This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Saturday night brings us a compact five-game slate that features all but one game with a projected total of under 220 points. There's a chance of a particularly low-scoring affair down in South Florida when the league's two best defensive teams face each other. There are also a couple of big-name injuries that could help narrow our player pool.
Slate Overview
Utah Jazz at Miami Heat (O/U: 213.5 points)
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 211.5 points)
Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks (O/U: 215.5 points)
Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns (O/U: 224.0 points)
Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 219.5 points)
The Jazz-Heat tilt in Miami could live up to expectations, albeit not for those who like to see the scoreboard continually light up. The Bulls also get an intriguing test against the 76ers, and the Celtics and Hawks can get to .500 with wins in their interconference road matchups. The Lakers-Trail Blazers tilt that closes out the night is also intriguing considering each team has more question marks than usual in the early going, and the Lakers could be missing Anthony Davis in addition to LeBron James.
Oddsmakers are envisioning a night of wire-to-wire basketball, as no game carries a spread larger than five points on DraftKings Sportsbook as of early Saturday morning. Naturally, the Blazers, already 4.5-point favorites with LeBron confirmed unavailable for L.A., would become even larger favorites were Davis ultimately announced as out.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during 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.
Anthony Davis, LAL (thumb)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Davis picked up his thumb injury in Thursday's loss to the Thunder but still logged 38 minutes in the contest. If Davis suits up, he'll be set for a bump in usage with LeBron James already out, while DeAndre Jordan could draw a spot start at center.
LeBron James, LAL (abdomen)/ Status: OUT
James' ongoing absence Saturday should afford Carmelo Anthony some extra run off the bench and could also have the domino effect of affording Avery Bradley another start.
Donovan Mitchell, UTA (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Mitchell were unable to suit up, Joe Ingles would be in line for another start and Jordan Clarkson, who scored 30 points off the bench in Mitchell's absence Thursday against the Hawks, would likely see extra run off the bench.
Tobias Harris, PHI (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
With Harris out again Saturday, Matisse Thybulle could find himself in the starting five once again for Philadelphia, while the usage for Seth Curry and Joel Embiid could also see a bump.
Jaylen Brown, BOS (hamstring)/ Status: OUT
In Brown's absence, either Josh Richardson (foot) or Marcus Smart should enter the starting five at shooting guard, while the usage of the likes of Jayson Tatum, Dennis Schroder and Al Horford should all rise to a varying degree.
Kyle Lowry, MIA (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Lowry sits out Saturday, Tyler Herro could potentially enter the starting five at point guard.
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (back)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Porzingis sits out another contest, Dorian Finney-Smith could draw another start at power forward, while the returning Reggie Bullock (face) handles starting small forward duties.
Other notable injuries:
Furkan Korkmaz, PHI (wrist) Status: QUESTIONABLE
Danny Green, PHI (hamstring)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Royce O'Neale, UTA (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Josh Richardson, BOS (foot)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Maxi Kleber, DAL (back) Status: OUT
Reggie Bullock, DAL (face)/ Status: PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players (excluding James, who is already declared out) with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Russell Westbrook ($10,900), Luka Doncic ($10,700), Anthony Davis ($10,500) and Joel Embiid ($10,300).
Westbrook is averaging 44.8 DK points per contest and will be in for a bump in usage Saturday with LeBron James (abdomen) already ruled out, and he would be in for an even more prominent role should Anthony Davis (thumb) also be forced to sit. Thus far, Westbrook boasts a 42.3 percent usage rate and averages 63.1 DK points per 36 minutes with both his star teammates off the floor.
Doncic has bumped his average up to 47.8 DK points per contest after scoring over 50 twice in his last three games. His shooting (42.2 percent, including 25.4 percent from distance) still has plenty of room for improvement. He would be in even more elevated usage once again should Kristaps Porzingis (back) sit out another game.
Davis is questionable with his thumb injury but would be in for another busy night should he play, considering LeBron James' aforementioned absence. Notably, Davis totaled 65 DK points in LeBron's absence against the Thunder on Thursday.
Embiid will take the floor without Tobias Harris (COVID-19 protocols) once again and could also be down Danny Green (hamstring) in terms of fellow first-unit members that have played this season.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Trae Young, ATL ($9,700)
Young is averaging 43.0 DK points per contest and has been at 39.5 DK points and above in all but one game, giving him a safe floor overall in a high-visibility matchup versus the Suns.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,600)
Tatum is mired in a four-game shooting slump, but with an average of 41.8 DK points per contest and a 35.8 percent usage rate with Jaylen Brown (hamstring) off the floor this season, he should be in plenty of lineups.
Jimmy Butler, MIA ($9,500)
Butler is averaging 45.7 DK points per contest and could have an even bigger role than usual if Kyle Lowry (ankle) sits out, albeit in a very tough defensive matchup against the Jazz.
Damian Lillard, POR ($9,400)
Like Tatum, Lillard is still trying to find consistency with his shot. Still, his name value and marquee/favorable matchup against Russell Westbrook's suspect defense and the Lakers should keep him very popular.
Zach LaVine, CHI ($8,600)
LaVine is getting great help from newcomers Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan, but the sharpshooter is still one of the principal components of the Bulls' attack and has scored over 40 DK points in each of his last three games.
Key Values
Carmelo Anthony, LAL at POR ($5,800)
As mentioned earlier, Anthony lines up to see some extra usage with LeBron James already ruled out, and he'll be teed up for even more opportunity should Anthony Davis sit out as well. As a vital component of the second unit, Anthony is already thriving even when both players are available, averaging 28.0 DK points per contest, already exceeding the 40-mark twice and coming just short against the Thunder on Thursday with 39.5 DK points. The veteran is shooting a blistering 50.5 percent, including 52.5 percent from behind the arc, and he faces his old Trail Blazers teammates, which are allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency to second-unit players (49.3 percent) and the sixth-highest three-point shooting percentage (39.0) overall.
Dennis Schroder, BOS at DAL ($5,400)
Schroder should be one of the players that benefits from Jaylen Brown's absence in the form of some extra usage, and he'll check into Saturday's contest already averaging 30.0 DK points per contest, an excellent figure for his current salary. Schroder has kept the sub-20-DK-point clunkers to two games thus far, scoring at least 29.3 in his six other contests. The Mavericks are ranked right in the middle of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to PGs (23.5 percent). Schroder, who's already posting his best assists figure (6.0) since the 2017-18 campaign and recording a career-high 1.4 steals per contest, has a solid 23.0 percent usage rate and averages 31.9 DK points per 36 minutes without Brown on the floor.
Georges Niang, PHI at CHI ($4,700)
Niang is finally getting some extended run to show what he can do after years of modest opportunity off the Jazz bench, as he's averaging a career-high 22.4 minutes per contest early in his Philadelphia tenure. The veteran wing has parlayed the playing time into career-best averages of 11.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 46.8 percent, including 41.8 percent from behind the arc. Niang has seen a bit of a bump in offensive responsibility due to the 76ers' numerous recent absences, averaging 30.0 DK points, 13.0 field-goal attempts and 31.7 minutes per contest over the last three. With Tobias Harris at minimum out Saturday and the possibility Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz sit out again as well, Niang could be set for another substantial workload that will allow him to overdeliver on a salary he's already offered over a 5x return on in each of the last three contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: De'Andre Hunter, ATL at PHX ($4,100)
