This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Saturday night brings us a seven-game slate that appears to tilt toward the non-competitive side but that could naturally still surprise us in certain spots. The injury report is fairly light overall, but there are several big names whose condition will bear monitoring and a couple of front-line players already ruled out.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, 2/1 @ 2:00 a.m. EST:
Denver Nuggets (-14) at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 223.5)
Sacramento Kings at Oklahoma City Thunder (-9.5) (O/U: 233.5)
Brooklyn Nets at Houston Rockets (-15) (O/U: 213.5)
Washington Wizards at Minnesota Timberwolves (-17.5) (O/U: 222.0)
Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks (-10) (O/U: 226.5)
Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (-1) (O/U: 224.0)
Phoenix Suns (-3) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 228.5)
It's an interesting slate in terms of betting lines, as there are a couple of extreme favorites in the Rockets and Timberwolves, and a third double-digit favorite in the Knicks against the Anthony Davis-less Lakers. However the last two contests of the night shape up as particularly appealing in terms of spread and projected totals to a lesser extent, and they might therefore be very good spots to focus one's attention on as a DFS player.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Anthony Davis, LAL (abdomen): OUT
In Davis' absence, Jaxson Hayes should draw another start at center, while LeBron James' usage should be even more elevated than usual.
LaMelo Ball, Hornets (ankle): OUT
In Ball's ongoing absence, Vasilije Micic should continue starting at point guard.
Alperen Sengun, HOU (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Sengun sits out, Steven Adams and Jock Landale should log the majority of minutes at center while the rest of the starting five will see elevated usage.
Josh Hart, NYK (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Hart sits out, Landry Shamet could draw a spot start at small forward.
Julius Randle, MIN (groin): OUT
In Randle sits out, Naz Reid and Joe Ingles will likely handle the majority of the minutes at power forward.
Other notable injuries:
Chet Holmgren, OKC (hip): OUT
Mark Williams, CHA (foot): OUT
Jimmy Butler, MIA (suspension): OUT
Russell Westbrook, DEN (hamstring): OUT
Alex Sarr, WAS (ankle): OUT
Cameron Johnson, BKN (ankle): OUT
Jerami Grant, POR (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
LeBron James, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Rui Hachimura, LAL (calf): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($12,700), Victor Wembanyama ($11,800), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,600), Domantas Sabonis ($10,500) and LeBron James ($10,200).
Jokic has three tallies of over 70 FD points in his last six games, including 94.9 against the Kings five games ago, and he just put up 58.3 against the 76ers on Friday.
Wemby has now scored over 54 FD points in six of the last eight games after going off for 65.3 across 30 minutes against the Bucks on Friday.
SGA has scored less than 49 FD points just once in the last seven games, and he'll enter Saturday with two full days off after having put up 61.6 FD points via a 52-point performance against the Warrriors on Wednesday.
Sabonis has scored over 45 FD points in seven straight games, a stretch where he's exceeded 53 FD points on four occasions.
LeBron has scored over 43 FD points in eight of the last nine games and will once again take the floor without Anthony Davis.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,900)
Towns is averaging 49.1 FD points per game and will have a favorable matchup down low against a Lakers team missing Anthony Davis.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,600)
Edwards should be even more popular than usual after scoring 59.9 and 65.7 FD points in his last two games.
Kevin Durant, PHO ($9,500)
Durant scored 63.9 FD points two games ago and will have a very favorable matchup against the Trail Blazers.
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,100)
Booker scored 54.5 FD points against the Warriors on Friday and has averaged 45.9 FD points over his last 12 games.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,000)
Brunson scored 64.3 FD points Wednesday in his most recent game against the Nuggets, and he's averaged 46.2 FD points in the last nine games overall.
Key Values
Rudy Gobert, MIN vs. WAS ($6,500)
Gobert delivered handsomely as a value recommendation Thursday against his old Jazz squad, posting 45.3 FD points across 34 minutes. The big man has delivered 32.3 FD points per contest over the last 14 games overall, and he has just as juicy a matchup Saturday as he did against Utah. The opposing Wizards have allowed an NBA-high 38.8 offensive efficiency rating to centers, along with 65.6 FD points per contest to the position in the last seven games. Washington has also conceded the third-most points in the paint (51.2) and fourth-most blocks (6.7) per road contest, enhancing Gobert's case even further.
Shaedon Sharpe, POR vs. PHO ($5,700)
Sharpe has bounced back in the last two games after a rough stretch, scoring 32.5 and 30.4 FD points against the Bucks and Magic, respectively. The third-year wing is now in a bench role, but he produced 28.5 FD points against the Suns across 32 minutes in his one prior meeting this season and has eclipsed 30 FD points on 14 occasions overall this season. Phoenix has also been particularly vulnerable to shooting guards all season, allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (26.0) and 44.2 FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games.
Vasilije Micic, CHA vs. DEN ($5,300)
Micic is slated to draw another start Saturday in place of the injured LaMelo Ball, and the former checks in with four double-digit scoring efforts and 28.4 FD points across 28 minutes against the Nets in his most recent contest. Micic has scored between 21.4 and 35.1 FD points in nine of his 13 starts overall this season, and Saturday, he'll face a Nuggets squad that's ranked No. 24 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to point guards (27.6) and that's surrendered the fourth-most FD points per game to the position (54.0) in the last seven contests.
