ESPN's basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you lock in daily fantasy and betting decisions for that night's games. Here you'll find our top insights for the slate, including players to target for your daily fantasy rosters, along with game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Thursday
Thursday's NBA slate features just two games, both between teams with championship aspirations
LeBron James will make his home debut with the Philadelphia 76ers against a Cleveland Cavaliers team led by Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley. Cleveland added Peyton Watson this offseason but could be without Jarrett Allen, who is questionable for Thursday's game with a knee injury. If Allen can't play, defending Joel Embiid becomes an even bigger challenge. Philadelphia opened the season with a win over the defending champion New York Knicks on Tuesday.
The second game features Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets opening their season on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday behind 32 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Denver added DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III this offseason but lost the aforementioned Watson to the Cavs, leaving the Nuggets with a different bench rotation.
Let's take a closer look at both matchups and some fantasy streamers and betting angles worth considering.
Fantasy stream team: Widely available players worth adding
Aaron Gordon, PF, Nuggets (rostered in 51.6% of ESPN leagues)
Gordon averaged 16.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 36 games last season, providing fantasy managers with scoring, rebounds and 3-pointers. He's projected to average 29.3 MPG this season and should see enough minutes to be useful in fantasy. Gordon had 23 points and 10 rebounds in his only game against the Thunder last season.
Jared McCain, SG/PG, Thunder (43.6%)
McCain finished with 37 fantasy points in 22 minutes against the Spurs on Tuesday. He averaged 10.4 PPG and shot 39.1% from beyond the arc after joining Oklahoma City last season. Don't expect six triples every night, but McCain should continue getting opportunities off the bench.
Moody's favorite bets for Thursday
Tyrese Maxey OVER 2.5 3-pointers (-109)
Maxey played 40 minutes against the Knicks on Tuesday, making just two of his nine 3-point attempts. He averaged 8.6 3-point attempts and 3.1 triples made per game since the 2023-24 season. Maxey should continue playing heavy minutes and has a great chance of making at least three triples tonight against a Cavaliers team that allowed one of the highest totals of 3-pointers made to guards last season.
Anfernee Simons 10+ points (+103)
Simons scored 13 points on 10 field-goal attempts in 25 minutes against the Knicks. The 76ers have several offensive playmakers, but Simons' role is clear. He'll come off the bench, knock down 3-pointers and provide a scoring spark for the second unit. We have him projected for 25.1 minutes, and there's reason to like this line. Last season with the Boston Celtics, Simons scored at least 10 points in eight of the 11 games in which he played between 23 and 26 minutes.
Christian Braun OVER 14.5 points + rebounds (-115)
Braun should play heavy minutes in the Nuggets' season opener, especially if he's tasked with defending Gilgeous-Alexander. Braun played at least 37 minutes in both matchups against Oklahoma City last season, clearing this line once. The Thunder also allowed 21 combined rebounds to Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper on Tuesday night. Last season, Braun cleared this line in eight of 13 games with Jokic and Gordon active, and with Watson out. He averaged 8.9 field-goal attempts and 9.0 rebound chances in those matchups. Braun is also worth considering as a fantasy streamer, as he's rostered in just 19.5% of ESPN leagues.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers
7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Line: Cavaliers +2.5 (-102) | 76ers -2.5 (-118)
Money line: Cavaliers +120 | 76ers -142
Total: 237.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: 76ers by 7.5, straight up 71.7%, 229.0 total points.
Injury Report:
Cavaliers: Khalifa Diop (OUT); Jarrett Allen (DTD); Nae'Qwan Tomlin (OUT)
76ers: Tacko Fall (OUT); Dean Wade (DTD); Dominick Barlow (OUT)
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder
9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Line: Nuggets +8.5 (-115) | Thunder -8.5 (-105)
Money line: Nuggets +270 | Thunder -340
Total: 235.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 9.4, straight up 76.5%, 227.6 total points.
Injury Report:
Nuggets: Spencer Jones (DTD); Julian Strawther (OUT)
Thunder: Nikola Topic (OUT); Thomas Sorber (OUT); Otega Oweh (OUT)