Happy New Year, everyone! We have a six-game NBA DFS main slate on Monday, January 1st, on DraftKings and FanDuel. We have stars everywhere we look with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Tyrese Haliburton, and Luka Doncic taking the floor. The game on everyone's mind is Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks as that game currently sits at a 261.5 implied point total.
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Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
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Notable NBA Injury Updates
QUESTIONABLE
- Luka Doncic (went through shootaround)
- Kyrie Irving (went through shootaround)
- Jabari Smith Jr.
- Tari Eason
- Dante Exum (went through shootaround)
- Shaedon Sharpe
- Mark Williams (doubtful)
- Aaron Gordon
- Bruce Brown (doubtful)
- Duop Reath (doubtful)
- Toumani Camara
- Terry Rozier (mid-day downgrade from probable)
OUT
PROBABLE
Back-to-Backs
- Phoenix Suns (second leg)
- Charlotte Hornets (front leg)
Pace Up Spots (December Ranks)
Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.
*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.
Green = Fast Paced team
Blue = Neutral Paced team
Red = Slow Paced team
- Pacers: 4th vs. Bucks: 2nd
- Pistons: 6th vs. Rockets: 19th
- Mavericks: 8th vs. Jazz: 14th
Defensive Ratings (December Ranks)
- Charlotte Hornets: 29th
- Detroit Pistons: 26th
- Indiana Pacers: 25th
- Portland Trail Blazers: 24th
- Toronto Raptors: 23rd
- Utah Jazz: 20th
- Phoenix Suns: 18th
NBA Game Totals
- Indiana Pacers @ Milwaukee Bucks - 259.5 (MIL -6.5)
- Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz - 245.5 (DAL -3.5)
- Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns - 229.5 (PHX -11.5)
Top Tier Core Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
So Giannis and the Pacers have BEEF. If you remember what happened at the end of that last game, Indiana took the game ball away from Giannis after scoring 64 points. He’s scored 50+ actual points in two of three games against Indiana this year and is averaging 51.7 points, 12 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 74.7 DKP/game.
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
This guy has back-to-back 20/20 games. That’s just flat out insane. Nobody’s really playing him either, which is very interesting. This game has been bet up to 261.5 as well. He’s put up 60+ DKP in four straight games.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
It took Mitchell zero time to get back to tip-top form after missing 11 days due to an illness. He scored 34 points, and almost double-doubled while also grabbing six boards. He played 36 minutes, too, so that should only continue to rise without Garland and Mobley. He has a 31% USG and averages 1.38 FP/min without them.
Malcolm Brogdon, Portland Trail Blazers
The minutes on a back-to-back were extremely impressive playing 37 on both legs and Brogdon put up 50 & 42 DKP in those contests. He averages 1.12 FP/min and a 24% USG without Simons, Ayton, Reath, and Williams and they could be without Shaedon Sharpe to boot.
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Over the last four games, Khris Middleton’s minutes look like this: 33, 32, 33, 33. Real minutes are all the way back. During that span, he’s put up 32+ DKP and has flashed a ceiling of 51 DKP. He can do quite literally everything on the floor and is in the best game environment on the board with elite position eligibility.
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
This dude has not skipped a beat since returning from an ankle sprain. He’s topped 33 minutes and 37 DKP in each game he’s played in. Duren’s been an absolute monster on the glass and has been really impactful offensively for a team starving for offense. Alperen Sengun is definitely better offensively than he is defensively. That’s for sure. Love Duren’s price plus production here.
Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns
Upon his return, he had a 16% USG rate across 30 minutes and scored just six points and 21 DKP. Game number two was different, playing 34 minutes while scoring 25 points and notching a 21% USG. His price is incredibly cheap so as long as there isn’t a limit, Beal is a big-time bargain.
Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
There is nothing to really dislike here outside of fouls. He’s foul happy. That being said, without Simons over the last few games he’s been fantastic. He put up a whopping 52 DKP outing last time out and has two double-doubles over his last three games. With all the guys out, Henderson has a 32.5% USG and 1.25 FP/min.
Value Tier Core Plays
Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers
Outside of the Chicago game, Nembhard is playing 30+ minutes in the starting lineup. Guards have really hit Milwaukee in the gut all year and if Nembhard is going to be a double-digit scoring threat while giving up 6+ assists+rebounds per night, he’s a very solid play at this price in this game environment.
