Injuries that have already taken effect into the projections: Evan Mobley (CLE, Out), Spencer Dinwiddie (DAL, Out), Wendell Carter Jr. (ORL, Out)
Injury situations that will need to be monitored throughout the slate: Frank Ntilkina (DAL, Questionable), Goga Bitadze (IND, Questionable), Isaiah Jackson (IND, Questionable), Oshae Brissett (IND, Questionable), Evan Fournier (NYK, Questionable), Duncan Robinson (MIA, Questionable), DeAndre Hunter (ATL, Questionable), Tre Mann (OKC, Questionable), Alperen Sengun (HOU, Questionable), Jaren Jackson Jr (MEM, Questionable), Jonas Valanciunas (NO, Questionable)
Lineups we’ll be seeking confirmation on:
Cleveland: Evan Mobley will be out tonight for Cleveland which will force a backcourt of Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen into action. Kevin Love likely will be the guy to stay in the paint more, but with Lauri Markkanen sitting in a 7-foot frame he could find himself with some rebounding upside despite him playing primarily at small forward this season. Coach Bickerstaff likely will have at least one of Love or Markkanen on the floor at all times, which could open up extended minutes for a guy like Lamar Stevens who might be forced to play bigger due to Cleveland’s limited options in the frontcourt.
Dallas: Spencer Dinwiddie has been ruled out for tonight and with Frank Ntilkina questionable Dallas could find itself thin at the backup guard spot. It is very possible that Coach Kidd could stray away from having an additional two ball handlers on the floor with Luka like he has done this season which would open up a possibility for extended minutes for Josh Green. Frank Ntilkina, if he can take the floor, could see a boost if Kidd stays with his usual approach, but recently signed Brandon Knight could be thrown into the fire if Ntilkina is ruled out since the Mavericks are already without Trey Burke and Sterling Brown.
Orlando: Wendell Carter Jr has been ruled out which immediately helps the stock of Mo Bamba as he’ll see higher volume without sharing the lane with Carter Jr. Chuma Okeke will likely be in the starting lineup replacing Carter Jr, with Moe Wagner filling in backup minutes for both Okeke and Bamba.
Oklahoma City: Tre Mann is listed as questionable and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey both officially out for the season there could be some cheap value to be had if Mann were to be ruled out. Theo Maledon likely will see the ownership boost and take on the role as the primary ball-handler in that scenario. Aleksej Pokuševski takes on an added ball-handling role as a point forward as well which could end up being a popular play, but Vit Krejci and Lindy Waters are both under $4500 on FanDuel and would be in line to both see extended minutes. Krejci has the upside and stronger playmaking abilities so he likely would be the one with the higher upside.
Houston: Alperen Sengun is questionable going into tonight’s game and with Christian Wood already out there could be the opportunity for some cheap value to be had in the frontcourt. Usman Garuba looks to start in place of Wood with Bruno Fernando likely joining him in the backcourt if Sengun ends up being ruled out. Both Garuba and Fernando are minimally priced on FanDuel offers some strong cheap value for Garuba regardless and especially for Fernando if Sengun cannot go.
