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 Saturday
The NBA goes international today, as the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets face off in Mexico City early this evening.
Indiana guard T.J. McConnell has a chance to make his season debut, while superstar Tyrese Haliburton remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Denver, meanwhile, is looking to reclaim its identity as a contender.
The stateside portion of the schedule features six other games, headlined by a Western Conference showdown between the expectedly elite San Antonio Spurs and the impressively competitive Portland Trail Blazers. Portland has the statistical makeup (second in offense, 12th in defense) of a real contender. We'll learn about both teams in this marquee matchup.
Among Eastern contenders, the New York Knicks are seeking to go above .500 as they visit a Cleveland Cavaliers group that just dominated a surging Philadelphia 76ers squad last night. With Cleveland possibly missing Jarrett Allen for a second straight game, both Peyton Watson and a veteran forward we'll discuss below could emerge with meaningful roles.
A positive trend across today's slate is the presence of closer point spreads; only one of today's seven games sports a betting line above 7.5 points. This signals potential for competitive contests, which often result in more predictable playing time, usage and production patterns.
With an eye toward uncovering compelling betting angles and fantasy decisions, let's take a look at the day ahead in the NBA.
Fantasy stream team
Players available in at least 50% of leagues
Mario Hezonja, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers (rostered in 6.6% of ESPN leagues)
This second chapter of Hezonja's NBA career has been fascinating. Returning as a physical presence in the paint and on the boards, Hezonja also flashes great footwork on defense and in transition, adding dimension to his impact in real and fantasy contexts. The Cavs might need big minutes from Hezonja on the second leg of a back-to-back with Allen likely out again.
Tari Eason, SF/PG, Houston Rockets (18.8%)
The unintentional theme of today's endorsements is hustle. The names on today's pickup list find their work via hustle and grinding out possessions on both ends of the floor. Eason might be the epitome of the archetype, always willing to create havoc in passing lanes and crash the glass from Josh Hart-like angles. You won't be wowed by the scoring results, rather by a collection of turnovers and rebounds.
Quenton Jackson, PG/SG, Indiana Pacers (6.6%)
With Haliburton ailing, Ben Sheppard sidelined and Kelly Oubre Jr. recovering from a calf strain, Jackson has emerged as a meaningful contributor for Rick Carlise in the Pacers' rotation. One of the better rebounding guards on a per-minute basis, Jackson combines this with an elite steal rate. Likely to play a sizable role today, Jackson offers a fun path to production in Mexico. McConnell can also be considered as a speculative pickup for his ability to produce bunches of assists and steals, although I'd want to see any playing time restrictions play out first.
Nolan Traore, PG, Brooklyn Nets (13.2%)
The Nets haven't fully committed to a youth movement, but this second-year guard seems to have the trust and confidence of the coaching staff. Seeing more minutes and shots as the season has matured, Traore is averaging 16.3 points with sweet shooting and defensive rates over the past week. This might just be an unsustainable hot stretch, but it's worth rostering the young guard in the case his ascent is real.
McCormick's favorite bets for Saturday
Odds by DraftKings
and subject to change.
Anthony Black rebounds + assists OVER 9.5 (-118)
Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero remain sidelined, vaulting Black into important roles as a creator and point-of-attack defender. With atypical size for a lead guard and having topped this threshold in three straight, there is momentum for Black to produce as both a passer and rebounder facing an undersized Golden State Warriors frontcourt.
Alperen Sengun rebounds OVER 9.5 (-106)
The Phoenix Suns are last in rebounding percentage by a wide margin. The Suns are uniquely weak in ending possessions with defensive boards and conversely awful at keeping players like Sengun off the boards. The Rockets won't have Steven Adams or Clint Capela tonight, setting up Sengun as the key leader in rebounding chances for Houston.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers (in Mexico City)
5 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Line: Nuggets -7.5 (-106) | Pacers +7.5 (-114)
Moneyline: Nuggets -268 | Pacers +220
Total: 229.5 (-106 O, -114 U)
BPI projection: Nuggets by 9.5, straight up 77%, 230.5 total points.
Injury report:
Nuggets: DeMar DeRozan (GTD); Spencer Jones (OUT); Julian Strawther (OUT)
Pacers: Ben Sheppard (OUT); Johnny Furphy (OUT); Kelly Oubre Jr. (GTD); T.J. McConnell (GTD); Tyrese Haliburton (OUT)
Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks
7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Nets +6.5 (-106) | Hawks -6.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Nets +221 | Hawks -269
Total: 226.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI projection: Hawks by 9.2, straight up 76%, 228.1 total points.
Injury report:
Nets: Day'Ron Sharpe (GTD); Tyler Bilodeau (GTD); Noah Clowney (GTD); Egor Demin (OUT)
Hawks: Jalen Johnson (GTD); Henri Veesaar (OFS); Jock Landale (OUT); Mouhamed Gueye (OUT)
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers
8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Line: Knicks -4.5 (-110) | Cavaliers +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Knicks -191 | Cavaliers +160
Total: 224.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI projection: Knicks by 1.2, straight up 54%, 226.1 total points.
Injury report:
Knicks: Josh Hart (GTD)
Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen (GTD); Peyton Watson (GTD); Tyrese Proctor (GTD); Jaylon Tyson (OUT)
Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder
8 p.m. ET
Line: Wizards +11.5 (-106) | Thunder -11.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Wizards +411 | Thunder -545
Total: 222.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI projection: Thunder by 13.3, straight up 84%, 220.2 total points.
Injury report:
Wizards: Justin Champagnie (OUTOUT); Jamir Watkins (OUTOUT); Anthony Davis (GTDGTD); Tristan Vukcevic (OUTOUT); Reece Beekman (OUTOUT)
Thunder: Chet Holmgren (OUT); Cason Wallace (OUT); Jalen Williams (OFS); Jaylin Williams (OUT); Nikola Topic (OUT); Thomas Sorber (OUT)
Orlando Magic at Golden State Warriors
8:30 p.m. ET
Line: Magic +5.5 (-104) | Warriors -5.5 (-117)
Moneyline: Magic +190 | Warriors -229
Total: 222.5 (-115 O, -106 U)
BPI projection: Warriors by 3.8, straight up 62%, 222.9 total points.
Injury report:
Magic: Jalen Suggs (OUT); Jonathan Isaac (OUT); Izaiyah Nelson (OUT); Noah Penda (OUT); Paolo Banchero (OUT)
Warriors: Jimmy Butler III (OUT); Gui Santos (GTD); Kristaps Porzingis (OUT); Moses Moody (OUT)
Houston Rockets at Phoenix Suns
9 p.m. ET
Line: Rockets -6.5 (-117) | Suns +6.5 (-103)
Moneyline: Rockets -284 | Suns +231
Total: 223.5 (-115 O, -106 U)
BPI projection: Rockets by 6.3, straight up 69%, 224.4 total points.
Injury report:
Rockets: Clint Capela (OUT); Steven Adams (OUT)
Suns: Mark Williams (OUT); Jordan Goodwin (GTD); Rasheer Fleming (GTD)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers
10 p.m. ET
Line: Spurs -5.5 (-112) | Blazers +5.5 (-108)
Moneyline: Spurs -216 | Blazers +180
Total: 226.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI projection: Spurs by 3.4, straight up 61%, 225.8 total points.
Injury report:
Spurs: Tobias Harris (OUT); Jayden Quaintance (OUT)
Blazers: Vit Krejci (OUT); Shaedon Sharpe (OUT); Ja Morant (OUT)