This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
We have a mid-sized six-game Saturday night NBA slate on tap, which some feel offers just the ideal size of player pool to work with for either cash games or tournaments. We only have one game with a projected total higher than 220 points as of Saturday morning, but a majority of the contests do carry close point spreads that portend games where big names should see their usual allotment of minutes.
Slate Overview
Washington Wizards (-4.5) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 204.5 points)
Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers (-3) (O/U: 215.0 points)
Memphis Grizzlies (-4) at New Orleans Pelicans (-5.5) (O/U: 219.0 points)
Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors (-9) (O/U: 202.5 points)
Boston Celtics (-3) at Cleveland Cavaliers (O/U: 203.5 points)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Clippers (-7) (O/U: 220.5 points)
We have six teams on back-to-backs Saturday night, and all of them are also playing their third game in four nights overall. That could potentially lead to some fatigued and sloppy play, although four of the squads are matched up against each other, evening things out somewhat. The night is somewhat marred by injury/absences on the part of big names, with Joel Embiid and Bradley Beal both confirmed out and a handful of other notables unlikely to play.
A particularly notable storyline for the night includes the 76ers trying to snap a three-game losing streak without Embiid and as road underdogs to the Pacers, as well as the Timberwolves trying to avoid a letdown after a thrashing of the Lakers on the same Staples Center floor they'll be on Saturday against the Clippers.
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.
Joel Embiid, PHI (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Andre Drummond, who's scored over 50 DK points in two of his first three starts for Embiid, will once again hold down the fort at center for the big man Saturday.
Bradley Beal (personal)/ Status: OUT
In Beal's bereavement-related absence, Aaron Holiday and Raul Neto should see extended run at shooting guard.
Jaylen Brown, BOS (hamstring)/ Status: DOUBTFUL
In Brown's ongoing absence, Marcus Smart should continue to draw the start at shooting guard while Josh Richardson sees extra run off the bench.
Brandon Ingram, NOP (hip)/ Status: DOUBTFUL
If Ingram sits out another contest, Josh Hart should continue to see plenty of opportunity at small forward.
Caris LeVert, IND (back)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If LeVert sits out a third straight game, Chris Duarte could start shooting guard while Justin Holiday fills in at small forward.
Other notable injuries:
Collin Sexton, CLE (knee)/ Status: OUT
Marcus Morris, LAC (knee)/ Status: OUT
Precious Achiuwa (shoulder)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Matisse Thybulle, PHI (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Khem Birch, TOR (knee)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Zion Williamson, NOP (foot)/ Status: OUT
Lauri Markkanen, CLE (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: OUT
Kevin Love, CLE (COVID-19 protocols)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Kelly Olynyk, DET (knee)/ Status: OUT
Dillon Brooks, MEM (hand)/ Status: DOUBTFUL
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to suit up on Saturday's slate – Paul George ($10,600), Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,500), Jayson Tatum ($10,400) and Ja Morant ($10,200).
George appears to be a lock for over 40 DK points at minimum and is taking at least 20 shots per game with regularity, giving him no shortage of upside in a game against the T-Wolves that carries the highest total of the night.
Towns is coming off a big 48.8 DK-point effort against the Lakers on Friday night but is on his third game in four nights Saturday. He's averaged 38.1 DK points across 34 minutes in two previous games versus the Clippers this season.
Tatum is likely to retake the floor without Jaylen Brown and is coming off a three-game stretch where he's scored 48.8 to 57.3 DK points. He's also taken 24 and 25 shots over his last pair of contests but will also be on his third game in four nights Saturday and facing a tough defensive squad in the Cavs.
Morant is averaging 48.2 DK points per game on the season and has eclipsed 50 in three straight contests, which makes him one of the best potential fantasy-point-per-dollar options of the five-figure-salary group.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned in the prior section, other likely chalk plays include:
Jonas Valanciunas, NOP ($9,300)
Valanciunas has a 25.8 percent usage rate and averages 48.7 DK points per 36 minutes without Brandon Ingram on the floor. He also eclipsed 40 DK points in four straight, which should keep him very popular against one of his old squads.
Domantas Sabonis, IND ($9,200)
Sabonis is averaging 41.4 DK points per game, and although he scored only 25.5 against the Jazz last time out, the mid-sized slate and his upside should keep him on plenty of lineups.
Andre Drummond, PHI ($9,000)
Drummond came back down to earth a bit in his most recent start against the Raptors with 31.5 DK points, but the fact he eclipsed 50 in his first two turns with the first unit during Embiid's absence should keep him on plenty of rosters.
Tobias Harris, PHI ($8,900)
Harris showed no issues with conditioning in his return from COVID-19 protocols against the Raptors, playing 37 minutes and scoring 38.8 DK points.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($8,400)
Edwards' rostering rate should remain high Saturday despite an absolute dud on Friday against the Lakers (14.3 DK points in 32 minutes), as his haul of 67.5 DK points two games ago is still fresh on everyone's mind.
Key Values
Montrezl Harrell, WAS at ORL ($6,300)
Harrell has proven an excellent fit in Washington thus far, and he's coming off having scored 45.8 DK points against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. With two full days of rest since that contest and an average of 36.2 DK points per contest for the season, Harrell could well prove to be one of the best sub-$7K bargains of the night. The Magic could well facilitate a strong return as well, as Orlando is allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency to frontcourt players (84.9 percent) and fifth highest in the paint (61.1 percent), while Harrell is scoring 68.3 percent of his points in that part of the floor this season.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, NOP vs. MEM ($5,900)
Alexander-Walker's production has seen some fluctuations, but his modest salary partly accounts for that. The young wing is still averaging a solid 29.2 DK points per game and offered a glimpse of his ceiling when he racked up 61.0 DK points across 34 minutes versus the Thunder two games ago. The Grizzlies could help coax one of his better performances out of him, as Memphis is allowing the highest offensive efficiency to shooting guards (27.6 percent), along with averages of 24.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals per contest to the position. What's more, Memphis is yielding 48.8 percent shooting on the road, along with a co-NBA-high 40.0 percent success rate from three-point range.
Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. MIN ($5,000)
Zubac is averaging 30.3 DK points across two previous games versus the Timberwolves this season, and he's coming off a season-high tally of 38.8 over 29 minutes against the Heat on Thursday. The big man is also averaging a career-high 24.3 minutes per game this season and has already eclipsed 20 DK points on six occasions, including four tallies of 29.5 or greater. Minnesota continues to be a good target as well, giving up the second-highest offensive efficiency to centers (38.3 percent), the seventh highest in the paint (59.4 percent) and the second-most boards per game (19.3) to fives as well.
ALSO CONSIDER: Gary Trent, TOR vs. DET ($5,300)
