This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
We have a typical six-game slate Saturday night, one that has a good balance between potential lopsided affairs and more competitive games in terms of point spreads. The totals also portend a night of lower-scoring games and more offense-driven affairs, and fortunately, the injury report is firmly on the lighter side.
Slate Overview
Indiana Pacers at Dallas Mavericks (-10) (O/U: 217.0 points)
Boston Celtics (-5.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 212.0 points)
Sacramento Kings at Philadelphia 76ers (-10.5) (O/U: 223.0 points)
Washington Wizards at Memphis Grizzlies (-5) (O/U: 229.5 points)
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (-4) (O/U: 209.0 points)
Brooklyn Nets at Golden State Warriors (-6.5) (O/U: 229.0 points)
One of the two games with double-digit spreads, the Pacers-Mavericks clash, has a chance to be closer than projected due to Indiana's tendency to often play teams tough on the road, even in defeat. Four of the other five games also appear to be destined for relatively tight finishes, including the marquee Nets-Warriors matchup. Both Kyrie Irving and James Harden will be available for Brooklyn, which naturally gives the visitors a strong chance of keeping things close despite the tough road environment.
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 course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players in that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
Fred VanVleet, TOR (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If VanVleet sits another game, Gary Trent and Scottie Barnes would be primary beneficiaries and Malachi Flynn and Dalano Banton could enjoy plenty of extra minutes on the second unit.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox is out again, Davion Mitchell could be line for another start, while the remainder of the starting five would likely see a bump in usage.
Brandon Ingram, NOP (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Ingram is out, Garrett Temple likely will draw another start and the usage of the remainder of the starting five should also see an appreciable bump in usage.
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP (illness): GTD
If Valanciunas does not play, Guillermo Hernangomez would be in line to start at center once again.
Other notable injuries:
Kevin Durant, BKN (knee): OUT
Kyle Lowry, MIA (personal): GTD
Terence Davis, SAC (wrist): OUT
Malcolm Brogdon, IND (Achilles): OUT
Myles Turner, IND (foot): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (calf): OUT
Seth Curry, PHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Devonte' Graham, NOP (knee): GTD
Elite Players
Six players have five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate: Joel Embiid ($11,700), Luka Doncic ($11,400), James Harden ($11,200), Stephen Curry ($10,500), Ja Morant ($10,300) and Jayson Tatum ($10,200).
Embiid has scored more than 50 DK points in five consecutive games and draws an excellent matchup against a Kings team that's been highly vulnerable to centers all season. The one concern is a bit of a blowout risk that could limit the big man's minutes.
Doncic has a very appealing matchup in his own right versus a Pacers team that ranks 24th in defensive rating overall and that's still missing Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) in the backcourt.
Harden returns from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury and has scored 73 DK points in two of his last three games. He has a tough defensive matchup against the Warriors, but with Kevin Durant still out, the Beard should generate a worthwhile return on sheer volume if nothing else.
Curry should see a hefty workload in the marquee matchup against the Nets and racked up 62.8 DK points in his one prior meeting with Brooklyn this season.
Morant has scored more than 60 DK points in three straight and four of the last five games. He also averages 45.8 DK points per game but did shoot just 4-for-17 in his one previous meeting with the Wizards this season.
Tatum fell into a funk from the field Friday against the Hawks, but he still scored 38 DK points. He'd scored no less than 49.5 and as many as 79.5 DK points in the three prior games and shot 50 percent against the Pelicans in his one prior meeting with them this season.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Domantas Sabonis, IND ($9,900)
Sabonis returned from his ankle injury Friday against the Thunder and exploded for 71.5 DK points across 44 minutes in the OT win for Indiana.
Kyrie Irving, BKN ($9,500)
Irving will be allowed to play Saturday night in California with an exemption as an unvaccinated player, and he should remain very heavily involved due to the ongoing absence of Durant.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,000)
Brown has scored 51.0 and 44.5 DK points in his last two games and is averaging 41.9 in his last five games.
Key Values
Jalen Brunson, DAL vs. IND ($6,100)
Brunson is enjoying a breakout season and has a more secure role than ever in the wake of Tim Hardaway's fractured foot. The fourth-year guard just scored 46.5 DK points against the Blazers on Wednesday as well, and he's hit or exceeded 30 DK points in seven of the last 11 games. Brunson is shooting an impressive 54.3 percent over that span, and he's averaging 35.0 DK points per 36 minutes without Hardaway available. The Pacers make for good targets as well, as they've allowed the 12th-highest offensive efficiency to shooting guards (25.8 percent) and 42.5 DK points per contest to the shooting guards in the last 15 games as well.
Klay Thompson, GSW vs. BKN ($5,500)
Thompson's salary remains extraordinarily modest, especially considering he just accumulated 37.8 DK points in 27 minutes in his most recent contest and has scored 35.8 and 27.5 DK points in two others over his last four. Thompson encouragingly played a season-high 27 minutes in his most recent game Thursday against the T-Wolves, and he's knocked off plenty of rust from his shot at this point. Thompson has drained between 46.2 and 56.3 percent of his attempts in three of his last four after a ragged start, and the Nets allow the fifth-most DK points per game to shooting guards in the last 15 (43.8), along with 3.6 made threes per contest to the position in that span.
Herbert Jones, NOP vs. BOS ($4,900)
Jones has often over-delivered on his modest salaries by supplementing his fantasy production nicely with defensive numbers. The rookie forward averages 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per game, and he's coming off a five-steal game against the Nuggets on Friday. Jones netted 42.3 DK points in that game, yet his salary remains unchanged. He'd also scored 31.5 DK points in his prior game versus Sixers and has delivered at least a 5x return on his salary in 18 games this season. The Celtics have generally been effective defending power forwards, but they still allow 46.1 DK points per game to the position and have yielded 7.5 steals per game, including 8.3 per over the last three.
ALSO CONSIDER: Willy Hernangomez, NOP vs. BOS ($5,100)
