We have a solid seven-game slate on Friday featuring some potential lopsided matchups and high projected totals. The injury report list a couple of particularly prominent names while some noteworthy longer-term absences persist despite those teams having several days off due to the NBA Cup-impacted schedule.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Dec. 12 @12:00 p.m. EST:
Chicago Bulls (-3) at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 228.5)
Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons (-7) (O/U: 232.5)
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers (-7) (O/U: 224.5)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-15) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 242.5)
Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies (-7.5) (O/U: 242.5)
Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks (-8) (O/U: 221.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors (-1.5) (O/U: 230.5)
There are some potential one-sided games (to varying degrees) predicted by Friday's betting lines, yet there's always the possibility of closer matchups and we're also boosted in DFS by the four games with projected totals north of 230.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Maxey is unavailable on Friday, the usage for the rest of the starting five will naturally increase and it's worth noting Joel Embiid projects to be part of that unit. Jared McCain could also draw the start for Maxey at point guard.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (foot): QUESTIONABLE
If Edwards can't suit up, Julius Randle should particularly receive a boost in usage while Jaylen Clark would start at shooting guard.
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): OUT
In Ball's ongoing absence, KJ Simpson might go at point guard with Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel due for significant bumps.
Ja Morant, MEM (calf): PROBABLE
Morant's likely return from a 10-game absence will shift Vince Williams back to the bench and reduce the extra usage the rest of the starting five were enjoying while he was out.
Other notable injuries:
Trae Young, ATL (knee): OUT
Alex Sarr, WAS (thigh): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, ATL (illness): OUT
Jarrett Allen, CLE (finger): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (personal): OUT
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (thumb): OUT
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): PROBABLE
Coby White, CHI (calf): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with a five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Jalen Johnson ($10,800), Tyrese Maxey ($10,600), Cade Cunningham ($10,500) and Anthony Davis ($10,400).
Johnson will continue to play without Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis on Friday and checks in with four tallies of at least 64 FD points in his last five games, which explains the recent significant salary increase.
Maxey's status will need to be monitored as he's now questionable due to illness. But if active, he'll be looking to add to a stretch where he's exceeded 57 FD from three of the last five.
Cunningham has produced four tallies over 58 FD during his last seven outings and draws another favorable matchup against a shorthanded Hawks squad.
Davis bounced back from a forgettable showing to post 50.6 FD against the Rockets, his third effort exceeding 50 over the last four.
Go to RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,700)
If Edwards is cleared to play, he should be very popular after registering 55.8 FD through 38 minutes against the Suns while exceeding 50 three times in the last six matchups.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,600)
Mitchell should remain locked into plenty of lineups after a stretch where he's averaged 46.5 FD across nine appearances.
Josh Giddey, CHI ($9,500)
Giddey typically offers one of the safest floors in the upper tier. And even though he's posted a couple subpar performances of late, he'll be well-rested in a favorable matchup against a shorthanded Hornets backcourt.
Michael Porter, BKN ($9,300)
Porter has been fantastic all season and enters with three consecutive tallies over 53 FD to lock in a high roster rate on Friday.
Miles Bridges, CHA ($8,000)
Bridges tallied 46.8 FD last time out and will once again be without LaMelo Ball, which should guarantee high usage and rostering.
Key Values
Kyle Filipowski, UTA at MEM ($6,100)
Filipowski's salary has been creeping up as he's enjoying a solid season and checks into Friday on a particularly productive stretch averaging 27.8 FD from his last 12 games while delivering 11.9 points (on 54.2 percent shooting), 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists across 24.9 minutes. The Duke product has also drawn starts in two of his last three where he's taken advantage of the opportunity by providing 37.1 and 44 FD while shooting a blistering 72.7 percent. Filipowski's outlook is solid irrespective where he slots into the rotation as the Grizzlies are allowing 48.3 FD points per game to power forwards along with the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to the position (29.2).
Jaylen Wells, MEM vs. UTA ($5,200)
Ja Morant is projected to make his return on Friday, but that could actually be a benefit to Wells in the form of less defensive attention. He's been thriving in Morant's absence averaging 27.6 FD during the last seven games while shooting an outstanding 62.5 percent - including 57.1 from behind the arc. While Wells' offensive role is bound to take somewhat of a hit, he's still drawing a favorable matchup in one of Friday's highest-total matchups versus a Jazz team surrendering the eighth-most FD points to small forwards over the last seven games (49.5) and the third-highest offensive efficiency rating (26.7) and 50.9 percent shooting to the position.
KJ Simpson, CHA vs. CHI ($5,200)
Simpson is projected to continue starting in place of LaMelo Ball on Friday after contributing 26.5 FD over 29 minutes on Charlotte's first unit on Sunday against the Nuggets. The second-year two-way player also went for 25.6 off the bench two games ago and garnered plenty of experience as a rookie last season drawing 15 starts and generating 24.1 FD per outing. The Bulls have been relatively tough against point guards by some metrics, yet they're still allowing 50.8 percent shooting during the last three matchups and the fifth-most steals overall (9.3) - with the latter figure particularly relevant considering Simpson's penchant for rounding out his fantasy production on the defensive end.
ALSO CONSIDER: Klay Thompson, DAL vs. BKN ($4,200)
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