Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic, left, of Serbia, looks to pass the ball as Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 127-120. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
We're heading into April in the NBA. There'll be no foolin' on this Sunday slate of nine games. The playoffs are just around the corner and there is a lot of ball left to play. DFSR breaks down all of the info you need to know before tonight's first games tipoff at 6:00 PM EST.
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Griffin has a bone bruise on his ankle that has held him out of two straight and he will miss his third game in a row tonight as the Pistons head into Brooklyn. He will remain out at least through next weekend opening opportunity for Anthony Tolliver who has seen 31 minutes in each of the Pistons past two games, averaging 15.5 points, 2.0 boards, 2.0 assists, a block and a steal per start.
Hill left Friday night's game against the Pelicans after 22 minutes with an ankle sprain. Cleveland has ruled him out of tonight's game against the Mavericks opening up minutes for Jose Calderon and Jordan Clarkson.
Barea has missed three games for personal reasons and remains away from the team tonight as they head into Cleveland for a tilt with the Cavaliers. Yogi Ferrell picked up just 19 and 20 minutes in the first two games Barea missed but ran the boards for a full 28 against Minnesota on Friday night.
Len will miss his third straight game with an ankle sprain. Marquesse Chriss, who double-doubled in 33 minutes last game, will continue to draw the start for Phoenix in his absence. Along with Len, Devin Booker and T.J. Warren remain out for Phoenix while Elfrid Payton is a game-time decision after missing Friday night's game with a sore knee. If Payton remains on the pine, Tyler Ulis will draw another start and be a top play at the position.
Ingram was in his second game back following a twelve game absence due to a groin strain when he suffered a concussion against the Bucks. He will enter concussion protocol and miss tonight's game against the Kings, allowing Kyle Kuzma to rejoin the starting rotation once again. Ball meanwhile is doubtful with a knee injury that held him out of Friday's game against Milwaukee. Josh Hart and Tyler Ennis will be relied on heavily with Ingram and Ball both out of commission tonight.
Green was ruled out of tonight's game against the Blazers along with Andrew Harrison, Tyreke Evans, and Chandler Parsons while Marc Gasol is still listed as questionable with a groin injury suffered against the Jazz on Friday. With nothing much to play for, I would expect Memphis to rest Gasol as a precaution tonight which should open up a ton of value in Memphis for the likes of Mario Chalmers, Ben McLemore, Wayne Selden and Jarrell Martin.
Brooklyn seems to be considering resting RHJ tonight after he suffered a facial laceration. Though the situation doesn't seem serious he could be held back as a precaution. Dante Cunningham and Quincy Acy would stand to see increased minutes with the absence of Hollis-Jefferson, as well as DeMarre Carroll if Brooklyn opts to run a small ball line.
After being a late scratch on Friday, Rubio's hamstring is still sore and has him holding a questionable tag coming into tonight's game in Minnesota. Royce O'Neale was thrown into the starting spot on Friday and saw twice his normal workload paying nearly 10X points per dollar on minimum pricing. O'Neale is an excellent option if it is announced that he will step in for Rubio again tonight.
Teague saw just 20 minutes against the Mavericks on Friday, and while the team hasn't disclosed what is going on, it is enough to call his status for tonight into question. If Teague is ruled out Tyus Jones would be the likely candidate to join the starting five and make for a solid value play at the point.
Henson was a participant in shootaround this morning, but the Bucks are still holding the questionable designation over him after being a late scratch on Friday in L.A. against the Lakers. Tyler Zeller saw 28 minutes in L.A. and was a serviceable value option, but will return to the bench if Henson receives the go-ahead to lace up tonight in Denver.
Iggy was held out of last night's game against the Kings, along with Casspi who missed his seventh straight game. Both are game-time decisions for tonight's game against the Suns. If both are made available, Nick Young will lose value now that Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are all back in their usual roles. If ruled out, Iguodala and Casspi will join Steph Curry and Patrick McCaw on the inactive list.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 54.38 DK - 54.98
We've got a pair of centers for you to consider today as our every lineup plays. Our NBA lineup optimizer is loving one each on FanDuel and DraftKings. On FanDuel, Andre Drummond's price has been bouncing back and forth over the past few weeks, in and out of the $10K club, and after a pair of games in the $9K range, he sits right at $10K tonight. At that price, we look for 50 fantasy points, which for most of the NBA can be a tall order, but for Drummond, it has been coming with ease in recent games. Over his last four Drummond has paid 5X points per dollar three times including a monster 15/20/4/4/4 outing in 35 minutes against the Bulls in which he paid nearly 7X on these prices. He's double-doubled in six straight and has averaged 23 points and 20 rebounds in his last two games. If that's not enough for you, then how about the matchup? The Nets are ranked dead last defensively against opposing bigs and will have no hopes of stopping Drummond tonight. 50 is the floor, the ceiling is as high as you think it can go, and then some. Our system loves Drummond at the five on FanDuel tonight based on the price and matchup, and while you can consider him on DraftKings, he's a much pricier play over there so let's see who our system is loving as a DraftKings center play.
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 50.49 DK - 52.88
While Nikola Jokic is a more expensive play than Drummond on FanDuel, he is significantly cheaper on DraftKings. The Bucks may not be the pushover defense that the Nets are, but over the last ten games, they've been a bottom ten defense at the position. This game between the Nuggets and the Bucks has the second highest projection of the slate, sitting at a lofty 222.5 and with just a 4.5 point spread, it should remain competitive for the full 48. Jokers recent game logs have been equally as impressive as Drummonds. Though he doesn't dominate in the glass as well, his all-around game makes up for the difference and his fantasy scoring has been right on par. Both of these guys are in excellent spots tonight, and the pricing makes each a spectacular play in his own right on the different sites. With just $200 separating them, you can consider either on FanDuel, while multiposition eligibility means both are in play on DraftKings, though pairing them will be tough. Personally, I'm riding with the system and rocking Drummond on FD and Jokic on DK.
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