This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Saturday night brings us a second consecutive seven-game slate, one that is projected to feature some extraordinary offense. As detailed in the next section, three games have totals of over 230 points -- a good number on this mid-sized slate. The Pistons-Nets and Raptors-Hornets contests also have high-220s totals as of Saturday morning, giving us plenty of appealing matchups from which to find value.
Slate Overview
Here's a closer look at the three games with the highest projected totals on Saturday's slate:
Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards
Projected total: 239.5 points
There could be some injury question marks on the Wizards side as the day unfolds, as Bradley Beal has been battling a sore knee and Russell Westbrook has often sat out on the second day of back-to-back-sets this season. However, assuming both players are in uniform (neither carries an official injury designation as of Saturday morning), this could be a game that has a good chance of living up to expectations.
The Wizards are allowing an NBA-high 121.8 points per game at home, and they play at a league-high pace. Meanwhile, the Bucks are scoring the second-most points per game (119.2), play at a top-10 pace themselves (104.3 possessions per game) and have given up a robust 114.9 points per road contest. There will also be no shortage of elite offensive players on the floor if Washington's backcourt duo is available.
Sacramento Kings at Atlanta Hawks
Projected total: 239.5 points
This is another game where it's easy to envision oddsmakers' expectations being fulfilled. The only team allowing more points per game in the league than the Wizards is the Kings, who surrender an NBA-high 119.9 points per game. The Hawks aren't a whole lot better, as Atlanta is allowing 112.4 per contest, which still ranks in the bottom half of the league.
Sacramento's 103.7 possessions per game ranks just outside the top 10 in the league, and the Kings are actually scoring the eighth-most points per game (115.0), including 122.3 over the last three. All key offensive players should be healthy and available for both squads, so this game environment could rival that of Milwaukee-Washington, and this could actually turn out to be a more competitive contest.
Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves
Projected total: 233.0 points
The Timberwolves' defense hasn't quite been on the same level of porousness as that of the Kings and Wizards, but it's close. Minnesota is allowing the third-most points per game (116.7) and is playing at the league's third-fastest pace (106.0 possessions per game). Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have given up their fair share of points, as they rank in the bottom 10 with 115.2 points allowed per game. Portland is also scoring the ninth-most points per game (114.7), while the Wolves, who are still struggling to consistently produce offensively without their starting backcourt of D'Angelo Russell (quadriceps) and Malik Beasley (suspension), have shown some life recently with a surprising 135-105 thumping of the Pelicans on Thursday night.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, as the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. The following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report at the time of publication, but check back throughout the course of the day for the latest news.
Kevin Durant, BKN (hamstring) -- Status: OUT
Durant will undergo medical imaging on his troublesome hamstring next week, and in the interim, James Harden and Kyrie Irving should particularly enjoy elevated roles, while Bruce Brown is likely to remain in the starting five.
Fred VanVleet (COVID-19 protocols) -- Status: OUT
VanVleet's ongoing absence should lead to another start for Norman Powell.
Devin Booker, PHO (knee) -- Status: PROBABLE
Booker should once again play through his left knee sprain as he did Thursday versus the Trail Blazers, when he scored 52.3 DK points.
Pascal Siakam, TOR (COVID-19 protocols) -- Status: OUT
Siakam's ongoing absence should continue affording both Aron Baynes and Chris Boucher plenty of extra opportunities.
Caris LeVert, IND (kidney) -- Status: PROBABLE
LeVert is expected to make his Pacers debut after surgery for a cancerous mass on his kidney. He'll fill in off the bench and will likely be on a strict minutes limit.
Other notable injuries:
OG Anunoby, TOR (COVID-19 protocols) -- Status: OUT
D'Angelo Russell (quadriceps) -- Status: OUT
Malik Beasley (suspension) -- Status: OUT
Blake Griffin, BKN (team decision) -- Status: OUT
De'Andre Hunter, ATL (knee) -- Status: OUT
Cam Reddish, ATL (Achilles) -- Status: OUT
Dennis Smith, DET (COVID-19 protocols) -- Status: OUT
JaMychal Green, DEN (shoulder) -- Status: QUESTIONABLE
Gary Harris, DEN (thigh) -- Status: QUESTIONABLE
Hassan Whiteside, SAC (COVID-19 protocols) -- Status: OUT
Davis Bertans, WAS (calf) -- Status: QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
There are six players sporting five-figure salary players on Saturday's slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,000), James Harden ($10,900), Nikola Jokic ($10,800), Damian Lillard ($10,700), Luka Doncic ($10,600) and Russell Westbrook ($10,200).
