This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Following the annual Christmas Day five-game extravaganza Wednesday, the NBA serves up a post-holiday treat of nine matchups Thursday. The injury report is rather busy and includes some notable names, however, so it could be an especially important night for getting mid-salary and value plays correct.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, 12/26 @11:00 a.m. ET:
Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5) at Indiana Pacers (O/U: 228.0)
Charlotte Hornets (-4.5) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 227.5)
Miami Heat at Orlando Magic (-1.5) (O/U: 209.0)
Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks (-6.5) (O/U: 242.5)
Houston Rockets (-8) at New Orleans Pelicans) (O/U: 220.5)
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks (-10.5) (O/U: 213.5)
Toronto Raptors at Memphis Grizzlies (-11.5) (O/U: 239.5)
Detroit Pistons at Sacramento Kings (-6) (O/U: 227.5)
Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers (-1.5) (O/U: 228.5)
While there are still some moving parts in terms of key injuries, spreads are unlikely to vary too drastically from what they are currently. The numbers bode well overall for a competitive night, except for the two double-digit lines. There aren't any true marquee matchups, but the final two games of the night out west may offer excellent environments for strong individual performances.
Projected totals are also mostly encouraging, considering we have six games with figures of 227.5 points or higher. In that sense, three Bulls-Hawks game holds the most promise considering the 240-plus total, although Trae Young is listed as questionable for Atlanta as of late morning.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (back): QUESTIONABLE
If Antetokounmpo were to sit out, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard (questionable-calf/illness) would stand to be major beneficiaries.
Damian Lillard, MIL (calf/illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Lillard logs another absence, Giannis Antetokounmpo (questionable-back) would see a bump in his already massive usage rate and enjoy more ball-handling opportunities if he's able to suit up, while AJ Green is likely to draw a start at point guard.
Domantas Sabonis, SAC (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Sabonis can't play, De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan will see their usage rates climb even further, while Trey Lyles and Isaac Jones could handle most minutes at center.
Trae Young, ATL (heel): QUESTIONABLE
If Young can't play, Vit Krejci may draw a start at point guard while Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson will see big jumps in usage rate.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (conditioning/personal): DOUBTFUL
If Butler can't play, Jaime Jaquez and Pelle Larsson should be in line to handle plenty of minutes at small forward while Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo will be in line for even more usage than usual.
Other notable injuries:
Paolo Banchero, ORL (oblique): OUT
Zion Williamson, NOP (hamstring): OUT
Brandon Ingram, NOP (ankle): OUT
Jakob Poeltl, TOR (groin): OUT
Cam Thomas, BKN (hamstring): OUT
Kyle Kuzma, WAS (ribs): OUT
Brandon Miller, CHA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
John Collins, UTA (hip): QUESTIONABLE
Trey Murphy, NOP (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Myles Turner, IND (oblique): QUESTIONABLE
Josh Giddey, CHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Bilal Coulibaly, WAS (groin): QUESTIONABLE
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
Keyonte George, UTA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Terry Rozier, MIA (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Ben Simmons, BKN (back): QUESTIONABLE
Khris Middleton, MIL (ankle): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,400), LaMelo Ball ($10,100), Cade Cunningham ($10,000) and Domantas Sabonis ($10,000).
Antetokounmpo has missed the last two games but shouldn't be under any minutes restrictions if he does play, and he could be taking the floor without Damian Lillard.
SGA recorded 71.3 FD points in his most recent game against the Wizards on Monday his fourth game with more than 62 FD points in the last five.
Ball has scored 44 to 69.3 FD points in his last three games and has an excellent ceiling for his salary in what is also a very appealing matchup.
Cunningham was under 56 FD points for the first time in four games Monday, but he carries a ceiling north of 60 FD points and is going to be an integral part of what should be one of the most competitive games of the night.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jalen Johnson, ATL ($9,200)
Johnson has scored over 41 FD points in four of the last five games and will be even more popular if Trae Young is ruled out.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,200)
Young will be popular as usual if he can play through his Achilles issue, especially in a very appealing matchup against the Bulls.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC ($8,900)
Fox always seems to have a floor of about 40 FD points and may be playing without Domantas Sabonis on Thursday, which would make him even more highly rostered than usual.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($8,800)
Sengun has over 46 FD points in three of his last five games and is always a coveted center on any slate given his upside.
Tyler Herro, MIA ($8,100)
Herro is likely to operate without Jimmy Butler once again Thursday, which should make the former very highly rostered at his salary.
Key Values
Amen Thompson, HOU at NOP ($6,600)
Thompson moved into the starting five with Dillon Brooks (ankle) sidelined Monday and delivered handsomely, providing 46.7 FD points on the strength of a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included three blocks. Thompson had already been providing strong production in his bench role as well, averaging 30.3 FD points over his previous 12 games. Brooks will remain out Thursday, and Thompson will be facing a depleted Pelicans team that has allowed an NBA-high 28.2 offensive efficiency rating to small forwards, along with 47.8 percent shooting and an NBA-high 48.8 FD points per contest to the position in the last 15 games.
Santi Aldama, MEM vs. TOR ($6,200)
Aldama continues to be a key component of the Grizzlies' second unit, most recently offering 34.9 FD points across 31 minutes against the Clippers on Monday. The productive night pushed Aldama's average over the last 11 games to 32 FD points per contest, a stretch where he's shooting 56.3 percent, including a blistering 52.7 percent from behind the arc. The Raptors make for good targets Thursday, considering Toronto is allowing 46.8 FD points per contest to power forwards and ranks No. 19 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to the position (26.9) and tying for the second-most rebounds surrendered over the last three contests (57.3).
Shaedon Sharpe, POR vs. UTA ($6,100)
The Jazz have been a good team to target across the board for DFS purposes this season, making Sharpe a very appealing play at his salary. The talented second-year pro is averaging a solid 26.7 FD points per game for the season, but he's displayed some impressive upside beyond those numbers in the form of seven totals of 30.6 FD points or more. That includes a pair of tallies over 40, and a Utah squad that's allowing the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards (25.3), along with the third-most FD points per game (46.6) and 37.7 percent three-point shooting to the position, could certainly coax a strong game out of him.
ALSO CONSIDER: Gradey Dick, TOR at MEM ($6,000); Malcolm Brogdon, WAS vs. CHA ($5,800); Kelly Olynyk, TOR at MEM ($4,400)
