This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Following a 12-game return-to-play extravaganza Thursday night, the NBA tees up a second straight ultra-busy night Friday with a 10-game ledger. There are a whopping 14 teams on the second night of back-to-back sets, but with all clubs coming off the expanded rest period afforded by the All-Star break, that shouldn't be as big an issue as it normally would be.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, 2/23 @12:00 a.m. ET:
*Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks (-6.5) (O/U: 243.0)
*Cleveland Cavaliers (-4) at *Philadelphia 76ers (O/U: 228.0)
*Washington Wizards at *Oklahoma City Thunder (-15) (O/U: 241.5)
*Los Angeles Clippers (-9) at Memphis Grizzlies (O/U: 223.0)
*Phoenix Suns (-3) at *Houston Rockets (O/U: 229.5)
Miami Heat at *New Orleans Pelicans (-3) (O/U: 223.0)
*Denver Nuggets (-8.5) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 217.0)
Milwaukee Bucks at Minnesota Timberwolves (-4.5) (O/U: 225.5)
*Charlotte Hornets at *Golden State Warriors (-13.5) (O/U: 229.5)
*San Antonio Spurs at *Los Angeles Lakers (-9) (O/U: 237.5)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
As is typically the case with slates of this size, spreads are all over the map Friday. However, the ledger should be largely competitive, with eight of the 10 lines in single digits and multiple games at 4.5 points or less.
Projected totals are fairly encouraging as well, considering there are two north of 240 and the majority of the rest are over 225 points. There should still be plenty of fresh legs with the cumulative effects of the recent week-long break, and six teams taking the floor for the first time in either eight or nine days.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): GTD
If Ball sits out again Friday, Tre Mann will be in line for another start at point guard.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Mitchell sits out again, Caris LeVert may enter the starting five while the remainder of the first unit will be set for elevated usage.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle): GTD
If LeBron sits out another game Friday, Taurean Prince is projected to remain in the starting five.
Brandon Ingram, NOP (illness): GTD
If Ingram sits out, Jordan Hawks and Trey Murphy could be primary beneficiaries, and the rest of the starting five will be set for big bumps in usage.
Bradley Beal, PHO (hamstring/nose): DOUBTFUL
In Beal's likely absence, Devin Booker is expected to remain at point guard while Eric Gordon remains in the lineup at shooting guard.
Tyler Herro, MIA (foot): QUESTIONABLE
If Herro sits out, Duncan Robinson is likely to draw a start at shooting guard.
Other notable injuries:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (knee): PROBABLE
Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM (quadriceps): PROBABLE
Terry Rozier, MIA (knee): OUT
Khris Middleton, MIL (ankle): OUT
Onyeka Okongwu, ATL (toe): OUT
Scoot Henderson, POR (groin): OUT
Malcolm Brogdon, POR (elbow): OUT
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,000), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,400), Anthony Davis ($11,200), Victor Wembanyama ($10,400), Donovan Mitchell ($10,100) and LeBron James ($10,000).
Jokic just became the first player in NBA history with at least a 15-15-15 triple-double and 100.0 percent shooting, a performance that netted 66.3 FD points, his eighth over 50 in the last nine games.
Antetokounmpo was limited to 31.1 FD points in his first game against the T-Wolves, although that came over 27 minutes. Giannis will also be on his greatest amount of rest since the start of the season and played a modest 23 minutes in Sunday's All-Star Game.
SGA has now generated 51.1 FD points or more in seven of the last nine games, and he draws a premium matchup against the Wizards.
AD could take the floor without LeBron James for a second straight night, a scenario in which he scored 52.5 FD points across 32 minutes.
Wembanayma exploded for 69.6 FD points against the Kings in his return to action Thursday and scored 80.3 and 54.3 FD points in his last two games before the ASB.
The status of both Mitchell and James will have to be monitored, as each are likely to be listed as questionable with the illness and ankle issues that cost them their respective Thursday games.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Kevin Durant, PHO ($9,900)
Durant scored 45.2 to 63.1 FD points in the five games before the All-Star break and should remain very popular despite posting a more modest 32.7 in his return to action Thursday.
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,600)
Like Durant, Booker will very likely take the floor without Bradley Beal and scored 52 FD points against the Mavericks in that scenario Thursday.
Stephen Curry, GSW ($9,500)
Curry racked up 53.2 FD points in just 31 minutes against the Lakers on Thursday, his fifth game in the last six with more than 48 FD points.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,500)
Edwards went into the ASB hot, scoring 55.8 and 59.7 FD points in his last two games before the pause in play.
Scottie Barnes, TOR ($9,100)
Barnes continues to see massive usage on a depleted Raptors squad and put up 44.9 FD points in only 30 minutes during Thursday's win over the Nets.
Key Values
Brandin Podziemski, GSW vs. CHA ($6,000)
Podziemski posted a relatively modest 20.3 FD points against the Lakers in Thursday's return to play, but he'd produced 47.4 and 30.2 FD points in the last two games before the All-Star break. Additionally, the matchup is even more palatable Friday, as the Hornets are allowing just under 40 FD points per contest to two-guards in the last 15 games and have yielded an NBA-high 42.3 percent three-point shooting percentage on the road. In turn, Podziemski is shooting just over 38.0 percent from behind the arc for the season, including a blistering 43.9 percent from deep at home.
De'Andre Hunter, ATL vs. TOR ($5,300)
Hunter was hitting his stride following a long layoff as the All-Star break arrived, as he'd posted 37.2 and 29.1 FD points in the last two games before the pause in play. Hunter had also generated a tally of 39.9 on Feb. 5 against the Clippers in only his third game back from his knee injury. The young veteran could remain in a robust second-unit role Friday, and he'll be in an excellent matchup against a Raptors team allowing an NBA-high 27.7 offensive efficiency rating to small forwards, along with 49.8 percent shooting to the position. Toronto is also conceding an NBA-high 47.1 FD points per contest to threes in the last 15 games, adding to Hunter's appeal at a highly reasonable salary.
Luke Kennard, MEM vs. LAC ($4,900)
Kennard is one member of the Grizzlies returning from injury Friday, as he's recovered from the knee injury that cost him Memphis' final game before the ASB. The veteran sharpshooter has shown a very good ceiling for his current salary, scoring over 25 FD points in seven games. Kennard is shooting a jaw-dropping 45.5 percent from three-point range as well, while the Clippers come in allowing 39.0 percent three-point shooting to two-guards and the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating to second-unit players (44.7).
ALSO CONSIDER: Rui Hachimura, LAL vs. SA ($5,700); Duncan Robinson, MIA at NOP ($5,200)
