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Eight games Friday and still more and more players are being sent into health and safety protocol. Future postponements are inevitable, and since the institution of the rule forcing teams to announce their lineups 30 minutes prior to game time, it's never really been enforced. The amount of variability in the NBA right now is at an all-time high.
That being said, most of the teams playing tonight are relatively healthy, outside of the first game of the night between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. The Magic have three starters, Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, and Mo Bamba, listed as questionable, and the Heat are still missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The way Miami's forcing their offense from the outside-in recently plays right into Orlando's ability to dominate the paint on defense, and with the Magic struggling to score fast-break points, this game should help boost those numbers.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com is always ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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DEN @ ATL
Nikola Jokic (DEN) MORE 27.5 Points - Trae Young (ATL) MORE 27.5 Points
These teams have already played once this season and their first bout ended with Nikola Jokic posting a 22-point, 19-rebound triple-double in a nine point win, and Trae Young scoring 30 points on 16 attempts. That's enough of an indication that both players will produce, but Clint Capela is just about the best defender you can find to guard Jokic. Everyone struggles to guard the reigning MVP, but Capela has the size and length to at least make things difficult. Nobody wins the matchup against Jokic, but there's actually a good chance he's held under 30 points unless Capela randomly fouls out.
Trae Young not only had an efficient outing last game he played the Nuggets, but he added nine assists and set up John Collins to have a big game as well. Young owns this matchup and unless Denver institutes a gameplan to stop a non-conference rival, Young's momentum is going to continue into this game.
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MIL @ NOP
Brandon Ingram (NOP) MORE 22.5 Points - Khris Middleton (MIL) MORE 21.5 Points
This specific bet could be very beneficial if you can substitute Jrue Holiday for Khris Middleton here. Although Middleton had hit a small streak of consecutive 20-point games, hyperextending your knee can be a bit of a set-back. Seeing how he's set his bar at around 15-20 points nightly this season, without Giannis Antetokounmpo until December 28th, Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis and Middleton have no choice but to put this offense on their backs for the rest of the month.
Without the Bucks best defensive player, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas are going to have all the freedom they need to produce. Milwaukee can fill the gap left by Giannis by committee, but they are putting a lot of hope in role players playing in New Orleans. Not the toughest venue to play in, but they won't be able to just slide by the Pelicans with how well Ingram is playing and how hard it will be to specifically stop Valanciunas.
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MEM @ SAC
Dillon Brooks (MEM) MORE 21.5 Points - Harrison Barnes (SAC) LESS 19.5 Points
Believe it or not, Harrison Barnes is the concern here. His scoring output has been all over the place recently, and last game was the first time since returning from injury that Barnes has played more than 30 minutes. Seeing how he hasn't scored 20 points since November 11th and the Kings are facing an actual defense, the trend of Barnes not scoring 20 points should continue.
The words sure-thing and Dillon Brooks don't belong in the same sentence, but Brooks is the Grizzlies leading scorer over the last week and the Kings can't defend the paint. He won't need to rely on his jumpshot as much as he'll want to just shoot from everywhere against this defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. is taking 15 shot attempts a game while Brooks is taking 16. The differential isn't huge, but Brooks is averaging eight more points despite one more attempt says enough.
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CHA @ POR
Damian Lillard (POR) MORE 26.5 Points - LaMelo Ball (CHA) MORE 20.5 Points
The Trail Blazers have lost 10 of their last 11 games, but on a promising note, Lillard has hit at least five three's in his last two games. If he continues down the path of taking 20 shots a game, it's hard not to like the over for someone that is also commanding 30% of the usage. Despite the losses, Portland is sticking with most of these teams and even with the Hornets nearly at full strength, Lillard will get space against this backcourt. Assuming he gets some support from his team, he should continue hitting his outside shot at a high rate and crush the over.
This will the first game back for LaMelo Ball and he is absolutely the type of player to explode his first game back, especially against a team that has let up points to him before. Considering his natural ability to involve teammates, it's not going to pull away from how easy it will be for him to score at the rim. The Trail Blazers are lacking in every department defensively and Ball loves to attack from as many angles as possible until a weakness is exploited. There's a good chance he already knows how he is going to go after this defense.
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