This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
It's a typically abbreviated Sunday night slate on tap for this Halloween, but there are some games projected to be high-scoring - especially when going by this season's standards. The ledger may split evenly between competitive and more lopsided contests to add to the challenge of building rosters with a relatively narrow player pool.
Slate Overview
Utah Jazz at Milwaukee Bucks (O/U: 223.0 points)
Portland Trail Blazers at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 230.0 points)
Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 214.0 points)
Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers (O/U: 222.0 points)
What catches the eye about the projected scoring totals attached to three of tonight's contests is the fact they're over 220, which make them more exception rather than rule for the early portion of this new campaign. The Jazz-Bucks and Trail Blazers-Hornets should also be close based on each team's similar talent levels, and oddsmakers seem to agree considering Utah is a slim 1.5-point road favorite and host Charlotte by just one. The fact the Hornets, Milwaukee and Houston are also all ranked in the bottom-10 in points per game allowed further supports the notion there could be a healthy dose of offense showcased.
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 is 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.
Anthony Davis, LAL (knee)/ Status: PROBABLE
Davis is fully expected to continue playing through his knee soreness versus Houston. He could be in for extra usage if LeBron James (ankle) sits.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
James appears to be questionable ahead of tonight's tipoff. He was able to play through his ankle soreness against the Cavs on Friday and logged 37 minutes. But if Lebron's unable to go, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook should be primary beneficiaries in terms of extra usage.
Kyrie Irving, BRO (persona)/ Status: OUT
Irving remains out due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
Jrue Holiday, MIL (ankle)/ Status: GTD
Although Holiday was originally expected to miss both of the Bucks' weekend games, his ability to practice Friday seemingly gives him an outside shot of playing. If he does miss again, George Hill will draw another start at point guard while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton should also continue to see added opportunity.
Mike Conley, UTA (knee)/ Status: GTD
Conley should have a decent chance of returning after being rested Saturday for maintenance purposes.
Terry Rozier, CHA (ankle)/ Status: PROBABLE
If Rozier returns from a four-game absence as expected, Kelly Oubre should slide back into a rotational wing role off the bench.
Kevin Porter, HOU (ankle)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
If Porter were to sit, D.J. Augustin would draw the start at point guard.
Other notable injuries:
Brook Lopez, MIL (back)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Nicolas Claxton, BRO (illness)/ Status: OUT
Wayne Ellington, LAL (hamstring)/ Status: QUESTIONABLE
Paul Millsap, BRO (personal)/ Status: OUT
Elite Players
We have three players with five-figure salaries on Sunday's slate – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300), Kevin Durant ($10,800) and Anthony Davis ($10,400).
Giannis had a down game by his standards in yesterday's loss to the Spurs with 41.1 FD points, but that figure was still the byproduct of a 28-point, 13-rebound double-double. The big man notably scored 53.0 and 65.3 FD points in his two meetings versus Utah last season.
Durant has been under 50 FD points for four straight outings, but he's still boasting a 31.0 percent usage rate as he continues to be the Nets' most reliable source of production in the absence of Kyrie Irving.
Davis appears to be handling his ongoing knee soreness relatively well counting 40.3 FD points in only 31 minutes against the Cavs on Friday. As mentioned earlier, he'd be in for a boost in usage if LeBron James (ankle) sits out, and Houston checks in allowing the ninth-most points per game (112.0).
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players mentioned in the previous section, other likely chalk plays include:
James Harden, BRO ($9,900)
Harden would be popular under any circumstance, but even more so on a small slate and following a game Friday where he finally looked like himself scoring a season-high 55.6 FD points against the Pacers on the strength of 29 points. The Pistons also notably come in allowing the second-highest three-point shooting percentage (41.4).
LeBron James, LAL ($9,800)
James demonstrated he could play through his ankle issues against Cleveland, so he'll undoubtedly be heavily rostered if announced as available.
Russell Westbrook, LAL ($9,400)
Even if James is a go, Westbrook should find himself on plenty of rosters even after falling just under 30 FD points against the Cavs since he'll be facing a team in the Rockets that could be down starting point guard Kevin Porter.
Damian Lillard, POR ($8,400)
Lillard's salary is $1-$1.5k lower than it often is throughout the course of any given season, and it encouragingly remains the same despite a very encouraging 9-for-17 showing from the field on Friday versus the Clippers.
Rudy Gobert, UTA ($8,200)
Gobert has been much more involved than usual offensively this season, helping lead to an average of 43.8 FD points across his first five games - all featuring double-doubles. He should therefore be heavily rostered at his salary, and he'll have an especially appealing matchup if Brook Lopez (back) remains out for Milwaukee.
Key Values
Kelly Olynyk, DET at BRO ($6,000)
There isn't a lot of value that stands out tonight, but Olynyk's combination of salary and upside certainly make him an exception. The floor-stretching veteran has picked up right where he left off during his highly productive late-season run in Houston by coming off the bench in Detroit to average 31.5 FD points over his first five appearances. Olynyk has really picked it up over the last three as he's further settled into his new club and has scored 31.5 to 46.2 FD points. He's reliably seeing minutes in the mid-20s and is certainly in play with Brooklyn short-handed down low with Nicolas Claxton out and Brooklyn giving up the ninth-highest offensive efficiency to second units so far (41.7 percent).
Joe Harris, BRO vs. DET ($4,400)
The other value option I'm comfortable suggesting comes from the same contest, as Harris - despite his volatile production - makes for an intriguing consideration against a Pistons team allowing an Eastern Conference-high 41.4 percent shooting from behind the arc. The veteran sharpshooter is performing well below his standards in the early going, draining just 33.8 percent of his shots, including 34.8 percent from distance. However, Harris does have three tallies of more than 20 FD points in his first six contests, while Detroit enters allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency to shooting guards (29.0 percent).
ALSO CONSIDER: LaMarcus Aldridge, BRO vs. DET ($4,800)
