This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a heftier Sunday evening/night slate than usual with eight games on the docket. There's also one very prominent return on tap with Klay Thompson slated to take the court for the Warriors for the first time since the 2019 Finals. There also appears to be plenty of close games and high scores projected, making it a potentially outstanding DFS environment.
Slate Overview
New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors (-8.5) (O/U: 222.5 points)
Washington Wizards (-7.5) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 220.5 points)
Denver Nuggets (-7) at Oklahoma City Thunder (O/U: 214.5 points)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-6.5) at Houston Rockets (O/U: 230.0 points)
Chicago Bulls (-3.5) at Dallas Mavericks (O/U: 218.5 points)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors (-9.5) (O/U: 217.5 points)
Sacramento Kings (-1.5) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 225.5 points)
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers (-2.5) (O/U: 225.5 points)
As just alluded to, the oddsmakers and betting public seem to be firmly in the camp of a highly competitive night of basketball. There are a handful of big names on the injury report, but there seems to be at least a 50/50 chance of several being able to take the floor. Even the game with the largest spread of the night - Cavs-Warriors - could arguably be close as Cleveland has amply proven its ability to give quality teams trouble and boasts a solid 11-8 road record.
Meanwhile, the competitiveness of the Bulls-Mavericks and Grizzlies-Lakers contests could significantly hinge on whether Luka Doncic and Ja Morant overcome their questionable tags and suit up. And in terms of where one might find some standout individual lines, the Timberwolves-Rockets showdown in Houston could well qualify given the slate-high projected total and defensive deficiencies for both squads.
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, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
LeBron James, LAL (abdomen): PROBABLE
James is fully expected to play through his ongoing abdomen issue and should see even more elevated usage than usual with Anthony Davis (knee) out.
Luka Doncic, DAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Doncic were to sit, Jalen Brunson should once again step in as the starting point guard for Dallas and see significant usage.
Damian Lillard, POR (abdomen): OUT
In Lillard's ongoing absence, Anfernee Simons should continue starting at point guard and enjoy significant usage.
Ja Morant, MEM (thigh): GTD
If Morant were to miss out, Tyus Jones would likely step into the starting point guard role while the remaining members of the first unit would see significant bumps in usage.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox can't go, Davion Mitchell would likely enter the starting lineup for Sacramento while the usage of Tyrese Haliburton and Harrison Barnes would see notable boosts.
Other notable injuries:
Anthony Davis, LAL (knee): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Wendell Carter, ORL (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
Josh Hart, NOP (personal): OUT
Patrick Beverley, MIN (groin): QUESTIONABLE
Dillon Brooks, MEM (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Larry Nance, POR (knee): OUT
Richaun Holmes, SAC (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
Zion Williamson, NOP (foot): OUT
CJ McCollum, POR (chest): OUT
Elite Players
We have 5 players with five-figure salaries with a chance to be active on Sunday's slate – LeBron James ($11,500), Nikola Jokic ($11,300), Stephen Curry ($10,800), Luka Doncic ($10,000) and Bradley Beal ($10,000).
James just erupted for 72.1 FD points against the Hawks on Friday and has posted three tallies of over 70 in his last five games alone. As mentioned earlier, he could also be facing a depleted Grizzlies side that could be without both Morant and Dillon Brooks (ankle).
Jokic is averaging 56.3 FD points on the season and has exceeded 65 FD points in two straight. However, it's at least worth noting he was limited to 28.9 across 24 minutes by the Thunder in his most recent encounter.
Curry could have a bit of extra juice with backcourt mate Klay Thompson back on the floor together for the first time in well over two years and appears to be clear from the quadriceps injury that caused him to sit out Thursday.
The status of Doncic's ankle will need to be monitored leading up to tip-off. But if cleared, he would be in for even higher usage than usual with Kristaps Porzingis expected to remain in COVID-19 protocols.
Beal draws a favorable matchup against the Magic and comes in having scored 43.5 to 64.9 FD points in four of the last five contests.
Expected Chalk
In addition to the players just mentioned, other likely chalk plays include:
Ja Morant, MEM ($9,900)
Morant missed Saturday with his thigh injury, but he would naturally be very popular should he be cleared for action.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN ($9,700)
Towns is part of the matchup with the highest projected total and has produced 43.7 and 44.1 FD points in his first two back from COVID-19 protocols.
Fred VanVleet, TOR ($9,700)
VanVleet just posted 71 FD points against the Jazz on Friday and also topped 50 FD points in five of the previous six appearances.
Kyle Kuzma, WAS ($8,300)
Kuzma has been on an extended heater and has scored 42 to 59.8 FD points in four of the last five.
Brandon Ingram, NOP ($8,100)
Ingram is normally in plenty of lineups, but that could be even more elevated with Josh Hart (personal) out and Ingram coming off a 52.2 FD-point tally versus the Warriors.
Other Likely Chalk: Jalen Brunson, DAL vs. CHI ($5,300) *if Doncic is out*
Key Values
Jusuf Nurkic, POR vs. SAC ($7,300)
I'm breaking my own personal rule about keeping value play suggestions to players with salaries of $6.5K or under, because there are extenuating circumstances surrounding Nurkic. To begin with, the big man will once again take the floor without Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, a scenario in which he sports a 29.5 percent usage rate and averages 46 FD points per 36 minutes. He's scored 39.1 to 43.9 FD points in his last three games and will be facing a Kings squad that's given up a Western Conference-high 35.1 percent offensive efficiency to centers along with 56.9 FD points per game to the position. Finally, consider Nurkic already has tallies of 41.8 and 56.9 FD points in two prior head-to-heads with the Kings when both both Lillard and McCollum were available.
De'Anthony Melton, MEM at LAL ($6,200)
As mentioned earlier, Ja Morant looks to be iffy while Dillon Brooks (ankle) will almost surely miss out after suffering his injury on Saturday. That all equates to Melton potentially enjoying an elevated role and getting an extended opportunity to build on the 27.6 and 35.2 FD points he's posted in his first two games back from the health and safety protocols. Melton's shot has been extremely rusty in those contests at a combined 3-for-19 from the floor, but he should have worked out some of the kinks by this point. He also is able to contribute plenty in non-scoring categories, while his matchup versus a Lakers squad ranked just outside the bottom-10 in offensive efficiency allowed to shooting guards (21.6 percent) and is tied for seventh-most FD points yielded to the position (41.5) could also help him deliver a nice return on a reasonable salary. As it is, Melton already averages 37.4 FD points per 36 minutes with Brooks off the floor, and that figure goes up to 43.1 when Morant is also sidelined.
Jalen Green, HOU vs. MIN ($5,000)
Green lists a particularly appealing valuation when considering his upside, which includes nine efforts with a greater than 5x return on current salary. The rookie has posted 29.7 FD points in two of his last four contests and is averaging a solid 25.8 over his last seven while shooting a blistering 44.7 percent from behind the arc. Green is averaging 17.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 11 home appearances and the T-Wolves come in giving up 40.2 FD points per game to shooting guards.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tim Hardaway, DAL vs. CHI ($5,600)
