There are a ton of players in injury purgatory at this point and proceed with caution regarding tonight’s five-game slate. The Bucks and Mavericks have a few players out and with a good amount of other questionable players heading into tonight, we have to build a bit more on the safe side. There are a lot of low totals across sports books for these games tonight as there is just one game with an above 220 combined total. It could be a bit low in the scoring department.
PG: Luka Doncic: The shooting world will be his oyster with Kristaps Porzingis once again sidelined. Doncic is producing 1.46 fantasy points per minute with Porzingis off the floor. Tonight brings a pace-up spot for Dallas. Doncic took 21 shots last time out and in addition to scoring 22.5 points per game he grabs 8.5 boards and dishes 7.5 dimes per outing. If you’re looking to pay up tonight at the position, Doncic is your safest bet because at this point we don’t know about Lakers injuries, De’Aaron Fox has been underwhelming and Chris Paul has been up and down. Doncic grabs a steal per game and he’s even blocked shots in four of his last five contests. He has struggled shooting from downtown, but with Porzingis out, Doncic can focus a bit more on driving the lane and scoring in the paint.
SG: Grayson Allen: With most of the Bucks starting lineup out tonight, Allen should see a good amount of shots against Detroit. Allen has shot over 42 percent from the floor in three of his last four games and should easily take double-digit shots tonight. Expect Allen to play 30-plus minutes in this one and even came through in the match up against the Jazz. The Jazz are a tough backcourt to beat and Allen scored 18 points and grabbed six boards against them. He’s shot over 44 percent from the arc in three of his last four outings and he’s grabbed at least five rebounds in his last two battles. Despite the pace working against Milwaukee tonight, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are all out and it’s a short slate of games. Allen is very feisty when he defends and he’ll try to swipe away balls and he’s succeeded in four of seven contests this season.
SF: Jimmy Butler: Butler has been a consistent four-category producer and with Porzingis out for this one, Butler should 100-percent have his way in the lane. It’s a win-win regarding Bam Adebayo’s status for tonight because if he plays, both will just continuously attack the weak Dallas frontcourt all night, and if Adebayo sits, Butler will get even more time with the ball and that could help his assist-potential for tonight. Dorian Finney-Smith can’t guard everyone and Butler will bring it to him in the post. He’s scored 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games. Butler has grabbed 10 or more boards and dished seven dimes in two of his last three matchups. Butler is a phenomenal defender and he’s grabbed 2.8 steals per game. He’s even blocked shots in two of his last three outings. The Heat’s leading scorer is shooting nearly 53 percent from the floor and takes 17 shots per game.
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo: As I mentioned with Allen, the Bucks are dealing with a lot of injuries and Antetokounmpo has taken 20 or more shots in two of his last three games. He’s shot at least 50 percent from the floor in each of his last four games. Anetokounmpo pulls down over 11 rebounds per contest and he’s produced four multi-block games in his last five. With tonight’s teammates Antetokounmpo scores 1.68 fantasy points per minute. Even as staunch of a defender as Jerami Grant can be, it will still be a very hard assignment for him and Cade Cunningham is still getting in rhythm. When Isaiah Stewart switches on him, Antetokounmpo will take him out in the paint with ease. He should easily take 20 shots tonight because of the Bucks personnel issues.
C: Rudy Gobert: Sacramento is still very weak against centers and Gobert has grabbed 17.2 rebounds per game. Richaun Holmes barely plays any defense and Gobert should have his way in the post tonight. Last time out versus the Kings Gobert scored 17 points and grabbed 20 boards and with Marvin Bagley III out of the mix in Sacramento, the Kings lack size. The pace works in the Jazz favor tonight and even though Gobert has not had a 10-shot game yet this season, he’s still scoring 16.3 points per outing. Gobert has also blocked shots in his last four games and he’s blocked seven collectively in his last two contests. He’s even grabbed steals in his last two games. Gobert plays 31 minutes per game and there hasn’t been one opponent yet to box Gobert out of the paint successfully or at least limit his rebounding. The Kings don’t have enough size to make the adjustments needed to contain Gobert.