This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Saturday night sets up as a bit of a breather after a busy nine-game Friday night. However, thanks in part to a pair of marquee matchups and a third likely closely contested battle, we should have the foundation for a solid night of DFS play. The injury report is relatively light overall, although there are some notable names populating it.
Slate Overview
Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks (-2.5) (O/U: 226)
Memphis Grizzlies at Chicago Bulls (-1.5) (O/U: 237)
Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5) (O/U: 204.5)
San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat (-9) (O/U: 225)
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks (-9.5) (O/U: 236.5)
Sacramento Kings at Denver Nuggets (-7.5) (O/U: 237.5)
Despite four relatively elevated point spreads out of six overall games, there could be more competitive games than not. The Grizzlies-Bulls and Raptors-Hawks battles could certainly be as close as oddsmakers seem to be projecting, while the Wizards and Cavaliers could also turn into a very low-scoring tussle with Washington fresh off a double-overtime game Friday night and Cleveland dealing with multiple key absences.
Then, Milwaukee is set up as a heavy home favorite against the Nets, but the fact Kyrie Irving will be available to Brooklyn could go a long way toward helping keep matters competitive. And, while the Heat and Nuggets are also expected to emerge with relatively comfortable victories, both the underdog Spurs and Kings have given their share of quality teams trouble this season.
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 on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
Darius Garland, CLE (back): OUT
With both Garland and Rajon Rondo (toe) out, Brandon Goodwin should draw another start at point guard.
Caris LeVert, CLE (foot): OUT
LeVert's absence should lead to extra minutes for Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman.
John Collins, ATL (foot): OUT
In Collins' ongoing absence, Danilo Gallinari should draw another start at power forward.
OG Anunoby, TOR (finger): GTD
If Anunoby sits out a second straight game, Khem Birch could remain in the starting five.
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS (knee): OUT
With Porzingis slated to remain out Saturday, Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura should continue to handle power forward duties.
Other notable injuries:
Kevin Durant, BKN (knee): OUT
Ben Simmons, BKN (conditioning): OUT
Lonzo Ball, CHI (knee): OUT
Dillon Brooks, MEM (ankle): OUT
Terence Davis, SAC (wrist): OUT
Rajon Rondo, CLE (toe): OUT
De'Andre Hunter, ATL (illness): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four healthy players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,000), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800), Dejounte Murray ($10,700) and DeMar DeRozan ($10,500).
Jokic has scored at least 57.8 DK points in five straight games, a sample that includes 65 against the same Kings team he'll face again Saturday night.
Antetokounmpo has averaged 59.1 DK points in two previous games against the Nets this season, and he's averaged 61.4 DK points in 24 home games.
Murray is coming off a stellar triple-double against the Wizards in which he scored 70.3 DK points Friday night, and he also has tallies of 63.8 and 80 DK points within his last five games.
DeRozan has eclipsed 50 DK points in five straight games, and he's shooting 59.1 percent in his last 17 games overall. He's also shooting 53.2 percent in 31 home games this season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kyrie Irving, BKN ($9,900)
Irving will be playing in his first game since Feb. 12 and will naturally shoulder a heavy workload with James Harden now in Philadelphia and Kevin Durant (knee) still out.
Ja Morant, MEM ($9,700)
Morant scored 40.5 DK points in his first post-All-Star-break game Thursday, and he was on a tear prior to the All-Star break that should certainly help keep him in plenty of lineups Saturday.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,500)
Young is always a highly rostered player on a smaller slate like Saturday's, and although he's been under 40 DK points in his last two, he'd scored over 55 in three of the previous four.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC ($9,400)
Sabonis exploded for 62.5 DK points against the Nuggets on Thursday, and he'd also scored 53 in the last game prior to the All-Star break. His seemingly seamless fit in Sacramento should keep him very popular Saturday.
Kyle Kuzma, WAS ($8,800)
If Porzingis remains out Saturday, Kuzma will draw another start at power forward and should get plenty of clicks on his name after posting 63.5 DK points in Friday's double-OT loss to the Spurs.
Other likely chalk: Jarrett Allen, CLE ($7,500)
Key Values
Will Barton, SAC vs. DEN ($6,400)
Barton lit up the Kings for 44.3 DK points across 32 minutes on Thursday, no surprise considering Sacramento has allowed the highest offensive efficiency to the NBA to shooting guards (24.7 percent). The Kings are also giving up the fourth-highest three-point shooting percentage on the road (36.6) and the most DK points per game to twos (44.2), while Barton is shooting 53.8 percent, including 41.7 percent from distance, in two games against Sacramento overall. He's also been much more efficient at home, averaging 31.9 DK points on 48.4 percent shooting.
Scottie Barnes, TOR at ATL ($5,600)
Barnes was a bright spot in Friday's disappointing loss to the Hornets, dropping 38.3 DK points across 32 minutes on the strength of 72.2 percent shooting. The rookie has been sharp against Atlanta this season as well, draining 50.0 percent of his attempts while averaging 29.1 DK points in two games. The Hawks have struggled against power forwards as well, allowing the sixth-highest offensive efficiency (27.4 percent) to the position, along with 45.7 DK points per game. Then, if Barnes remains at small forward Saturday night, it's worth noting Atlanta has yielded the sixth-most DK points per game to threes (45.0) over the last 15 games.
Danilo Gallinari, ATL vs. TOR ($5,100)
Gallinari makes for an intriguing value option on the other side of the Hawks-Raptors battle, considering he exploded for 37.8 DK points in 35 minutes against the Bulls on Thursday. Gallinari also posted 33.3 versus the Cavaliers in the penultimate game before the All-Star break, and he's shot an impressive 40.4 percent from behind the arc at State Farm Arena for the season. The Raptors are also allowing the 10th-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (26.8 percent), along with an elevated 48.3 DK points per game to power forwards in the last seven.
ALSO CONSIDER: Lauri Markkanen, CLE vs. WAS ($5,800)
