This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a compact four-game slate Thursday night, one that already has one confirmed big-name absence and could eventually feature several others. Only one of the eight teams in action is on the second night of a back-to-back set, which should bode well for the chances of competitive games and solid offensive performances.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, 2/1 @1:00 a.m. ET:
Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics (-11) (O/U: 240.5)
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks (-4) (O/U: 241.0)
*Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5) at Memphis Grizzlies (O/U: 218.5)
Philadelphia 76ers at Utah Jazz (-4.5) (O/U: 235.0)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
We're in for a reasonably competitive night if oddsmakers are reasonably accurate in their spreads, and even the Lakers-Celtics clash could be more competitive than predicted if Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both available. Meanwhile, the absence of Joel Embiid and another potential one for Tyrese Maxey is naturally expected to make the 76ers-Jazz battle a lot closer than it otherwise might be.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): OUT
In Embiid's absence, Paul Reed should return to the starting five, while the rest of the first unit should be in for elevated usage.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Maxey were to remain out Thursday, Patrick Beverley would be in line to remain in the starting five.
Anthony Davis, LAL (Achilles/hip): QUESTIONABLE
If Davis were to sit out a second straight game, Jaxson Hayes would likely draw another start, while LeBron James would be in for elevated usage again if he plays through his questionable tag.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If LeBron can't suit up, Jarred Vanderbilt would likely draw a spot start at power forward.
Julius Randle, NYK (shoulder): OUT
With Randle in the third game of what is expected to be a multi-week absence, Josh Hart is likely to remain the starting five, while Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo should once again see big bumps in usage.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Haliburton can't suit up, Andrew Nembhard would be due for a spot start, while the rest of the starting five would be due for big bumps in usage.
Other notable injuries:
De'Anthony Melton, PHI (back): OUT
Luke Kennard, MEM (knee): DOUBTFUL
OG Anunoby, NYK (elbow): QUESTIONABLE
Jalen Smith, IND (back): QUESTIONABLE
John Konchar, MEM (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Thursday's slate – Anthony Davis ($11,200), LeBron James ($10,400), Donovan Mitchell ($10,300), Jayson Tatum ($10,200) and Tyrese Haliburton ($10,000).
Davis has scored over 40 FD points in eight of his last nine, including four straight, but he remains very questionable for Thursday's game with his Achilles and groin injuries after missing Tuesday's contest.
LeBron has scored 45.8 to 75 FD points in four straight games, and he could be due for a big boost in usage if Davis sits out.
Mitchell just put up 71.2 FD points against the Pistons on Wednesday, and he also eclipsed 50 FD points in three of the previous four games. However, it's also worth noting he'll be on his third game in four nights Thursday.
Tatum has scored 57 and 55.9 FD points in his last two games, and he could be facing a Lakers frontcourt devoid of Anthony Davis on Thursday.
Haliburton's status will have to be closely monitored due to the iffy status of his hamstring, and he was notably limited to just 22 minutes in his return Tuesday against the Celtics.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,900)
Brunson has delivered tallies of 48.3 to 56 FD points in his last three games, and with Julius Randle remaining out Thursday, he should continue to be very popular despite the bump in salary.
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($8,600)
Brown has scored over 40 FD points in four of the last six contests, which should keep him in plenty of lineups Thursday for the marquee matchup against the Lakers.
Jarrett Allen, CLE ($8,500)
Allen has scored 41.9 FD points or more in five of the last six games, which keep him highly rostered at his salary.
Tobias Harris, PHI ($7,700)
Harris will take the floor without Joel Embiid, and potentially Tyrese Maxey, for Thursday's game, and he comes in off a 45 FD-point outing against the Warriors in which Embiid logged 30 minutes before exiting.
Donte DiVincenzo, NYK ($7,200)
DiVincenzo exploded for 60 FD points over 39 minutes against the Jazz on Tuesday and should continue benefiting from the absence of Julius Randle (shoulder) Thursday.
Key Values
Paul Reed, PHI at UTA ($6,200)
Joel Embiid has been ruled out for Thursday's game, meaning Reed should be set for a spot start in a very favorable matchup. The big man has scored 53.1 and 29.7 FD points the last two times he's run with the first unit, making him a very appealing candidate against the highly vulnerable Jazz. Utah has allowed 57.6 FD points per contest to centers in the last 15 games, along with the second-most blocks per game on the season (6.5), including an NBA-high 7.3 in the last three. The Jazz have also given up 52.6 points in the paint per contest (61.3 per game in the last three), an area of the floor where Reed scores 72.5 percent of his points.
Patrick Beverley, PHI at UTA ($5,500)
Beverley has filled in admirably with Tyrese Maxey (ankle) over the last three games, posting 23.7 to 40.3 FD points on the strength of 14.3 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest across an average of 31.7 minutes. Maxey does have a chance to return Thursday, and if that comes to pass, there are a couple of other options to pivot to in the "Also Consider" section. However, if Maxey is indeed ruled out, Beverley makes for a highly enticing play at his salary, considering the Jazz have yielded the third-most FD points per game to point guards in the last 15 contests (56.1), including an even more generous 61.9 in the last seven. Utah is also giving up a Western Conference-high 29.2 assists per contest – 35.0 per game in the last three – furthering Beverley's case.
GG Jackson, MEM vs. CLE ($5,200)
Jackson has been providing quite the spark off the bench for the extremely short-handed Grizzlies, putting up over 20 FD points in six of the last nine games, including a trio of tallies over 30. The rookie second-round pick has shot a blistering 54.4 percent, including 48.7 percent from behind the arc, over that span, and he should once again log a workload of at least 20 minutes in Thursday's matchup. The Cavs have been only league average against second-unit players in terms of offensive efficiency rating allowed and have given up 36.6 percent three-point shooting to reserves, brightening Jackson's outlook even further on a night when Memphis also expected to be without Luke Kennard (knee) once again.
ALSO CONSIDER: Josh Hart, NYK vs. IND ($6,500); Rui Hachimura, LAL at BOS ($4,900)
