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With so much chaos going on and lineups changing by the second, it's best to keep things as simple and as clear as possible. With only five games Wednesday now that the Raptors game has been postponed, more announcements are likely to come. Waiting for information won't hurt, especially with how unpredictable everything is right now.
Gorgui Dieng will be starting for the Hawks in place of Clint Capela, and Khris Middleton is off the Bucks injury report. Certain roster moves carry weight in terms of the dynamic of the team and in cases like the Hawks, where inserting Delon Wright into the starting lineup slows down the pace of the game and will limit the opposing team's production because of his defense, he also forces the rest of Atlanta's guards to pick up the offensive slack. Seeing who is starting before investing too much money can work in your favor.
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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ORL @ ATL
John Collins (ATL) MORE 20.5 Points - Cole Anthony (ORL) MORE 19.5 Points
Trae Young entered COVID protocol and to fill the gap, Delon Wright and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been bumped into the starting lineup. John Collins doesn't necessarily score on his own being the premier roll man and stretch big on this team, but it's not like he will be avoided in a game where they will need the added offense. His scoring ability just isn't overwhelming and Collins plays better when teammates can consistently draw double-teams and free him up around the rim or mid-range area. When these teams played a week ago, Collins posted 21 points alongside Young's 28 points in a 12-point win.
Cole Anthony only managed to score seven points on 14 shots that game and the Hawks are increasing the defense this time around with Delon Wright now in the starting lineup. With Orlando missing half their roster, the players called up from the G-League don't make for the most reliable teammates, so Anthony will have no choice but to score tonight. However, Anthony will need to have an extremely efficient game from behind the arc if he wants to hit 20 points tonight in his first game back from a two-game absence.
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CLE @ BOS
Jayson Tatum (BOS) MORE 28.5 Points - Darius Garland (CLE) MORE 20.5 Points
The Cavaliers defense has been incredible for most of the season and in the two games they played the Celtics, Jayson Tatum was held to under 23 points. Cleveland's ability to pack the paint while still being able to extend out on shooters makes it tough for anyone to have high-scoring games once their focus is directed, and every NBA team focuses most of their attention to Tatum anyway. Knowing that stopping Tatum will lead to a Cavaliers win, with so many other Celtics being out, Tatum is going to probably going to come out of seemingly nowhere and score 40 points on 40% usage.
Cleveland is on a six game winning streak and Garland has scored a combined 43 points on 24 shots over the past two games. The only problem with taking the over on Garland is that rest of the Cavaliers are playing well and don't need to rely on Garland scoring like they once were. His usage is dropping despite an increase in stats, and if all the numbers are doing is just creating some insecurity with the bet, it's easy to chalk it up to overthinking. Garland is playing well and that's not in doubt, so against a depleted Celtics defense, he is going to have another solid outing.
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DEN @ OKC
Nikola Jokic (DEN) MORE 28.5 Points - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) MORE 22.5 Points
The Nuggets rotation is fairly secure in terms of depth and skill and the first half of this game is likely to be all Nikola Jokic. The Thunder haven't been able to keep games competitive unless Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the way and their frontcourt has no chance against the reigning MVP. Jokic is nearly averaging a 28-point triple-double over the last two weeks and since the Nuggets are prone to missing shots, there's no guarantee this game will be a blowout. Even though Jokic hasn't scored 30 points in three games, this will be one of those games where he'll get plenty of opportunities from everywhere on the court.
Gilgeous-Alexander has very few games he scores under 15 points and the Nuggets backcourt is easily their weak point with Monte Morris, Austin Rivers, and Facundo Campazzo all getting heavy minutes each night. Their effort on defense is better than their execution and it takes more than effort to stop Gilgeous-Alexander's downhill brand of offense. Oklahoma City always finds a way to lose a lead and ultimately lose a game, but when Luguentz Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander are on the court together, it's an explosive duo that can account for lapses in the rest of the roster.
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HOU @ MIL
Khris Middleton (MIL) MORE 21.5 Points - Christian Wood (HOU) MORE 17.5 Points
With no Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton becomes the primary playmaker for this offense whenever he's available. Middleton has missed the last three games, but is now off the injury report and he's going to go back to his role, likely without a hitch. After missing eight games earlier this season, Middleton was struggling to find his rhythm, but the Bucks were winning games so they weren't forcing the offense. Now that Antetokounmpo has only played in half of the Bucks last 10 games, any time Middleton can play, they need him to be that 20-point-a-night type of player and will give him the chances.
Likewise, without the Bucks best player, their defense suffers more than anything. Christian Wood put up 21 points and 13 rebounds the last time the Rockets faced Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo played that game. Now that Wood becomes the sole threat and only has Bobby Portis to deal with, 18 points seems to good to be true. Any rebounding props are likely to favor Wood having a massive game tonight as well.
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