This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
It's a relatively quiet Saturday night in the Association, as only five games are on tap. There are a couple of clear potential blowout scenarios, but there are also several other intriguing matchups that could be highly competitive and fertile ground for standout individual performances.
Slate Overview
San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets (-4) (O/U: 241.0 points)
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (-1) (O/U: 220.0 points)
Orlando Magic at Memphis Grizzlies (-15.5) (O/U: 231.0 points)
Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves (-13) (O/U: 232.5 points)
Golden State Warriors (-5.5) at Los Angeles Lakers (O/U: 224.0 points)
Assuming the Grizzlies and Timberwolves prevail in a manner befitting the heavy home favorite status each enjoys, the high-end players on those teams may not play a true normal allotment of minutes, adding a bit of an element of risk to rostering them. Indeed, if point spreads are accurate, tournaments may be won largely based on having the right players from the other trio of matchups.
The 76ers-Heat game features a pair of teams with very strong defenses, but given the offensive talent on either side, there should still be some strong DFS performances stemming from the game. Meanwhile, the Spurs and Hornets are often on the other end of the defensive spectrum from Philadelphia and Miami, so there could certainly be some offensive fireworks.
And, while both the Warriors and Lakers playing particularly poor of late, the superstars on each side could rise to the moment Saturday night in what could turn into a competitive game based on sheer pride.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
LeBron James, LAL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
James is expected to play through his knee issue as customary and continue to log a heavy workload with Anthony Davis (foot) still sidelined.
Jimmy Butler, MIA (toe): QUESTIONABLE
If Butler were to sit out a second straight game, Max Strus (shoulder) and Caleb Martin (Achilles) will likely handle starting small forward duties.
Wendell Carter, ORL (illness): GTD
If Carter were to sit out a second straight game, Chuma Okeke should see extra run in the frontcourt.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (knee): GTD
If Edwards were to miss a third consecutive game, Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince could be primary beneficiaries, while D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns should both see their usage rise.
Kyle Lowry, MIA (personal): OUT
In Lowry's ongoing absence, Gabe Vincent could draw a fourth straight start at point guard.
Other notable injuries:
Anthony Davis, LAL (foot): OUT
Damian Lillard, POR (abdominal): OUT
Jusuf Nurkic, POR (foot): OUT
Josh Hart, POR (rest): OUT
Justise Winslow, POR (Achilles): OUT
Draymond Green, GSW (back): OUT
Devin Vassell, SAS (adductor): QUESTIONABLE
Gordon Hayward, CHA (ankle): OUT
Dillon Brooks, MEM (ankle): OUT
Lonnie Walker, SAS (back): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate – Joel Embiid ($11,900), James Harden ($11,700), LeBron James ($11,200), Stephen Curry ($10,900), Dejounte Murray ($10,800), Ja Morant ($10,400) and Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,200).
Embiid has scored at least 54.5 DK points in four of the last five games, and he's averaged 51.8 DK points in two prior games against the Heat.
Harden has scored between 48.3 and 80 DK points in his four games with the 76ers, and although he shot just 33.3 percent against the Heat in his one encounter with them this season while still with Brooklyn, he appears to have taken his play to another level since the trade.
Assuming James plays through his injury, he makes for an intriguing play against the Warriors considering he's averaged 59.5 DK points in two prior games versus Golden State.
Curry has shot just 31.6 percent, including 18.8 percent from three-point range, in two games versus the Lakers this season, but he's still averaged 50.9 DK points across that pair of games.
Murray shot just 36.4 percent in his one game against the Hornets this season, but he's averaging 50.6 on the road and 57.7 DK points on 51.6 percent shooting in his last three games.
Morant has scored at least 54.5 DK points in four of the last five games and hung 52.3 in just 28.5 minutes against Orlando the first time he saw the Magic this season.
Towns has averaged 45.6 DK points in two games against the Blazers this season and won't have to worry about facing Jusuf Nurkic (foot) on Saturday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
LaMelo Ball, CHA ($8,500)
Ball got into very early foul trouble in his last game and alarmingly played just eight minutes, but he's flashed a ceiling well north of 60 DK points as recently as eight and nine games ago.
D'Angelo Russell, MIN ($7,900)
Russell just scored 36 DK points in 25 minutes against the Thunder on Friday and boasts a 26.4 percent usage rate without Anthony Edwards on the floor this season.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($6,700)
Maxey just racked up 52.5 DK points in 38 minutes against the Cavs on Friday night and has scored 36.5 to 52.5 DK points in the last four games.
Key Values
Montrezl Harrell, CHA at SAS ($5,500)
Harrell certainly has some fluctuations in his production, but he makes for an appealing cost-effective tournament play in a game that could produce a sneaky-good DFS environment. The Spurs have allowed the third-highest offensive efficiency to centers (33.9 percent), along with the fifth-most DK points per game to fives (57.5). Moreover, San Antonio has allowed the third-most points in the paint per road game (51.0), while Harrell has scored 70.0 percent of his points in that part of the floor. The big man has also scored 23.8 to 38.3 DK points in six of the last eight, good-to-excellent returns on his very reasonable salary.
Patrick Beverley, MIN vs. POR ($5,100)
As noted earlier, Anthony Edwards could miss another game due to his knee injury Saturday, and Beverley is averaging 38.2 DK points per 36 minutes without his teammate on the floor. The veteran guard has scored 24.6 to 31.5 DK points in three of his last five games, and he also scored 21.8 in a modest allotment of 24 minutes during the blowout win over OKC on Friday. Beverley also scored 27.5 DK points in his one prior game against the Blazers, and Portland is also allowing 49.8 DK points per game to PGs in the last seven.
De'Anthony Melton, MEM vs. ORL ($4,500)
Melton has been a bit up and down, but he's scored 21 to 40.3 DK points in 11 of his last 14 games. Melton's salary certainly eliminates a lot of risk from the equation, and it's worth noting he lit up the Magic for 37 DK points in just 21.6 minutes in his one prior meeting with Orlando. The Magic have also struggled against both second-unit players and shooting guards, ranking in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to each. Finally, Orlando is also bleeding production to two-guards of late, conceding an Eastern Conference-high 49.1 DK points per game to the position in the last seven.