Antetokounmpo is in a highly appealing game environment that also shares the distinction of having the highest projected total of the night, while Harden continues to operate without Kevin Durant on Saturday and should therefore have even higher usage than usual. Jokic is on the second game of a back-to-back set, and he should be locked in a wire-to-wire battle with the Mavericks.
The same holds true for Doncic, who is averaging an absurd 82.8 DK points against the Nuggets in two previous matchups, making him perhaps the play of the night among the elites.
There are also several players with salaries in the high-four-figures who have the ability to deliver elite scores, including Trae Young ($9,800), Kyrie Irving ($9,700), Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,600), Domantas Sabonis ($9,500), Bradley Beal ($9,400) and De'Aaron Fox ($9,200).
From that group, Young has even more appeal than usual considering his premium matchup versus the Kings, while Irving is another player that will benefit from Durant's absence and also checks in with a salary that's $1.2k less than his teammate's.
Towns should also continue carrying a very heavy offensive load with the Timberwolves still missing their starting backcourt, while Fox could be one of the better point-per-dollar plays of the night in what should be a high-scoring game.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the names detailed above, other chalk plays include the Raptors' Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Aron Baynes and Chris Boucher, as Toronto continues to deal with COVID-related absences.
More chalk plays:
Enes Kanter, POR
Gary Trent, POR
Bruce Brown, BRO
Buddy Hield, SAC
Harrison Barnes, SAC
Richaun Holmes, SAC
Clint Capela, ATL
John Collins, ATL
Anthony Edwards, MIN
Key Values
Chris Boucher, TOR at CHA ($6,600)
Boucher's teammate, Aron Baynes ($4,500), is also highly intriguing Saturday, but Boucher carries some excellent ceiling, as he's already demonstrated on multiple occasions this season. He just racked up 50.25 DK points across 30 minutes in his bench role versus the Hawks on Thursday, and he's put up at least 34.5 in three straight games overall.
Boucher is also averaging 43.1 DK points in two prior games against the Hornets this season and has been a more productive player on the road, where his average of 32.1 DK points (20 games) notably outpaces the 26.5 he puts up at home. Finally, the Hornets come in allowing the ninth-most DK points per game (69.1) to players with center designations.
Kevin Huerter, ATL vs. SAC ($5,700)
Huerter offers some cost-effective exposure to one of the two games with a 239.5-point projected total, and he checks into the contest running hot. The third-year wing is averaging 30.2 DK points over his last three games, and he's put up 27.0 per home game this season, partly on the strength of impressive 42.9 percent three-point shooting at State Farm Arena.
Huerter has eclipsed 30 DK points in five of the last seven contests, while the opposing Kings are allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency (27.7 percent) to two-guards, along with the sixth-most DK points per game (69.3) to the position. To top it off, no team allows a higher success rate from three-point land than Sacramento's 39.7 percent figure.
Brook Lopez, MIL at WAS ($4,700)
Lopez should have a little extra juice for Saturday's game with his brother Robin on the other side, and the big man also arrives in the midst of a nice stretch in which he's consistently outpaced his current salary. Lopez has scored 23.25 to 33.75 DK points in four of his last six games, and he's been over 20 DK points in six of the last 10 contests overall. He's also been more productive on the road (23.8 DK points per game) than home (21.8 per contest) this season, and the Wizards are allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency (35.3 percent) to centers, along with the third-most DK points per game (79.2) to the position over the last 10 contests.
Other value plays to consider: Buddy Hield, SAC at ATL ($6,600); John Collins, ATL vs. SAC ($6,500); Anthony Edwards, MIN vs. POR ($6,500); Richaun Holmes, SAC at ATL ($6,400); Mason Plumlee, DET at BKN ($6,200); Josh Jackson, DET at BKN ($5,800); Gary Trent, POR at MIN ($5,400); Aron Baynes, TOR at CHA ($4,500)
