This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have another seven-game slate on tap Thursday night, one that features several teams on the second game of a back-to-back set. The injury report does have some noteworthy names on it, so there could be some value opening up depending on how some of those potential absences play out.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, Jan. 29 at 2:00 a.m. EST:
Sacramento Kings at Philadelphia 76ers (-12) (O/U: 228.5)
Milwaukee Bucks (-2) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 224.5)
Houston Rockets (-3.5) at Atlanta Hawks (O/U: 225.5)
Miami Heat (-1) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 241.5)
Charlotte Hornets (-3.5) at Dallas Mavericks (O/U: 228.5)
Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets (-7.5) (O/U: 210.5)
Detroit Pistons (-4.5) at Phoenix Suns (O/U: 215.5)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-6) at Minnesota Timberwolves (O/U: 225.5)
The betting metrics paint an interesting picture Thursday, as there's only one double-digit favorite but half of the games have totals of 225.5 points or less, including two sub-220-point tallies. However, with all but two games carrying spreads of 4.5 points or fewer, we should have a good chance at plenty of tightly contested games.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Cooper Flagg, DAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Flagg remains sidelined Thursday, Brandon Williams will likely absorb plenty of point-guard minutes, while Caleb Martin could remain in the starting five.
Alex Sarr, WAS (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Sarr can't play, Skal Labissiere could log some extra minutes at center, while the rest of the first unit will see a boost in usage.
Devin Booker, PHO (ankle): OUT
In Booker's absence, Grayson Allen should continue in the starting five, while Dillon Brooks should be among those to see a sizable usage boost.
Russell Westbrook, SAC (foot): QUESTIONABLE
If Westbrook remains out, Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis could handle most of the minutes at point guard, and the likes of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis could see increases in usage.
Other notable injuries:
Nikola Jokic, DEN (knee): OUT
Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): OUT
Kevin Porter, MIL (oblique): OUT
Jalen Williams, OKC (hamstring): OUT
Ajay Mitchell, OKC (abdomen): OUT
Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC (calf): OUT
Kevin Porter, MIL (oblique): OUT
Noah Clowney, BKN (back): OUT
Collin Gillespie, PHO (hand): QUESTIONABLE
Jonas Valanciunas, DEN (calf): PROBABLE
Paul George, PHI (knee): PROBABLE
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): PROBABLE
Jamal Murray, DEN (hamstring): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Thursday's slate: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,300), Jalen Johnson ($10,700), Tyrese Maxey ($10,500) and Cade Cunningham ($10,300).
SGA was under 40 FD points for the first time in six games Tuesday, but he naturally carries upside north of 60 FD points any time he takes the floor.
Johnson has scored over 43 FD points in five consecutive games, but he does have a tough matchup against the Rockets.
Maxey bounced back from a clunker against the Hornets two games ago by delivering 38.1 FD points across 36 minutes against Bucks on Tuesday.
Cunningham has scored over 45 FD points in three of the last four games and has back-to-back 11-assist tallies, and he'll face a shorthanded Suns squad Thursday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Joel Embiid, PHI ($9,900)
Embiid has scored over 45 FD points in five consecutive games and appears to be as healthy as is possible for him, which should make him very popular Thursday.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,800)
Murray has scored over 41 FD points in three consecutive contests, which should help ensure he's in plenty of lineups Thursday.
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,700)
Edwards has eclipsed 43 FD points in four of the last five games and has a trio of 30-plus-point efforts in that span, which should ensure a high roster rate.
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,600)
Sengun is averaging 44.7 FD points while shooting 53.8 percent over his last nine contests, and he draws a particularly favorable matchup against the Hawks.
Kevin Durant, HOU ($9,000)
KD has a floor of about 35 FD points and upside north of 50, which should make him very popular at his salary.
Key Values
Jabari Smith, HOU at ATL ($6,000)
Smith continued to provide steady, multi-faceted production out of his power forward spot, and he'd averaged 30.6 FD points over the 10 games prior to a modest showing (20.4 FD points) against the Spurs on Wednesday. He has a much more appealing task in front of him Thursday, as the Hawks are surrendering the second-most FD points to power forwards in the last 15 games (50.7). Atlanta is also allowing 47.7 percent shooting at home, and Smith has already provided at least a 5x return on his current salary in 20 games this season.
Myles Turner, MIL at WAS ($5,800)
Turner has been outstanding over the last two games, scoring 48.4 and 47.3 FD points in those contests while operating without both Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Kevin Porter (oblique). Both players' absences will persist Thursday, and Turner is now averaging 37.3 FD points per 36 minutes with his pair of teammates off the floor. The veteran big man should have a good chance of extending his streak of superior production Thursday, as the Wizards are giving up the third-most FD points per game to centers in the last 15 games (58.2), along with the most rebounds (17.0) and sixth-most blocks (2.47) to the position in that span.
Brandon Williams, DAL vs. CHA ($5,600)
Cooper Flagg's availability, or lack thereof, will naturally play a role in Williams' overall outlook, but the latter has been performing well with or without his star teammate available and comes into Thursday on a stretch of impressive production. Williams is averaging 26.4 FD points across 23.6 minutes per game over his last 13 contests, a stretch where he's shooting a stellar 56.0 percent. Williams only has a couple of spot starts to his name in that span, yet he's eclipsed 30 FD points on five occasions during ths sample. That's excellent upside for his current salary, and if Flagg does sit out, it's worth noting Williams has the highest usage rate (28.3 percent) of any healthy Mavs player with the first overall pick off the floor and is averaging 41.0 FD points per 36 minutes in that scenario as well.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tre Johnson, WAS vs. MIL ($5,600)