Aaron Nesmith, Indiana Pacers
It’s only been a four-game sample, but Nesmith has four starts and has averaged 16 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 29.9 minutes. The Pacers have been using Nesmith as the starting SF and is coming off 25 points, seven threes amd 33 DKP. He’s put up back-to-back 27+ DKP games and is now involved in a game with a 259.5 over/under.
Jabari Walker, Portland Trail Blazers
Deandre Ayton is out, Duop Reath doubtful, and that puts Jabari Walker in our sites. Walker’s played 30 minutes in back-to-back games as the Blazers aren’t interested in extending Moses Brown despite starting him. Walker exploded last game for 25 points & 9 rebounds gives you an idea what his upside can be. With Simons, Ayton, Reath, and Rob Williams off the floor, Walker averages 1.03 FP/min.
Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors
OK, so, this is interesting. Quickley and RJ Barrett are off the injury report and look like they’re going to be active. Will Quickley start? Will he come off the bench? How much time will he see? A lot of questions obviously, but if he’s starting it’s all-systems-go. We’ll know nice and early what the Raptors starting lineup because they’re the first game of the night.
Kevin Knox II, Detroit Pistons
The Pistons finally won a game and they did so with Kevin Knox in their starting lineup. Isaiah Stewart is out again, so we should expect Knox to have a similar role once again in this spot. He played 30 minutes and essentially closed the game too. Knox had a 21% USG rate in their last game which would be fantastic if he could repeat it.
Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Here's how I think things may play out here. Jalen Smith starts at power-forward, is in early foul trouble, Aaron Nesmith shifts to PF to guard Giannis and Mathurin sees a lot of time on the floor. He's played 24+ minutes in three straight games and has scored 15+ actual in two straight. Mathurin has averaged 28 MPG and 27.8 DKP/game in three meetings with Milwaukee. He's really popular tonight.
Slate Thoughts:
- No Rockets included as I wait for the status of Jabari Smith Jr. & Tari Eason. If one or both of them sat, Houston would become a hot spot of options. If both play, not so much.
- If Mavericks are at full strength, getting to Luka Doncic on this slate feels like a miss with what else you could get to.
- If Hornets’ G Terry Rozier sits; tired - playing Ish Smith / wired - playing Nick Smith Jr. (I prefer the wired approach if Rozier is out)
Late-News Core Play Section
*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news & research
- Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Kevin Durant is OUT)
- Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix Suns (Kevin Durant is OUT)
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Player Pool
| $ Tier | PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Tyrese Haliburton  $11,000 |  Donovan Mitchell $10,300 |  Giannis Antetokounmpo $12,400 |  Nikola Jokić $12,100 | |
 Devin Booker $9,900 | |||||
| Medium |  Fred VanVleet $8,300 |  Khris Middleton $7,300 |  Lauri Markkanen $8,500 |  Jerami Grant $7,500 | Alperen Şengün $8,900 |
| Malcolm Brogdon $8,000 | Tari Eason $6,400 | Aaron Gordon $5,900 |  Jalen Duren $7,800 | ||
| Scoot Henderson $6,300 |  Jusuf Nurkić $7,700 | ||||
| Bradley Beal $6,300 | |||||
| Low | Andrew Nembhard $5,300 | Aaron Nesmith $5,600 | Jabari Walker $5,700 |  Jalen Smith $4,900 | |
 Eric Gordon $5,200 |  Kevin Knox $4,500 | ||||
| Bennedict Mathurin $5,000 |
Player News
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks that his current stamina issues may be related to the problem that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season.
After an illness limited him to 13 first-half minutes in Boston’s series-opening defeat on Monday, Porzingis came off the bench in Game 2. Unfortunately, he could only give the Celtics 14 minutes. Following the game, Porzingis said his current problem may be related to the upper respiratory ailment that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season. “Probably, probably,” Porzingis said. “I’ve had like ups and downs throughout until this point. Just now, had a big crash. Now, my energy, my everything, hasn’t been good, but who cares? Have to move forward and it will get better from this point.” While Boston’s shot selection was the focus following its two home defeats, Porzingis’ limited availability has also been a factor. He’ll hope to return to full health in time for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.