We've reached the eve of the All-Star break, and the NBA heads into the pause on a lighter note with a three-game slate. We could see some players resting tonight given four of the six teams in action are on the second night of a back-to-back.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, Feb. 12 at 12:00 a.m. EST:
Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder (-12.5) (O/U: 215.5)
Portland Trail Blazers (-8) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 237.5)
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5) (O/U: 232.5)
We have a trio of solid favorites Thursday, but all three games have a chance to be competitive. The Bucks-Thunder game clearly looks like the least desirable DFS spot on paper, yet there's still plenty of options on either side of the other two likely high-scoring contests.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Luka Doncic, LAL (hamstring): OUT
With Luka sidelined, LeBron James and Austin Reaves should be in line for significant usage boosts if they're back in action as expected.
Cooper Flagg, DAL (foot): OUT
In Flagg's absence, Klay Thompson or Brandon Williams could draw a start at small forward, while the remaining members of the first unit should see boosts in usage.
Ryan Rollins, MIL (foot): OUT
In Rollins' absence, Kevin Porter should be in line for even more usage, while Cam Thomas may draw a spot start.
Jalen Williams, OKC (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Williams can't suit up with the hamstring injury that forced his early exit Wednesday, Aaron Wiggins could draw a start.
Other notable injuries:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (adductor): OUT
Keyonte George, UTA (ankle): OUT
Shaedon Sharpe, POR (calf): OUT
Naji Marshall, DAL (foot): QUESTIONABLE
Deandre Ayton, LAL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
The three healthy players with the highest salaries on Thursday's slate are Deni Avdija ($9,800), LeBron James ($9,200) and Kevin Porter ($9,100).
Avdija had a clunker against the Timberwolves on Wednesday (19.5 FD points), but he'd scored 58 FD points across 26 minutes two games ago versus the 76ers and draws a better matchup Thursday versus the Jazz.
LeBron is expected back on the floor Thursday after a rest day Tuesday, and he'll once again be primed for enhanced usage due to Luka Doncic's absence.
Porter is slated for even more usage with Ryan Rollins out of action, and he already checks in having scored 43.3 FD points or more in each of his first four games back from an oblique injury.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Austin Reaves, LAL ($8,400)
Reaves will be back in action Thursday after a rest day Tuesday and should be very popular due to the combination of his salary and the expected usage boost due to Luka Doncic's absence.
Isaiah Collier, UTA ($7,900)
Collier will continue in the starting point guard role Thursday and has scored over 32 FD points in six straight, factors that should lead to a high roster rate.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA ($7,500)
Markkanen has seen a bit of a downturn in production of late, but he's still averaging 41.2 FD points for the season and carries a ceiling north of 50 FD points.
Donovan Clingan, POR ($7,300)
Clingan was averaging 39 FD points over the nine games prior to Wednesday's 28.3 FD-point showing against the Timberwolves, which should make him very popular at his salary on a small slate.
Jaren Jackson, UTA ($7,000)
Jackson has scored 34.8 to 37.3 FD points in his first three games with the Jazz, which should ensure a high roster rate at his very reasonable salary.
Key Values
Toumani Camara, POR at UTA ($5,700)
Camara delivered a career-best performance two games ago, recording 30 points on his way to a 41.1 FD-point tally. While he had a much more subdued performance Wednesday against the T-Wolves (19.6 FD points), Camara had averaged a solid 28.4 FD points over the 10 games prior. That makes him a viable value option in a positive matchup against the Jazz, which he's averaged 28.8 FD points against over his first two meetings this season. Utah went into Wednesday's matchup against the Kings allowing an NBA-high 49.6 FD points per contest to small forwards as well, along with the third-highest shooting percentage (48.7) on the season.
Brandon Williams, DAL at LAL ($5,400)
Williams has had a couple of dips in production of late, but the young veteran is still averaging 24.6 FD points in his last 11 games. Williams is shooting an outstanding 56.3 percent over that span, and he's exceeded 29 FD points on four occasions in the sample. Cooper Flagg will sit out Thursday, and Williams has a team-high 28.6 percent usage rate and average of 41.3 FD points per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor this season. The Lakers are also giving up NBA-high 59.4% two-point shooting at home, which makes Williams all the more appealing in a matchup that could be the most tightly contested of the night.
Cam Thomas, MIL at OKC ($4,500)
AJ Green drew the start at shooting guard for the Bucks on Wednesday against the Magic, but it was Thomas who stole the show with a team-high 34 points. The performance netted 38.8 FD points and served as a reminder of the fifth-year pro's vast upside when he has a hot hand. Naturally, Thomas' salary Thursday is in no way reflective of his ceiling, which puts him firmly in play despite the matchup against the Thunder. OKC is already short-handed with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (adductor) out and Jalen Williams (hamstring) very likely to also sit out, so Thomas could have a path to another productive performance with what should be a solid allotment of minutes.
ALSO CONSIDER: Max Christie, DAL at LAL ($4,900)
