (foot)/ Status: OUT
Maxi Kleber, DAL (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Dario Saric, PHO (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Grayson Allen, MEM (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Payton Pritchard, BOS (knee)/ Status: OUT
Gabe Vincent, MIA (knee)/ Status: PROBABLE
Elite Players
There are 16 teams in action Saturday but only four players with five-figure salaries. It starts with Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,800) up top and continues with Luka Doncic ($10.700), Damian Lillard ($10,600) and LeBron James ($10,300). From that group, Antetokounmpo has a premium matchup against the Hornets, while Doncic has a much tougher assignment against Chris Paul and the Suns. Doncic will also be on the second game of a back-to-back and his third game in four nights. Lillard will be in a pace-up matchup against the defensively challenged Bulls and naturally exhibits sky-high usage without CJ.McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic.
There are also several players with salaries in the high four figures that have the ability to deliver elite scores, including Stephen Curry ($9,700), Anthony Davis ($9,300), Bam Adebayo ($9,200) and Zach LaVine ($8,800). Curry draws a favorable matchup/game environment against the Pistons, while Davis' condition will be worth monitoring since he missed Thursday's game with a quad injury. Adebayo could certainly thrive if Butler remains out, and LaVine is averaging 45.1 DK points per contest and should also benefit from conditions favorable to DFS production against the Trail Blazers.
Expected Chalk
All of the names mentioned in the Elite Players section are naturally going to be very popular Saturday, and some of the healthy Suns should continue to see plenty of clicks on their names with Devin Booker still out of action. A similar phenomenon could develop in Miami if Jimmy Butler misses another game and is joined by Tyler Herro, considering those two potential absences would be in addition to a confirmed one for Goran Dragic.
Key Values
Kendrick Nunn, MIA vs. SAC ($6,200)
Nunn has tallies of between 27.5 and 47.0 DK points in five of his last seven games, offering a glimpse at the upside he provides at what is still a reasonable salary Saturday. With Goran Dragic already confirmed out with a groin injury and Tyler Herro questionable with his neck issue, Nunn should once again see a healthy allotment of minutes versus a highly vulnerable Kings team that's ranked second to last in defensive efficiency and went into Friday's action tied with the Wizards for most points per game allowed (120.4). Sacramento has also been very generous to point guards, giving up the fifth-most DK points per game to the position. It's also worth noting Nunn has been especially aggressive recently (between six and nine three-point attempts in five of the last six games), while the Kings allow an NBA-high 39.8 percent success rate from behind the arc.
Blake Griffin, DET at GSW ($5,900)
Griffin's salary is a far cry from his heyday, but the previous version of the once-elite forward still pops up from time to time. Such was the case in an upset of the Lakers on Thursday, when Griffin totaled an impressive 38.25 DK points across 35 minutes. Griffin's fifth time over the 30-mark overall in the last 10 games pushed his season average to 28.8. Saturday's matchup is a tantalizing one for the veteran, as the Warriors bring the third-highest pace in the NBA (107.2 possessions per game) and are giving up the second-highest offensive efficiency (28.6 percent) to power forwards. Griffin scored 21.8 DK points in just 16 minutes in his one prior meeting against Golden State, so he could be poised for a handsome return with a normal allotment of playing time.
LaMarcus Aldridge, SA vs. MEM ($5,400)
Aldridge is another big-name vet with a meager salary, as some fluctuations in his production have led to the drop. While Aldridge does bring some risk, the fact he's tallied 32.25 and 43.75 DK points in two of his last three games offer tangible proof of his ability to still outpace his current salary significantly. Additionally, Aldridge will face a depleted and rusty Grizzlies squad Saturday that last took the floor Jan. 18 due to COVID postponements and will be missing Jonas Valanciunas down low due to health and safety protocols. Aldridge should therefore be able to frequently beat his matchups against either Xavier Tillman or Gorgui Dieng near the basket, setting him up for one of his better returns.
Other value plays to consider: Jae Crowder, PHO at DAL ($5,900); Otto Porter, CHI vs. POR ($5,600); Carmelo Anthony, POR at CHI ($5,500); Mason Plumlee, DET at GS ($5,400); Duncan Robinson, MIA vs. SAC ($5,300); Gary Trent, POR at CHI ($5,200); James Wiseman, GS vs. DET ($4,800); Xavier Tillman, MEM at SA ($3,500)
