After the traditional dark night on Thanksgiving, the NBA is back in full force for another robust Friday night of NBA Cup Group Play games. Our player pool gives us an abundance of options, and although there are some big names on the injury report, we have plenty of ways we can go at all different levels of the salary cap.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire’s NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, Nov. 28 @12:00 p.m. EST:
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons (-3) (O/U: 232.5)
Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers (-6.5) (O/U: 240.5)
Philadelphia 76ers (-7.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 222.5)
Chicago Bulls (-2.5) at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 248.5)
Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks (-8.5) (O/U: 232.5)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-6.5) at Atlanta Hawks (O/U: 235.5)
Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz (-2) (O/U: 242.5)
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder (-15.5) (O/U: 225.5)
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets (-7.5) (O/U: 238.5)
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers (-6) (O/U: 224.5)
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers (-10) (O/U: 230.5)
The betting metrics portend a very encouraging night for DFS players Friday, as we have just two double-digit favorites among the 11 games, and there are no shortage of games with elevated totals. Af first glance, the best pure DFS environment seems to clearly be the Bulls-Hornets clash in Charlotte, but the Kings-Jazz tilt checks in as a close second.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire’s NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (thigh): QUESTIONABLE
Antetokounmpo is questionable to make his return from a multi-game absence for the second straight contest, but if he sits out again Friday, Gary Trent Jr. could remain in the starting five and Bobby Portis will be in line for expanded opportunity off the bench.
Joel Embiid, PHI (knee): OUT
In Embiid’s absence, Andre Drummond is likely to draw a start at center and Tyrese Maxey should be in line for even more usage than usual.
Nikola Vucevic, CHI (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Vucevic can’t play Friday, Jalen Smith is likely to draw a start at center, while Josh Giddey will be set for even more usage than usual.
VJ Edgecombe, PHI (calf): OUT
In Edgecombe’s absence, Quentin Grimes could draw another spot start at shooting guard.
Michael Porter, BKN (back): OUT
In Porter’s absence Friday, Ziaire Williams is likely to draw a start at small forward and the rest of the first unit should see a collective bump in usage.
Other notable injuries:
Trae Young, ATL (knee): OUT
Paolo Banchero, ORL (groin): OUT
Victor Wembanyama, SAN (calf): OUT
Ja Morant, MEM (calf): OUT
Paolo Banchero, ORL (groin): OUT
Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): OUT
OG Anunoby, NYK (hamstring): OUT
Grayson Allen, PHO (quadriceps): OUT
Coby White, CHI (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Andrew Nembhard, IND (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
Kyshawn George, WAS (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Paul George, PHI (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Deandre Ayton, LAL (knee): PROBABLE
Jarrett Allen, CLE (finger): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have seven players with five-figure salaries who have a chance to play on Friday’s slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,700), Luka Doncic ($12,600), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,100), Cade Cunningham ($10,600), Tyrese Maxey ($10,400) and Jalen Johnson ($10,100).
Jokic essentially has a floor of 50 FD points and won’t have to contend with Victor Wembanyama down low Friday, brightening the big man’s prospects even further.
Doncic is coming off having piled up 76.3 FD points against the Clippers his last time out, and he’s scored at least 61.2 in four straight games.
Antetokounmpo still remains very questionable to return Friday but would be a play worth considering were he fully cleared.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scoed over 50 FD points in three of his last four games, including 64.2 against the Timberwolves his last time on the floor Wednesday.
Cunningham has also scored over 50 FD points in three of the last four games and put up 61.1 against the Celtics on Wednesday in a wild loss.
Maxey scored just 29.1 FD points in 31 minutes against Orlando on Tuesday in an abbreviated showing, but he put up 86.5 just three games ago and will once again take the floor without multiple first-unit mates Friday.
Johnson also had a down game (29.9 FD points) against the Wizards in his most recent contest, but he’s regularly exceeded 45 FD points during Trae Young’s ongoing absence.
Visit RotoWire’s NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
James Harden, LAC ($9,800)
Harden put up 49.5 FD points against the Lakers on Tuesday and also recorded 70.1 against the Hornets three games ago, numbers that should keep him very popular Friday.
Josh Giddey, CHI ($9,700)
Giddey is averaging 47.3 FD points per contest for the season and may take the floor without Nikola Vucevic, factors that should keep his roster rate elevated.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,600)
KAT scored 63.9 FD points two games ago, and his significant upside always makes him a very popular choice.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,300)
Mitchell is averaging 45.9 FD points per contest and has a favorable matchup against the short-handed Hawks, which should make him popular at his salary.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,300)
Brunson has scored 27 actual points or more in four straight games, and his offensive floor always makes him a popular choice.
Key Values
Keegan Murray, SAC at UTA ($6,200)
Murray has been busy making up for lost time after his delayed season debut, averaging 44.1 FD points across 30 minutes per game in the last three contests after easing in during his Nov. 20 debut. The talente forward has gotten there with a well-rounded 21.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 49.0 percent shooting. Murray is averaging a robust 16.3 shot attempts per game in that span as well, and Friday, he faces a Jazz team that’s surrendering a Western Conference-high 128.6 points per home game, along with 51.3% shooting in the last three contests. Utah is also yielding a league-high 31.8 assists per home game, along with the second-most steals (10.7) and third-most blocks (6.0) per contest in that same split. It’s also worth noting Utah is surrendering the fifth-most FD points per game to power forwards in the last seven (51.2), making this an excellent all-around matchup in a game expected to have one of the best DFS environments of the night.
Brandon Miller, CHA vs. CHI ($6,100)
Miller is another reasonably salaried player that should have a chance to thrive in very DFS-friendly conditions Friday. The third-year wing has been solid in the two games he’s played since returning from an extended absence due to a shoulder injury, averaging 31 FD points on the strength of 19.5 points, 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 27 minutes per contest. Miller is shooting only 43.3 percent in that span as well, so even a slight uptick against a vulnerable Bulls squad could lead to him overdelivering on his salary. Chicago is surrendering 127.2 points per road game and this game carries the highest projected total of the night, putting Miller firmly in play.
Anthony Black, ORL at DET ($5,600)
Black came through handsomely as a value option Tuesday against the 76ers, tallying 36.7 FD points in 28 minutes off the bench. That was an extension of what had already been an extended run of strong production for Black, who’s now averaging 31.7 FD points over the last six contests. He’s shooting 52.7 percent overall, including 39.1 percent from distance, in that span as well, and Black has exceeded 32 FD points on four occasions during the sample. The Pistons aren’t the most appealing on-paper matchup, but they’re ranked No. 20 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to two-guards (24.7).
ALSO CONSIDER: Ajay Mitchell, OKC vs. PHO ($5,800); Ryan Kalkbrenner, CHA vs. CHI ($5,300)
Use our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
